- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has a plan to monitor the number of patients who receive thrombectomy, and, if so, whether this data will be published.
Answer
The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme report provides information on thrombectomy procedure numbers, and the latest report can be found at: Scottish stroke improvement programme annual report 2025 - Scottish stroke improvement programme - Publications - Public Health Scotland.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards are providing thrombectomy to eligible stroke patients through one of the thrombectomy hub centres.
Answer
All NHS Boards, apart from NHS Orkney and NHS Shetland, have the ability to refer patients for thrombectomy procedures at hub hospitals.
Scottish Government officials and NHS planners have been asked to work at pace on developing a plan for the next steps for thrombectomy service expansion.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 30 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the evidence set out in the Close the Gap briefing, From data to action, what plans it has to strengthen the Scottish-specific duties of the public sector equality duty by introducing mandatory gender pay gap action plans for listed public bodies.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to advancing equality and tackling the structural barriers that contribute to the gender pay gap. We recognise the concerns raised in Close the Gap’s From Data to Action briefing, particularly the need to improve the effectiveness of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) to ensure meaningful action on gender pay gaps in Scotland.
We remain committed to taking a phased approach to improving the effectiveness of the PSED in Scotland. This includes consideration of regulatory changes to strengthen pay gap reporting. We are considering the points raised in this briefing carefully, alongside a range of other pieces of evidence on the operation of the Scottish Specific Duties, as we develop our PSED improvement proposals for the 2025-29 cycle. A report on these proposals is due to be published in December 2025, in line with Scottish Ministers’ statutory duty under Regulation 12 of the Scottish Specific Duties.
In the meantime, my officials are meeting regularly with Close the Gap to discuss their briefing and other related issues.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 30 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of many unresolved equal pay cases in the Scottish public sector, what plans it has to reform the equal pay statement duty, to require public bodies to evidence what steps they are taking to ensure equal pay for equal work.
Answer
The Scottish Government is aware of the ongoing concerns regarding unresolved equal pay cases within the Scottish public sector. We recognise that transparency and accountability are essential to ensuring equal pay for equal work for everyone across all public bodies in Scotland.
As part of our phased approach to improving the effectiveness of the Public Sector Equality Duty in Scotland (PSED), we continue to review the operation of the Scottish Specific Duties. This includes considering reforms to the equal pay statement duty, where necessary and proportionate, and seeking to ensure that regulations are used to reinforce each other for maximum effect in enabling better performance of the general duty.
In line with Scottish Ministers’ statutory duty under Regulation 12 of the Scottish Specific Duties, the Scottish Government will publish our new proposals to enable better performance of the PSED in Scotland for 2025-29 in December 2025. These proposals and the accompanying report will set out our considerations and next steps to improve the effectiveness of PSED in Scotland. We are carefully considering a wide range of evidence including the effectiveness of equal pay regulations as we develop these proposals.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 30 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact on women working in the Scottish public sector whose employers will not be covered by the UK Government’s commitment to introduce mandatory gender pay gap action plans, in light of reported concerns that they may be left behind if equivalent measures are not introduced.
Answer
While inter-governmental discussions are ongoing, and while we are developing PSED-related improvement proposals, we have not yet made an assessment of the likely impact on women of the UK Government’s commitment but we are making stringent efforts to resolve this matter and to consider how action planning could be used in a Scottish context.
As Minister for Equalities, I am still awaiting a confirmed meeting date with UK Government Ministers, following an offer via correspondence in May 2025, to discuss the Scottish Government’s concerns around provisions in the UK Government’s Employment Rights Bill and to seek a resolution in line with current timelines for the Bill’s passage. These concerns relate to powers to mandate for equality action plans and the naming of outsourcing providers for public bodies in Scotland. Currently these provisions will only come into force for public bodies in England, and so Scottish Ministers continue to seek assurances around receiving the equivalent powers to regulate as those proposed for UK Government Ministers.
Using the powers that we do have and as part of the Scottish Government’s phased approach to improving the effectiveness of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in Scotland, we continue to review the operation of the Scottish Specific Duties to support Scottish listed authorities to enable better performance of the general duty.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2025
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reported comments from the chair of the British Medical Association in Scotland, that Scotland's NHS is "dying before our eyes".
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2025
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement by NHS England in July 2025 that the triple combination medicine vanzacaftor–tezacaftor–deutivacaftor (Alyftrek) is to be made available to patients with cystic fibrosis, including some with rare forms of the disease who will now be eligible for a triple therapy for the first time, whether such therapy will be available by NHS Scotland, and, if so, by what date.
Answer
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has received an abbreviated submission from the marketing authorisation holder, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, for vanzacaftor–tezacaftor–deutivacaftor (Alyftrek®), for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in people aged six years and older who have at least one non-class I mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. The appraisal of Alyftrek® via this abbreviated process is ongoing, and NHS National Procurement (NP) is continuing to work with Vertex Pharmaceuticals on the commercial arrangements.
The medicine product page on the SMC’s website will be updated with the advice in due course, once published.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 23 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps NHS Scotland is taking to address any workforce pressures facing the haematology workforce.
Answer
I refer the member to the answers provided for S6W-39724 and, S6W-39726 on 14 August 2025, S6W-39725 on 20 August 2025 and S6W-39723 on 21 August 2025.
To reiterate again we are working with NHS Scotland to address staffing as a matter of urgency, working closely with NHS Boards and clinical leaders from across the country to address pressures in a sustainable way. This includes retaining staff in specialist roles and prioritising staff wellbeing, as evidence shows that positive wellbeing enhances staff retention and engagement, which in turn raises standards of patient safety and quality of care.
With regards to the medical workforce specifically, since 2014 the Scottish Government has funded the creation of hundreds of additional specialty training places in Scotland across multiple different specialties, including in haematology.
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.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 23 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government further to the answer to question S6W-39725 by Neil Gray on 20 August 2025, what steps it is taking to ensure that the haematology workforce is included in the Future Medical Workforce project and other medical workforce plans, and whether it will meet the British Society for Haematology to discuss this work.
Answer
We're gathering insights from doctors, residents, and senior clinicians through a series of focus groups. These are open to doctors at all career stages, from trainees to consultants, including Haematologists. The invitation to join focus groups has been open to all doctors in Scotland so we would expect that British Society for Haematology members will have had the opportunity to sign up through their employing boards and will also have the opportunity to respond to a survey which will be shared imminently.
The project’s Call for Evidence aims to understand the innovative approaches, both technological and non-technological – that can support the delivery of high-quality, equitable, and future-ready services. We will invite the British Society for Haematology to provide a submission to this call for evidence.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 23 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-39723 by Neil Gray on 21 August 2025, how many speciality training places have been funded in haematology in each year since 2014, and how many places were recommended by the Scottish Shape of Training Transition Group as part of expansion efforts.
Answer
In line with recommendations made by the Scottish Shape of Training Transition Group following annual reviews (since 2014) of the number of specialty training places needed in order to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need, the Scottish Government has funded two additional haematology specialty training places in 2024.
