Chamber and committees

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Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-32834

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 21 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what flood prevention schemes were approved, and at what cost, broken down by local authority, in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2024-25.

In 2016, an agreement was reached between Scottish Ministers and COSLA on a new strategic funding plan for flood protection schemes. This agreement ensures that from 2016 to 2026, a minimum of £42 million per annum is allocated for flooding capital grants within the local government settlement. Information is provided below on the schemes funded under that agreement.

In December 2015, SEPA published the first set of Flood Risk Management Strategies for the period 2015-2021, which included 42 prioritised flood protection schemes. 40 of these were eligible for Scottish Government funding. While work was expected to start on these schemes, their completion was not expected within the six-year timeframe.

Table 1 Flood Protection Schemes under construction
Scheme	(ii) Properties protected	(i) Completion Date	(iii A) Initial cost (£ million) (1)	( iii B) Estimated final cost (£ million) (2)
Hawick	970	2025	37.4	78.6
Campbeltown	770	2025	9.3	15.2

Schemes (b) under development are as follows:

Table 2 - Schemes under development 4 will commence construction in 2025 2 have been legally confirmed as required under the FRM Act (2009) and are undergoing further development and detailed design towards construction. 5 have begun the legal notification process towards confirmation.
Scheme	Stage	(ii) Properties protected	(iii A) Initial cost (£ million) (1)	( iii B) Estimated Final Cost of Scheme (2)
Milnathort	Construction start 2025	79	1.9	0.9
Mill Burn Millport	Construction start 2025	124	1.1	1.7
Kilmacolm – Glenmosston Burn	Construction start 2025	Not held	0.5	0.5
Comrie	Construction start 2025	189	15.7	40.0
Dumfries - Whitesands	Confirmed (3)	166	18.9	37.5
Quarrier’s Village	Confirmed (3)	60	0.2	0.2
Dumbarton - Gruggies Burn	Legal notification complete (4)	370	14.5	20.0
South Kinross	Legal notification complete (4)	Not held	3.2	15.1
Musselburgh	Legal notification complete (4)	2500	8.9	95.9
Bridge of Allan	Legal notification complete (4)	Not held	4.4	17.0
Newton Stewart/ River Cree	Legal notification complete (4)	270	7.5	19.1
(1) Note: Initial costs as provided by local authorities in 2016-17. (2) Note: Final Scheme costs are the latest estimates provided by local authorities. Differences between these latest estimates and initial cost estimates arise as a result of inflationary pressures and because flood protection schemes are put forward for prioritisation at various stages of their development to fit with Flood Risk Management Planning cycle set out in the FRM Act. Costs are revised over time as designs are finalised and more detailed investigations are carried out and as new information emerges. Schemes will only be taken forward for construction if they receive the necessary statutory and regulatory approvals, so the expected completion date is not yet known. More detailed information on each of the schemes can be obtained from the relevant local authorities whose responsibility it is to develop and deliver flood protection schemes and who are best placed to answer specific questions on each of the schemes. (3) Note: Formally confirmed under Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act (2009). (4) Note: Notification (first stage towards legal confirmation) complete under Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act (2009) 8 of the 40 schemes initially eligible have been withdrawn from the cycle one funded programme (2 voluntarily and 6 because they failed to meet the notification deadline of 31 March 2024). 1 is no longer required.

Question reference: S6W-33005

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many paediatricians (a) have been trained to date and (b) are currently being trained on how to diagnose, and manage children and young people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in line with the latest NICE guideline.

Question reference: S6W-32919

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the adequacy of mental health support provided to cancer patients and their families (a) during the treatment journey and (b) after treatment.

Our Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033 makes clear that Mental Health Support forms part of an individual’s basic care. Individuals requiring support should have access to this at the point of clinical need.

To help understand the demand and capacity for cancer related psychological care and support, a national scoping exercise was conducted as part of a Macmillan Psychology and Support Project with findings published in November 2024. The findings are being considered by Scottish Government.

We also published the Psychological Therapies and Support Framework for People Affected by Cancer to support Health Boards in considering the services which should be available to those affected by cancer, including psychological support.

The Framework includes quality statements and self-assessment tools for organisations providing support to benchmark themselves on an annual basis and develop local action plans as appropriate. The benchmarking exercise was carried out across Scotland for the first time in 2024 with Regional Cancer Networks coordinating the activity and Scottish Government looks forward to receiving findings.

Question reference: S6W-32917

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to (a) increase public awareness of cancer symptoms, including rare cancers, and (b) incorporate education about cancer symptoms into the national school curriculum.

Our most recent Detect Cancer Earlier campaign – Be The Early Bird – first launched on March 2023, aiming to reduce fear of cancer and empower those with possible symptoms to act early. Following successful independent evaluation, the campaign re-ran in September 2023 and August 2024 to prompt health-seeking behaviour.

In parallel, a Detect Cancer Earlier roadshow visited communities across Scotland in March and September 2024 to reinforce key messages, with further activity planned for March 2025.

We continue to work with NHS Scotland to ensure that the NHS Inform website provides cancer information that best meets patient needs, including symptoms and treatments.

Work is ongoing with third sector organisations to support them in any awareness raising efforts within schools, including the provision of Be The Early Bird resources that may be helpful.

Question reference: S6W-32851

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) it and (b) the NHS has spent on legal costs regarding compensation for medical negligence in the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-32835

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether all cycle 1 flood prevention schemes have been approved, and in which financial year the resource will be drawn down.

Local authorities are responsible for developing and delivering flood protection schemes and the Scottish Government provides funding to support this.

31 cycle one flood protection schemes remain eligible for grant funding as they were notified as required under the Flood Risk Management Act 2009 by the 31 March 2024 deadline agreed by Ministers and COSLA Leaders.

8 have been withdrawn from the cycle one funding programme (2 voluntarily and 6 because they failed to meet the notification deadline of 31 March 2024).1 is no longer required.

Local authorities provide a spend profile for each flood protection scheme annually to the Scottish Government and this determines how much funding is distributed to each eligible scheme in any given year.

Question reference: S6W-32832

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the budget has been for flood prevention schemes in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2024-25.

Since 2008, the Scottish Government has made available £42 million per year to local authorities to invest in flood risk management actions – a commitment that is in place until 2026. A further £150million was committed across the course of this parliament.

Financial Year	Funding Amount (M)
2007-08	42
2008-09	42
2009-10	42
2010-11	42
2011-12	42
2012-13	42
2013-14	42
2014-15	42
2015-16	42
2016-17	42
2017-18	42
2018-19	42
2019-20	42
2020-21	42
2021-22	52
2022-23	63
2023-24	61
2024-25	62.5

Question reference: S6W-32920

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with NHS Scotland to improve the interoperability of health data to support higher quality and more patient-centred cancer care.

COSLA and the Scottish Government published our Health and Social Care Data Strategy in February 2023. The strategy which outlines our approach to improving the interoperability of our health and social care data through the adoption and use of common standards.

The specific actions being taken can be read in the strategy: https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2023/02/data-strategy-health-social-care-2/documents/greater-access-better-insight-improved-outcomes-strategy-data-driven-care-digital-age/greater-access-better-insight-improved-outcomes-strategy-data-driven-care-digital-age/govscot%3Adocument/greater-access-better-insight-improved-outcomes-strategy-data-driven-care-digital-age.pdf

Question reference: S6W-32836

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the status of all cycle 2 flood prevention schemes and when it plans to announce successful projects, and in which financial year the money will be drawn down.

A joint COSLA/Scottish Government Flood Risk Management Funding Working Group, including representatives from Scottish Government, COSLA, SEPA, local authority Directors of Finance and flood officers has been established to discuss reform of funding and governance for flood resilience actions in Scotland and make recommendations on these issues to COSLA and Scottish Ministers.

The current funding arrangements end in FY2025/26 and this group is considering what will follow, including arrangements for schemes put forward under the 2022 Flood Risk Management Plans.

Question reference: S6W-32852

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much compensation was paid by the NHS to settle medical negligence claims in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not collected or held centrally by the Scottish Government and would require to be obtained from Health Boards.

The Annual Reports for the NHS Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme (CNORIS) provide details of the scheme along with the number and value of claims made during each financial year and historical values.

The Annual Reports, which also cover information available in terms of categorisation of claims, are published online at Access annual reports for the scheme | National Services Scotland.

Some settlements are paid through a smaller lump sum together with periodic payments. Detail of these Periodic Payment Orders may be found at page 9.