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: S4W-26531

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time is for referrals to see a neuropsychologist from adult neurology in each NHS board.

Question reference: S4W-26952

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what assurance it can give that the East Lothian Community Hospital project will be delivered to the timetable of phase one open by 2017 and completion by 2019.

Scottish Ministers remain committed to supporting the East Lothian Community Hospital project, and NHS Lothian is continuing to develop its plans for a replacement hospital. This project is to be delivered through non-profit distributing (NPD) funding, under the hub model. In light of the recent opinion by the Office for National Statistics on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, another NPD project, the Scottish Government is considering whether further changes are required to the hub model. The Scottish Futures Trust will engage closely with project partners to discuss the implications for them.

All appropriate action is being taken to protect vital capital investment in Scotland and to manage the implications of the latest guidance on classification on the NPD programme and the Scottish Budget.

Question reference: S4W-26530

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 July 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how the annual budget for nationally commissioned specialist patient services is determined.

The process for determining the annual budget for nationally commissioned specialist patient services involves consideration of an annual business plan by the National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC).

NSSC makes recommendations to the NHS Board Chief Executives’ Group and the Scottish Government on the funding to be allocated for designated national specialist clinical services and networks in the next financial year.

Question reference: S4W-26532

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 13 July 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-25501 by Jamie Hepburn on 20 May 2015, what arrangements are in place to ensure that the neurosurgical team at NHS Tayside has the capacity to provide timely battery replacement and external lead replacement for people who have previously received deep brain stimulation surgery.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) patients are and always have been part of the neurosurgical workload of NHS Tayside.

Battery changes are predicted either from a clinical database, or from software used to run the DBS device.

There is one neurosurgical consultant in NHS Tayside who has a related subspecialty interest in neurostimulation for pain. They liaise with the DBS specialist nurse on a weekly basis to prioritise patients for whom battery replacement will soon be required or extracranial lead replacement following a lead breakage.

Question reference: S4W-26115

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 2 July 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of black and minority ethnic teachers in schools.

The Scottish Government is committed to equality. We want to see a diverse education workforce which broadly reflects Scottish society. I am committed to establishing a new Strategic Board for teacher education and quality which will include universities, local authorities and professional associations. These partners have an essential role to play in addressing the diversity of the teaching workforce. I will task this Board to investigate the barriers to wider representation and to come forward with suggestions to support diversity in order to ensure that the teaching workforce within schools reflects the communities that they serve.

Question reference: S4W-26114

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 2 July 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage more black and minority ethnic people to become teachers.

<>The Scottish Government is committed to equality. We want to see a diverse education workforce which broadly reflects Scottish society. I am committed to establishing a new Strategic Board for teacher education and quality which will include universities, local authorities and professional associations. These partners have an essential role to play in addressing the diversity of the teaching workforce. I will task this Board to investigate the barriers to wider representation and to come forward with suggestions to support diversity in order to ensure that the teaching workforce within schools reflects the communities that they serve.

Question reference: S4W-26116

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 2 July 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the challenges faced by black and minority ethnic teachers seeking progression into senior roles.

The Scottish Government is committed to equality. We want to see a diverse education workforce which includes more black and minority ethnic teachers in senior roles. The establishment of the Scottish College for Educational Leadership alongside a new Qualification for Headship will help create a clear promotion pathway guiding all teachers to the most senior posts in schools. I am committed to establishing a new Strategic Board for teacher education and quality which will include universities, local authorities and professional associations. These partners have an essential role to play in addressing the diversity of the teaching workforce. I will task this board to investigate the barriers to wider representation and to come forward with suggestions to support diversity in order to ensure that the teaching workforce within schools reflects the communities that they serve.

Question reference: S4F-02894

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 June 2015

To ask the First Minister what engagements she has planned for the rest of the day.

Question reference: S4F-02885

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 June 2015

To ask the First Minister what engagements she has planned for the rest of the day

Question reference: S4O-04482

Current Status: Withdrawn