Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

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: S7W-01725

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 10 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will consider the provision of miscarriage services as part of its work.

The Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce considered miscarriage services at its meetings on 26 February and 25 March. The minutes of the Taskforce have been published on the Scottish Government website (Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce - gov.scot)

Ministers are currently considering the role and remit of the Taskforce and how it works alongside the independent review of maternity services which commences in September 2026.

Question reference: S7W-01722

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 10 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the membership of the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce.

Question reference: S7W-01724

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 10 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will reconsider the downgrading of specialist neonatal units at Wishaw and Dundee.

We are focusing care for the smallest and sickest babies in three neonatal intensive care units in Scotland. This decision is based on clear evidence that that the outcomes for these babies, who are born at less than 27 weeks gestation, or who need multiple complex life support interventions or surgery, are improved when they are born and cared for in a unit where that specialist care is concentrated, with a high throughput of cases, and where support services are co-located. The vast majority of sick babies will continue to be cared for in local neonatal units, and these units will continue to provide a level of intensive care. It is important that we continue to move forward with implementation of this change, it is what families would expect us to do.

The Taskforce has met three times. A paper on neonatal priorities was shared at the third meeting, however that paper did not propose reconsideration of the location of neonatal intensive care units in Scotland.

Question reference: S7W-01723

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 10 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set out the work programme and timetable for the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce.

The Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce have met three times this year and each of the minutes have been published on gov.scot which details the work discussed. This can be found here Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce - gov.scot.

On June 11 2026 the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care announced the Independent Review of Maternity Services in Scotland. Professor Christine McCourt, Chair of the Independent Review will begin her work in September.

The high-level principles of the Independent Review were published on 11 June and are available to read here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/maternity-services-independent-review-principles/

We are currently considering the remit of the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce and how it may lead on current improvement work, including the HIS Inspection findings whilst the independent review of maternity services takes place.

Question reference: S7W-02318

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the question S7W-01610 by Maree Todd on 5th August 2026, whether, and on what timeline, it will publish the recommendations provided by the six Long Term Conditions Advisory Groups.

Question reference: S7W-02292

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the £10 million Travel Fund for children and young people with cancer being introduced in England in 2027, and the Welsh Government's announcement that work has begun on an equivalent fund in Wales, whether it will ensure that equivalent support regarding the costs of travelling to treatment is available for children and young people with cancer in Scotland, whether by expanding the eligibility criteria of the Young Patients Family Fund or through a separate scheme.

Question reference: S7W-02293

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 September 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to a dedicated cancer strategy for children and young people, to follow the Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care strategy and how it will ensure the continued delivery of the strategy's aims, once it reaches the end of its lifecycle in 2026.

Question reference: S7W-01610

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43870 by Jenni Minto on 26 February 2026, what progress has been made in establishing advisory groups led by clinicians for grouped long-term conditions, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID, and whether these groups have already met and issued recommendations for consideration.

Six Long Term Conditions Advisory Groups were established under the previous Government in March 2026. Advisory Group 5 focused on Long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/ CFS) and other post-infectious/ post-viral conditions.

The Advisory Groups provided recommendations by 7 May 2026 for the new government to consider. We are grateful for the work of all six Advisory Groups in developing their recommendations.

It is for Scottish Ministers to decide whether and to what extent any of the recommendations become government policy. We are carefully considering the Advisory Groups’ recommendations to inform our way forward for long term conditions. Our Programme for Government for 2026-27 will be put to the Parliament in due course.

Question reference: S7W-01823

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on patient outcomes of the reported two-year gap in routine access to Oncotype DX testing for node-positive breast cancer patients in Scotland compared with England and Wales, where NICE guidance was implemented in May 2024.

Question reference: S7W-01824

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 3 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, since May 2024, how many clinical breast cancer patients are estimated to have undergone chemotherapy from which they derived no clinical benefit, and what steps it is taking to prevent such treatment that would be determined to be of no clinical benefit and to protect resources through the immediate expansion of genomic testing.

The Scottish Government does not hold an estimate of how many clinical breast cancer patients have undergone chemotherapy from which they derived no clinical benefit.

We are committed to ensuring that people with cancer receive the treatment most appropriate to their individual circumstances. The Scottish Government has commissioned the NHS Scotland Cancer Collaborative (NSCC) to develop National Clinical Management Pathways (CMPs). CMPs outline the patient with cancer journey from diagnosis onwards and support consistent decision-making across Scotland on optimal treatment options at the various points in a patient’s pathway. They help clinicians and patients to work in partnership to consider the likely benefits and risks of treatment options and allow people to make an informed choice about their care, as well as reducing waste, potential harm and regret about treatment decisions, in line with the principles of Realistic Medicine.

The process for the development and review of CMPs has been previously described in S6W-42977 on 20 January 2026.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering equitable access to genomic testing and precision medicines and continue to work with NHS Scotland partners to explore opportunities to expand our genomic testing provision in Scotland, in line with our strategy and resources.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.