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: S5W-00149

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Uddingston and Bellshill, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2016
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 May 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in developing guidance to assist licensing authorities that are considering funfair applications.

Question reference: S4W-30593

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2016
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Shona Robison on 18 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what future financial support it will provide to people with hepatitis C or HIV as a result of infected NHS blood or blood products.

The Scottish Government is accepting all of the key financial support recommendations in the final report of the Financial Review Group. The group involved a range of affected groups, both infected individuals and family members. They provided their recommendations to ministers in December 2015. For those infected in Scotland, the Scottish Government will commit to:

Increasing annual payments to £27,000 for those with advanced Hepatitis C (at Stage 2) or HIV and increasing them to £37,000 for those co-infected with both Hepatitis C and HIV.

Providing annual payments to widows and widowers of those who have died as a result of their advanced (Stage 2) Hepatitis C or HIV infection. These payments will be 75% of the amount the infected person would be entitled to under the new arrangements if they were alive.

Providing an additional lump sum of £30,000 to all those who are infected with chronic Hepatitis C at Stage 1. This will bring the total lump sum all those infected in Scotland have received to at least £50,000, given that those with chronic infection have already received £20,000. Given the additional impact of co-infection with Hepatitis C and HIV, the co-infected people currently at Stage 1 will automatically move to Stage 2 and receive a £50,000 lump sum payment.

Increasing Scottish Government funding for a support and assistance grants scheme for those infected and their families to £1 million per year.

We also accept the group’s recommendation that the new support should in future be delivered through a single Scottish agency and will seek to take this forward. In the meantime, we are working with the UK Department of Health and the existing support schemes with the aim of delivering increased financial support through the existing schemes during the 2016-17 financial year.

The Scottish Government will also consider each of the group’s proposals for further work that should be undertaken in future. In particular, we will take forward an evidence-based review of health impacts caused by Hepatitis C to examine whether new criteria should be established, based on broader health impacts caused by the virus. That review will also investigate the role of Hepatitis C as a direct cause of death among beneficiaries. In addition, the operation of the new Scottish scheme will be subject to periodic review in consultation with the scheme’s beneficiaries.

Question reference: S4O-05702

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the People and Communities Fund and how it supports community organisations.

Question reference: S4W-30275

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to consider innovative and flexible pricing schemes in light of the independent review of access to medicines by Dr Brian Montgomery.

The option of flexible pricing of medicines has existed since the 2009 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme. The Scottish Government does not have a role in considering applications for flexible pricing. The new medicines review will relate only to issues within the powers of the Scottish Parliament. However fair pricing of medicines remains a challenge and the new medicines review will look at how our systems can ensure that Scotland gets best value.

Question reference: S4W-30274

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 March 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendation by NICE in relation to the use of nivoluma for advanced melanoma treatment for people in England and Wales, when the drug will be made available in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-30575

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S4O-05681

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what it has done to protect the provision of speech and language therapy services.

Question reference: S4O-05630

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the benefits to Scotland are of the UK's membership of the EU.

Question reference: S4F-03268

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 February 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2016

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government has done to encourage people to access modern apprenticeships.

Question reference: S4O-05495

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 January 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project and its implementation.