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-19866

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 10 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many interim care beds were available prior to the announcement by the then Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on 10 January 2023 regarding more beds being made available; how many were available during the period from 10 January to 31 March 2023, and how many beds are currently available.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested. The Scottish Government did publish information on the number of people who were discharged to interim care placements procured using the additional funding offer made to Health and Social Care Partnerships. This data showed almost 500 people were discharged to interim care placements using the funding offer between 10 January and 3 April.

Weekly breakdowns of this data can be accessed through this link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/interim-care-placements-uptake/

Question reference: S6W-19868

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 10 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 1 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support Ukrainian refugees living in Scotland who are experiencing barriers in accessing medical treatment that they received while in Ukraine but can no longer access in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has issued guidance to Health Boards setting out our expectation that Health Boards will ensure Ukrainian refugees have access to local dental treatment and GP practices. Ukrainians living in Scotland have access to the same level of primary and secondary health care services as everyone else and these are designed to ensure that their health needs are identified and addressed appropriately and effectively.

Question reference: S6W-19914

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 1 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people who have disembarked the MS Victoria since 26 July 2022 have moved into (a) local authority and (b) private rental accommodation, and what proportion of those who have moved into local authority accommodation are in accommodation within the City of Edinburgh Council area.

The Scottish Government routinely publishes the latest data and information on the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme in Scotland, including the number of people who have disembarked welcome accommodation on the MS Victoria since it became operational on 26 July 2022.

By 5 June, 1,215 guests had disembarked M/S Victoria since 26 July 2022. The contract for M/S Victoria ended on 11 July 2023, with the MS Victoria being successfully disembarked by 4 July 2023.

See Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme in Scotland: statistics - June 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) for full details and notes.

Work to collate and improve operational data on disembarkation destinations from MS Victoria including breakdowns by local authority and property type is ongoing with a view to publishing these data as experiential statistics in due course, in line with guidance from the Office for Statistics Regulation.

Question reference: S6W-20050

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 1 August 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many Ukrainians, who received visas through the Super Sponsor Scheme, arrived in the UK but never came to Scotland or registered with a Scottish local authority.

The Scottish Government do not hold this information. Under the current constitutional arrangements in the United Kingdom immigration is fully reserved to the UK Government and is dealt with by the Home Office. If a displaced person from Ukraine has been issued a visa, they are free to travel anywhere within the UK or to leave and re-enter the UK when they wish, as long as they are meeting the conditions within their visa. The UK Government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities publish data on arrivals in the UK, with a Scottish Sponsor Visa: Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme: Visa data by country, upper and lower tier local authority - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Scottish Government publish the latest Scotland-level data and information on people displaced by the war in Ukraine coming to Scotland through the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme. This data can be found on our website via: Ukraine: analysis and statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Question reference: S6W-19676

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 31 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in (a) public sector buildings and (b) privately owned buildings in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-19680

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 31 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6F-02291 by Humza Yousaf on 29 June 2023, whether it will establish a national fund to assist (a) NHS boards, (b) local authorities and (c) other public sector bodies.

Question reference: S6W-19684

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 31 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings ministers have had about reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, and whether it will publish the minutes and any other documentation that accompanied these.

Question reference: S6W-19672

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 31 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government which public sector organisations have notified it that they have found or suspect reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete to be in their buildings.

The following organisations have contacted The Scottish Government on the presence or suspected presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete within their building estate:

NHS Scotland
Police Scotland
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
East Lothian Council
West Lothian Council

We are in the process of contacting other public bodies to seek reassurance of both their awareness and of any action identified on this issue.

Question reference: S6W-19673

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 31 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will establish a register of public sector buildings that have been found to contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Maintaining the safety of buildings is the responsibility of building owners. Our focus remains on engagement with public sector organisations to gauge awareness and response to this issue. This will include receipt of information on the status of buildings in the public sector. A decision on whether there is a need to establish a register of buildings would be based upon the information received and subsequent input from our Ministerial Working Group on Building and Fire Safety.

Question reference: S6W-19671

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 03 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 31 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects (a) local authorities, (b) NHS boards and (c) other public sector bodies to (i) have identified reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in buildings, (ii) publish risk management plans and (iii) remove it entirely.