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-25966

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 13 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work it or its agencies have done on modelling for a tax based on land value in Scotland, and whether it will make the outcomes of any such work publicly available.

In 2017, the Scottish Government asked the Scottish Land Commission to look at the potential for introducing a form of land value based tax in Scotland. One of their key findings was that, although the theoretical case for the introduction of a land value tax is strong, there is a lack of empirical evidence that land value taxes have actually delivered the theoretical benefits attributed to them. They went on to note that to date no country has ever replaced existing taxes on land and property with a single tax and most people today accept that the idea of a single tax is not practical in the 21st century. These findings were published by the Scottish Land Commission in October 2018.

Following the publication of these findings, the Scottish Government has not carried out any further modelling of a land value tax. However, the Scottish Government has continued to engage with academics and stakeholders with an interest in this topic.

Question reference: S6W-25965

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work it or its agencies have done on modelling for a tax on wealth in Scotland, and whether it will make the outcomes of any such work publicly available.

We believe that the power to tax wealth should be devolved to this Parliament, so that it can be designed to work fairly and effectively in a Scottish-specific context. Any analysis of wealth taxes, therefore, must consider the limits of powers currently devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

We will continue to consider any tax proposals in line with our core tax principles which are set out in the Framework for Tax and believe that those with the broadest shoulders should contribute the most.

Question reference: S6W-25967

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 11 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work it or its agencies have done on modelling for a tax based on carbon emissions on landholdings in Scotland, and whether it will make the outcomes of any such work publicly available.

At the 2024-25 Scottish Budget, the Scottish Government announced that it will work with our partners in COSLA and local government, and other stakeholders, during 2024-25 to examine how further policy measures – regulatory and fiscal – can support existing policies and interventions to improve a wide range of land management outcomes, including the restoration of peatlands and the creation of more woodlands. This will also include consideration of a proposal for a Carbon Emissions Land Tax, as has been suggested by the John Muir Trust.

The Scottish Government will provide an update on its progress against this commitment before the end of the 2024-25 financial year.

Question reference: S6W-25433

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the inpatient bed capacity of the Monklands Replacement Project was, as submitted in the outline business case.

Question reference: S6W-25434

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what lessons have been learned from the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to hospital size and design, and how any such findings have impacted on the consideration of the Monklands Replacement Project.

The OBC from NHS Lanarkshire considered in great detail the impact of the pandemic within their design. The new facility has considered best use of space and layout alongside ventilation to ensure consideration has been given to any future pandemic so that areas like Critical Care and Operating Theatre suites can accommodate reconfiguration to continue to provide services to high-risk infected patients. NHS Lanarkshire continues to embrace digital technology, brought on as a requirement in the pandemic, to reduce unnecessary patient attendances.

Question reference: S6W-25431

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what contingencies it has put in place to ensure that NHS Lanarkshire has sufficient capital funding for the completion of the replacement for University Hospital Monklands.

Question reference: S6W-25432

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that it will receive the full business case for the Monklands Replacement Project from NHS Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S6W-25429

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that there will be no further delay to the replacement for University Hospital Monklands.

The UK Government did not inflation-proof its capital budget which has resulted in nearly a 10% real-terms cut in the Scottish Government’s capital funding over the medium-term between 2023-24 and 2027-28.

The result of this cut is that new health capital projects have currently been paused. Our emphasis for the immediate future will be on addressing backlog maintenance and essential equipment replacement. However we are in active discussions with NHS Lanarkshire on the impact of this budget settlement on the proposal to replace University Hospital Monklands.

Question reference: S6O-03151

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to next meet with the sole director of the GFG Alliance.

Question reference: S6W-25428

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many inpatient beds are planned for the replacement for University Hospital Monklands, broken down by speciality.

The OBC indicates a total of 472 total beds. In addition to 92 assessment and observation beds the breakdown is as follows:

Future Modelled Bed Provision

No.

ITU (Level 3 & Surg/Med Level 2)

- Includes Medical HDU beds

- Includes Renal HDU beds

Bed provision within specialty care (excluding assessment and observation beds):

Future Modelled Bed Provision	No.
Infectious Diseases	21
Haematology	20
Renal	17
General Medicine	97
Frailty/Geriatric Rehabilitation	60
Respiratory (within General)
Cardiology	23
Stroke (within General)
General Surgery	50
Urology	24
ENT/OMFS	20
Surge Beds	8
Orthopaedic	20
Total	360