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-11197

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the UK Government to discuss the Union Connectivity Review, in particular regarding future investment in the A75.

Question reference: S6W-11198

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any future meetings planned between its officials and the UK Government to discuss the recommendations outlined in the Union Connectivity Review regarding investment in both the A75 and A77.

The next meeting with the UK Government Department for Transport is scheduled for 31 October 2022. Discussions will cover proposed investment for the A75 only as the Final Union Connectivity Review Report, published in November 2021, did not recommended that the UK Government commit funding to support the upgrade of the A77. To date, the UK Government has committed no funding to upgrading the A75.

Question reference: S6W-11209

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 24 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it last placed an order with Alpha Solway for PPE.

Since 4 August 2020, all Type IIR masks supplied to NSS were from Alpha Solway with the following exceptions:

When NSS demand outstripped Alpha Solway capacity, and
for specialist Type IIR masks that were of a type not manufactured by Alpha Solway

NSS placed orders which have resulted in the procurement of over 250 million Alpha Solway manufactured items of pandemic PPE during the pandemic. The vast majority of those items have now been received by NSS with a very small amount still due to arrive from those orders. The last order for Alpha Solway products was placed on 30 March 2022.

Question reference: S6W-11210

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is committed to domestic PPE manufacturing to ensure a sustainable and resilient supply.

Pre COVID-19, 100% of NHS National Services Scotland's (NSS) PPE sources were overseas, now nearly half of all PPE issued by NSS was manufactured here (based on September 2022 figures). This rises to 88% when nitrile gloves are excluded from the figure.

In line with the recommendations of the Audit Scotland report on PPE, a resilient Scottish PPE supply chain is a key consideration as we start to look beyond the current pandemic and plan for the long term future of PPE provision in Scotland. We are committed to supporting the domestic manufacturing PPE base through the Pandemic PPE Supply Implementation Project as far as allowed by procurement and subsidy control rules.

This work aims to provide a more resilient supply across Health, Social Care and the wider public sector for the long term, with due priority given to the need for robust supply chains and reductions in environmental impact. More broadly the Scottish Government offer extensive support to develop the manufacturing sector through our Making Scotland’s Future Programme. This includes £75 million in the world-leading National Manufacturing Institute (NMIS), already operating with the HQ due to open next year. NMIS, the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service and our enterprise agencies stand ready to assist companies in exploiting new opportunities or in responding to production challenges.

Question reference: S6W-11213

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10441 by Jenny Gilruth on 20 September 2022, in light of it being late September, how it defines “later this year”; whether it will provide a specific date or more specific timescale for the publication of the findings; for what reason it did not provide a specific date or more specific timescale in its answer; whether there has been a delay to the publication, and, if so, for what reasons.

Question reference: S6O-01425

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the provision of maternity services.

Question reference: S6W-10737

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action is being taken to provide support to (a) businesses and (b) households for the roll-out of clean heat technologies in rural communities, and to ensure that the expertise of trades people is developed and sustained.

The Scottish Government has committed to invest at least £1.8 billion in heat and energy efficiency over the course of this parliament. This funding is delivered via a range of support options, which are available to households and businesses across Scotland, including those in rural areas.

Business Energy Scotland (BES) provides support to Scottish SMEs for implementing energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation measures. The service is delivered by Energy Saving Trust (EST) on behalf of the Scottish Government and has at least one dedicated Business advisor in each of its regional call centres. BES provides a gateway for SMEs to access funding for energy efficiency and zero emissions heating through the SME loan scheme and access to the Green Network for Business.

For household support, we continue to invest in our Home Energy Scotland Loans with Cashback scheme, Warmer Homes Scotland and Area-Based Schemes and we recognise the need to tailor support to specific challenges in remote rural areas, where we know installation and labour costs are higher. Our flagship domestic energy advice service, Home Energy Scotland (HES), administered by EST on behalf of the Scottish Government, provides a single point of access for free, bespoke, impartial advice on energy efficiency, renewable heating, funding for energy efficiency and zero emissions heating systems and fuel poverty support in Scotland. HES advisors in five regional advice centres provide tailored energy advice that is location specific and takes account of the different energy use requirements of properties in different parts of Scotland, taking rurality into account.

It is vital that the supply chain is equipped with the necessary skills and qualifications to provide a high quality service to consumers and we are supporting workforce growth through a combination of reskilling, upskilling and youth employment. Skills support and training provision must be aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands. This year, we will publish a new Heat in Buildings Supply Chain Delivery Plan, which will outline specific actions and support focussed on strengthening the broad supply chains needed to deliver at the pace and scale of our transition.

Question reference: S6W-10441

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it plans to publish the findings of the Second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

Question reference: S6W-10111

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to increase the diagnostic capacity for myeloma.

£10 million of funding has been directed to support cancer waiting times (CWT) improvements in NHS Scotland across 2022-23, as announced by me on 10 August 2022.

Funds will be directed across a number of specialties and initiatives including investing in diagnostic tests to extended working days and weekend working, to increase capacity and see/ treat cancer patients as timely as possible.

Three Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres (ECDC) have been established in the last year within NHS Scotland, providing a new referral pathway to primary care for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer, which can often be a sign of blood cancer.

Question reference: S6W-10112

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to advising NHS boards to follow NICE guideline NG35 on the diagnosis and management of myeloma, published in 2018, in light of no SIGN guideline reportedly existing for myeloma.

The individual clinical management of patients is a matter for territorial health boards. We do however expect that all patients are treated and cared for in a person centred way. When there are no SIGN guideline in place, NHS Boards and Integration Authorities may choose to consider other relevant guideline such as those of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the planning and delivery of services.

In Scotland we use the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer, which were revised and published in 2019. These national guidelines are based on clinical evidence and review to help support clinicians across the country to refer those patients who are most likely to have cancer, including myeloma, into diagnostic services swiftly.