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: S6W-39016

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Graeme Dey on 26 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment it made to the Education, Children and Young People Committee on 5 March 2025, whether it will outline when it will take forward plans to undertake a consultation on support for part-time study and disabled students.

During my attendance at the Committee on 5 March 2025, I reiterated my continued commitment towards widening access as well as the needs of part-time students, and disabled students. I am pleased to announce that a consultation will be published today on the Scottish Government and Citizen Space websites. The consultation will seek to capture a wide range of views, especially those of our learners, to help us understand the barriers that part-time and disabled students face and explore potential solutions, as part of our continued commitment to ensure that students can access support needed whilst they study.

These can be accessed via the following links:

Scottish Government -https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836917717

Citizen Space: Support for part-time study and disabled students: Survey for students, potential students, parents and carers - https://consult.gov.scot/lifelong-learning-and-skills/support-for-part-time-and-disabled-students

Citizen Space: Support for part-time study and disabled students: Survey for the Higher Education and Further Education sector, training providers, third sector and interested organisations -

https://consult.gov.scot/lifelong-learning-and-skills/support-for-part-time-and-disabled-providers

Question reference: S6F-04237

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the Sarcoma UK report, Unique Among Cancers.

Question reference: S6W-33797

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 20 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its consultation on dual mandates in the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill was passed unanimously on 17 December 2024 by the Scottish Parliament. As a result of amendments passed at Stage 3, it places a duty on Scottish Ministers to bring forward regulations which:

must have the effect of prohibiting Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) from holding dual mandates in the House of Commons or the House of Lords
may make provision prohibiting MSPs from holding dual mandates as Councillors

As a part of the Bill’s consideration, the Scottish Government committed to consulting on dual mandates in the Scottish Parliament in early 2025. The findings of the consultation will be used to inform Regulations which Ministers intend to lay before the Scottish Parliament in autumn 2025.

The consultation on dual mandates in the Scottish Parliament is being published today, 20 January 2025, with a closing date of 23 March 2025. The consultation seeks views on the principles and practical issues of ending dual mandates. The consultation can be accessed here: https://consult.gov.scot/communications-and-ministerial-support/dual-mandates-in-the-scottish-parliament.

Question reference: S6W-27697

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenni Minto on 20 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to respond to the final report of the UK-wide Infected Blood Inquiry, which was published on 20 May 2024.

The Scottish Government welcomes publication of the Infected Blood Inquiry’s final report and thanks the Chair for his work in producing such a comprehensive document. The Scottish Government pays tribute to all those who have been infected, their families and support organisations and reiterates our sincere apology to those who have been infected or affected by NHS blood or blood products. A copy of the Inquiry’s final report is available online at www.infectedbloodinquiry.org.uk/reports/inquiry-report .

The Scottish Government will consider this report fully and is setting up an Oversight Group to help consider the Inquiry’s recommendations for Scotland. That group will involve senior staff from NHS Boards and the Scottish Government, along with charities representing the infected and affected.

Question reference: S6O-01999

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last engaged with the UK Government regarding support available through future budgets to support agriculture in Scotland, including the replacement of EU agricultural funding.

Question reference: S6W-14811

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 8 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many baby boxes have been distributed in (a) Dundee and (b) the NHS Tayside area, in each year since the initiative was launched.

Registration opened on 15 June 2017, and delivery of Baby Boxes nationwide began on 15 August 2017 for all babies born and resident in Scotland.

We are unable to give the number of Baby Boxes delivered in the Dundee local authority area as we only record numbers of Baby Boxes distributed by Health Board area. We can provide the number of boxes delivered in Tayside Health Board.

The total number issued in NHS Tayside up to 3 February 2023 is 17,735 Baby Boxes.

The total breakdown is provided below:

2017(15 August – 31 December)	1,587 Baby Boxes
2018	3,448 Baby Boxes
2019	3,461 Baby Boxes
2020	2,998 Baby Boxes
2021	2,941 Baby Boxes
2022	2,927 Baby Boxes
2023 (up to Friday 3 rd February)	373 Baby Boxes

Question reference: S6O-01993

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is, regarding the potential impact on Scotland, to the Windsor Framework.

Question reference: S6O-01853

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its action to recruit more foster carers.

Question reference: S6O-01783

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any investment arising from the Tay Cities Deal.

Question reference: S6W-13743

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made by the Independent Oversight and Assurance Group on Tayside’s Mental Health Services on ensuring that partners across Tayside are making improvements to the delivery of mental health services, and that progress has been made on responding to the findings and recommendations in the report, Trust and Respect, published in February 2020.

The Final Report from the Oversight Group has been published today on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805254362

Overall, the report is positive. It highlights where progress has clearly been made but also states a number of areas where further work is required.

The Scottish Government will continue to support sustainable change and improvements in Tayside, to ensure the safe and effective delivery of mental health services. We will work with partners in Tayside to ensure a detailed improvement plan is in place, with clear milestones and deliverables which progress the key areas for action detailed within the Oversight Group’s Final Report.

We will measure progress against agreed key deliverables in this plan, working closely with NHS Tayside, Local Authorities, Integration Joint Boards, the Chief Officer for Mental Health and other Chief Officers in Tayside. These arrangements will inform whether NHS Tayside can be deescalated from Level 3 to Level 2 for Mental Health Services in the future.

The Scottish Government will provide additional support to colleagues across Tayside, including access to advice and support from Professional Advisors and Senior Officials in the Mental Health Directorate to support progress.

I would like to thank the Oversight Group for the meticulous approach to this work. I have particularly welcomed the wide engagement the Chair and Members have had with staff and people with experience of using mental health services across Tayside, which has been a critical aspect in the successful delivery of this very challenging, but extremely important, programme of work.