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-29236

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 January 2016
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Derek Mackay on 12 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress regarding the 20-week closure planned for Glasgow Queen Street Station.

The Parliament is aware that the closure of the Queen Street Station High Level tunnel in March 2016 marks a further significant milestone in our £5 billion programme of investment in Scotland’s railway.

This major piece of engineering work will renew nearly two kilometres of 40 year old concrete slab track running through the tunnel, which once completed, will support the introduction of a new generation of larger, faster and greener electric trains on routes across Scotland’s Central Belt.

The tunnel works, being undertaken by Network Rail, require a 20 week programme of diversions for Queen Street High Level rail services between March to August 2016. To accommodate these diversions, services that normally run via Queen Street Low Level are also subject to amended timetables.

The ScotRail Alliance, drawing on the lessons learned from the successful completion of the Winchburgh Tunnel works earlier this year, has developed a coordinated timetable which will ensure that services are maintained and disruption is kept to a minimum.

I can also confirm that later today (12 January 2016), the ScotRail Alliance together with Transport Scotland are launching a coordinated communications campaign to fully inform passengers well in advance about the tunnel work and what it means for them.

The key point is that while longer journeys are inevitable, the railway remains open for business. The diversions to either the low level platforms in Queen Street or to Glasgow Central, allow the vast majority of customers to continue to travel to and from Glasgow by train. For Strathclyde area stations, ScotRail is working with commercial bus operators to ensure customers continue to have choices in how they travel.

We are also engaging with local businesses to make sure that their needs are met during this period. Tomorrow (13 January 2016) I will be meeting with business leaders, listening to their concerns and discussing measures to support them during the temporary timetable changes.

The temporary timetable is now available and enables customers to check their own journey online by selecting a travel date between 20 March and 8 August 2016.

Question reference: S4W-29101

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 December 2015
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Shona Robison on 23 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide an update on the legal challenge against minimum unit pricing.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has now provided its preliminary ruling. A copy can be found here:

http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=173249&pageIndex=0&doclang=en&mode=req&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=586956

The case will now return to the Court of Session which will make its judgement in light of the ECJ preliminary ruling.

A further update will be provided after the Court of Session has concluded its consideration of the case.

Question reference: S4W-29076

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 December 2015
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Shona Robison on 18 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the Palliative and End of Life Care Strategic Framework for Action.

Question reference: S4O-05229

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports unpaid carers in Glasgow.

Question reference: S4O-04884

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4O-04863

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4O-04800

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how it is seeking to enhance community optometry services in the Glasgow region.

Question reference: S4O-04739

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy last met the Chancellor of the Exchequer and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S4W-27810

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2015
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Shona Robison on 1 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government on what date the independent review of transvaginal mesh implants will publish its interim report.

Question reference: S4W-27685

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2015
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Shona Robison on 25 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it is providing to NHS to meet increased demand due to the winter.

We are investing over £10.7 million of additional funding this year (2015-16) to support NHS boards manage winter pressures. This funding will be used to help boards improve weekend discharge, increase staffing over the festive period, provide more patient transport and improve outpatient performance.

This is on top of £44 million of funding, linked to winter resilience, that has already been allocated to NHS boards this year which includes:

Over £30 million for 2015-16 from the £100 million investment over three years to tackle delays in patients being discharged from hospital;

£9 million from the £50 million Unscheduled Care Fund which NHS boards are using to implement the six essential actions for A&E this winter;

£5 million from the performance fund to support NHS Greater and Clyde to manage resilience and capacity over the first winter following the opening of the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and other linked acute service changes.

In addition to the Scottish Government’s investment, NHS boards will also be allocating funding from their own budgets to support winter resilience.