Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-28881

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many epilepsy specialist nurses there have been in each NHS board in each of the past two years.

Question reference: S6W-27945

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its proposals on restricting promotions of foods high in fat, salt or sugar, what assessment it has made of the potential impact that the proposed restrictions will have on the food and drink industry in Scotland, in light of reports that the industry is facing challenges due to regulatory burdens that increase the cost of doing business, the delay to the proposed Deposit Return Scheme, and uncertainty about the future of extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes.

The public consultation on the detail of proposed regulations to restrict promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt closed on 21 May 2024. A partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) was published alongside the consultation, setting out the rationale for Government intervention and welcoming feedback on the expected impact on businesses of proposals. Consultation responses including feedback on the BRIA are now being analysed.

The consultation was run in parallel with an extensive and inclusive programme of stakeholder engagement. We will continue to engage with business, including the food and drink industry in Scotland, to finalise the BRIA.

In addition work continues with the independent Regulatory Review Group (RRG) to support Scottish Ministers in improving the regulatory environment for businesses and their involvement in the process. This work includes scrutiny of proposals to restrict the promotion of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt.

Question reference: S6W-27944

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its proposals on restricting promotions of foods high in fat, salt or sugar, what assessment it has made of any unintended consequences of potentially introducing different restrictions to those that are already in place in England, including regarding any increase in bureaucracy and cost, in light of the acknowledgement in the Partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment of the "inter-connected food environment in the UK".

The public consultation on the detail of proposed regulations to restrict promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt closed on 21 May 2024. A partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) was published alongside the consultation, setting out the rationale for Government intervention and welcoming feedback on the expected impact on businesses of proposals. Consultation responses including feedback on the BRIA are now being analysed.

The consultation was run in parallel with an extensive and inclusive programme of stakeholder engagement. We will continue to engage with stakeholders to finalise the BRIA and further develop a full suite of impact assessments that will be used in the decision making process to help inform the final policy.

Question reference: S6O-03623

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre about the future of its redevelopment project.

Question reference: S6W-27943

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 12 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any assessment of the potential impact on families of including meal deals and temporary price reductions on food by supermarkets, in light of the current cost of living crisis and increasing prices.

The public consultation on the detail of proposed regulations to restrict promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt closed on 21 May 2024. Consultation responses are now being analysed and the feedback will be used as part of the policy decision-making process, alongside a range of other available information and evidence.

A suite of impact assessments is also being developed to consider and understand as far as possible how different population groups may be impacted by the policy. This includes an Equality Impact Assessment and Fairer Scotland Duty assessment, which will consider, amongst other things, potential impacts in respect of cost of living pressures.

Question reference: S6O-03491

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the ending of the Bute House Agreement will have on its rural policy.

Question reference: S6O-03459

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to support businesses to address reported declining retail sales.

Question reference: S6W-26793

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 2 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there has been an increase in the number of patients accessing appropriate diagnostic tests, such as spirometry testing, for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), since the publication of the Respiratory Care Action Plan.

Question reference: S6W-26792

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 2 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how the 12 commitments in the Respiratory Care Action Plan have been prioritised, and which commitments have been achieved.

Since the publication of Respiratory Care Action Plan (RCAP) for Scotland, we have established the Scottish Respiratory Advisory Committee (SRAC) to oversee its implementation. The key priorities identified were: increasing access to pulmonary rehabilitation; developing a respiratory core data set and developing best practice guidance for children living with asthma and transitioning to adult services.

Sub-groups were established to take this work forward. The Transitions sub-group have produced their recommendations for best practice, and these have been shared with key stakeholders in order to improve consistency across the country.

We are working closely with Public Health Scotland and are currently in the early stages of developing a national respiratory audit, which will help to better identify areas of improvement and track progress across Scotland.

In September 2023, the British Thoracic Society published their refreshed pulmonary rehab guidelines, we are considering how best we can support its implementation across Scotland. We are also working closely with the Scottish Pulmonary Rehab Advisory Group (SPRAG) and the Respiratory Specialty Delivery Group within the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) in order to determine how we can best support improvements in pulmonary rehab services across Scotland.

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery are also developing national pathways for respiratory conditions including severe asthma; COPD and sleep apnoea. This work aligns closely with the RCAP and we will continue to ensure that close links continue.

Question reference: S6W-26790

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 2 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on how often patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) should have their condition and treatment reviewed, and what percentage of patients living with COPD had their condition and treatment reviewed in 2022-23.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people living with respiratory conditions receive the best possible care and treatment. We expect clinicians and NHS Boards to follow all relevant national clinical guidelines to support those living with COPD.

This data is not currently held centrally. However, we recognise the importance of having access to meaningful data and have recently commissioned Public Health Scotland (PHS) to begin development of a national respiratory audit programme. This will allow us to ensure people are receiving the best possible care, treatment, and support for their condition and also support respiratory services to better understand the needs of their patients.

Chamber and committees