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-06561

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the formation of a cancer drugs fund.

Scotland already has robust arrangements for the introduction of newly licensed clinically and cost effective medicines, including cancer drugs, through the Scottish Medicines Consortium. We have substantially increased access to new medicines, particularly for cancer, due to reforms and investment in recent years. The Scottish Government put in place the New Medicines Fund to provide additional support to NHS Boards to meet the costs of licensed orphan, ultra-orphan and end-of-life drugs. This has seen a number of patients benefit from new treatments, including cancer patients.

This differs from south of the Border where their Cancer Drugs Fund has received criticism suggesting the fund creates inequity and should also be made available for other medicines on the NHS, which is the case for the New Medicines Fund in Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-00552

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Falkirk Council regarding the Attainment Scotland Fund.

Question reference: S5W-05208

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much the Scottish red meat industry contributes to Scotland's gross domestic product.

Question reference: S5W-05207

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the total value of output of the 23 licensed red meat abattoirs was in 2014.

Question reference: S5W-05209

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 15 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the total (a) livestock throughput and (b) turnover value was in livestock auction marts in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

This is not information that the Scottish Government hold centrally. However the information can be found for 2014 in the Quality Meat Scotland(QMS) report 'An Assessment of the Economic Contribution of Scotland’s Red Meat Supply Chain' the information can be found at the following web page: http://www.qmscotland.co.uk/news/report-highlights-economic-importance-scottish-red-meat-industry-0 QMS do not have the data for 2015.

Question reference: S5W-04978

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 24 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government when it will reach a decision on the future of beavers in Scotland.

Scottish Ministers decided on 22 November 2016 that they are minded that the beaver populations in Knapdale in Argyll and in the Tay and Earn catchments can remain in Scotland. The decision is subject to satisfactory completion of a Strategic Environmental Assessment and a Habitats Regulations Assessment which can now be undertaken. The intention is that beavers in Scotland will be given protection under the law as a European Protected Species as soon as is practicable after completion of the Assessment processes.

Question reference: S5W-04432

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how socio-economic inequalities in oral health are taken into account when allocating funding for Childsmile programmes in each NHS board area.

The Childsmile Programme follows the principle of ‘proportionate universalism’ in that all children will receive oral health promoting interventions but those in the most deprived communities will receive additional interventions in order to reduce inequalities.

For example, a child at nursery or primary school in the most deprived areas (i.e. SIMD 1) is able to receive fluoride varnish applications four times per year. All other children are eligible for two applications per year.

NHS Boards receive Childsmile funding to deliver the universal activities available to all children but those NHS Board areas with the greatest proportion of deprived communities will receive additional funding to deliver the priority interventions.

Question reference: S5W-04184

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 11 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has sent observers to the 68th Session of the Nordic Council and what plans it has to engage with the council at future sessions.

The Scottish Government does not have observer status, though we remain committed to deepening links with those countries represented at the Nordic Council, as outlined in our Nordic Baltic Policy Statement, and will continue to engage with those nations to strengthen diplomatic relations and promote cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Last month the First Minister visited Reykjavik for the Arctic Circle Assembly where she met representatives of the Icelandic and Finnish Governments to discuss existing links and explore opportunities for future collaboration. Scottish Ministers have also had regular contact with Ambassadors of the Nordic countries based in London, most recently on 8 November when the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs met with the Ambassador to Denmark.

Question reference: S5W-04182

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 9 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it will recruit the 2,000 volunteers to advise it on the new Scottish social security system.

Social security Experience Panels will ensure that those in receipt of the benefits to be devolved are involved in designing the social security system in a meaningful way. People with recent experience of receiving these benefits will be recruited to the panels in two ways – by direct invitation mailed to a representative sample of current benefit recipients and by an open invitation, publicly asking for volunteers.

An accessible recruitment, including alternative formats, will be launched after the New Year. In advance of recruitment launching, those interested in taking part can email the Scottish Government researchers who are setting up the panels at [email protected]. Those interested will be re-contacted with more information about how to get involved when recruitment begins.

Question reference: S5W-03580

Asked by: Angus MacDonald, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 4 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it has provided to NHS Forth Valley to help reduce waiting times.

The Scottish Government has recently made available an additional £500,000 to NHS Forth Valley to help deliver elective waiting times as well as £300,000 to specifically improve cancer waits. To further support improvements in waiting times I announced at the end of August a further £2 million will be made available to NHSScotland specifically to address long waits for outpatient consultation - this money will be allocated shortly to NHS Boards including NHS Forth Valley.