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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 990 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6O-02709

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it is providing through the next phase of the Learning Estate Investment Programme for schools in the South Scotland region.

Question reference: S6W-22019

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the accessibility of NHS dentistry for adults in Dumfries and Galloway.

Question reference: S6W-22018

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what impact payment reform has had on the (a) recruitment of dentists in Dumfries and Galloway and (b) level of deregistration of adult patients from NHS dental services.

Payment reform will be implemented on 1 November 2023. Therefore, it is not possible at this stage to make an assessment on the impact of payment reform on the recruitment of dentists in Dumfries and Galloway and the level of deregistration of adult patients from NHS dental services.

The main purpose of payment reform is to improve access to NHS dental services and thereby reducing the number of deregistrations. This will be done by replacing the existing care and treatment fees with a new set priced at levels that we believe will incentivise dentists to provide a full range of NHS care and treatment.

Question reference: S6W-22253

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what capacity its agencies have to regulate the release of gamebirds in instances when there is potential for disease transfer to wildlife.

The Avian Influenza and Influenza of Avian Origin in Mammals (Scotland) Order 2006 prohibits the release of gamebirds in any Protection, Surveillance or Low Pathogenic Restricted Zones, established around an Infected Premises. This Order also provides Ministers with the powers to prohibit the release of game birds in Temporary Control Zones and Temporary Movement Restriction Zones (where disease is yet to be confirmed) based on a risk assessment of the specific disease situation and premises particulars. When kept there is also a legal requirement to report suspicion of notifiable avian disease in game birds.

The Avian Influenza (H5N1 in Wild Birds) (Scotland) Order 2007 prohibits the release of game birds in a Wild Bird Control Area or a Wild Bird Monitoring Area. Furthermore, Licencing requirements dictate that where Special Protected Area (SPA) or Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) are designated for vulnerable species, consent from NatureScot is required for the release of pheasants. One of the factors considered in this licensing assessment is control of Notifiable Avian Diseases (NADs).

Question reference: S6W-22020

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many adult patients have been registered with an NHS dentist in Dumfries and Galloway in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S6W-22022

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of the Scottish Dental Access Initiative in recruiting dentists in Dumfries and Galloway.

The purpose of the Scottish Dental Access Initiative (SDAI) is not for the recruitment of dentists, but to improve access to NHS dental services by encouraging dentists to set up a new practice or extend an existing practice in areas where access to NHS dental services is challenging.

Since 2007, there have been seven dental practices in Dumfries and Galloway that have been provided with SDAI grants.

Question reference: S6W-22252

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many release facilities where cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza infection have been detected (a) had already released gamebirds into the natural environment and (b) were open to wild birds either by being unroofed or through pop holes being open, in 2023.

Question reference: S6W-22248

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve biosecurity, for (a) grouse, (b) other wildlife, (c) dogs and (d) the shooting community, in light of the discovery of a highly pathogenic avian influenza in a red grouse in the Scottish Borders.

A Scottish Avian Influenza in wild bird Task Force was established in 2022, which brought together colleagues from Scottish Government, NatureScot, the RSPB, the British Trust for Ornithology, Public Health Scotland, and Local Authorities to coordinate a joint response to the outbreak in wild birds. On 11 August Ministers launched the Scottish Wild Bird Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Response Plan that sets out how the Scottish Government and its partners will respond to any further outbreaks of HPAI in wild birds in Scotland. The NatureScot Avian Influenza sub-committee recently highlighted the limited options that are available to authorities in dealing with HPAI in wild birds.

The Scottish Government has published guidance on gov.scot for pet dogs and working dogs. Scottish Government has also worked with the game industry to develop standing guidance on avian influenza and game birds, whilst Scotland’s HPAI Task Force has provided guidance to land managers.

Question reference: S6W-22251

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many gamebirds, broken down by species, have been destroyed at rearing and release facilities due to highly pathogenic avian influenza infection in 2023.

In the previous avian influenza outbreak season (October 2022 to September 2023) 31,570 gamebirds have either succumbed to avian influenza or have been humanely culled for animal welfare and disease control reasons, due to being present at an infected premises. 19,570 of these birds were pheasants, and 12,000 were partridges. There have been no instances of gamebirds infected with HPAI in the current AI outbreak season which began on 01 October 2023.

Question reference: S6W-22021

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many adult patients have been deregistered from NHS dental services in Dumfries and Galloway in the last two years.