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: S5W-33672

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the introduction of the telemedicine abortion service has had on costs of abortion provision.

Question reference: S5W-33665

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many instances of complications or mental health concerns following an abortion were reported in 2019 where a woman took (a) only the second pill at home and (b) both pills at a clinic or hospital.

Question reference: S5W-33667

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to ensure that women terminating a pregnancy at home in rural locations can access timely care in the event that they haemorrhage.

NHS Boards consider a woman’s access to emergency care in the event that they require hospital treatment if they live in a remote rural area. They will take account of a woman’s location in weighing up the benefits of treatment at home against treatment in a hospital.

The risk of haemorrhage with early medical abortion is normally low, particularly for women having an abortion at an early gestation, and may occur days after the procedure. Access to emergency care in the event of requiring hospital treatment for haemorrhage is the same as for women living in remote and rural areas following other gynaecological procedures, including those who experience a miscarriage at home.

Question reference: S5W-33664

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many instances of complications or mental health concerns following an abortion have been reported since the changes to procedures on 31 March 2020 where a woman (a) had an abortion via a fully remote service, (b) took only the second pill at home and (c) took both pills at a clinic or hospital, and at what gestation the complications occurred.

Fewer than ten significant complications or mental health concerns, which would or might have been avoided if the woman had had an in person appointment, have been reported where women had no in person appointment. Similarly, fewer than ten complications have been reported where women took only the second pill (misoprostol) at home, although the Scottish Government does not have information on all complications which may have occurred for this group. Given the very small numbers involved, the Scottish Government is not able to disclose further details, such as gestation, due to the risk of identifying individuals.

The Scottish Government does not hold any information on complications following abortions where women took both pills at a clinic or hospital.

Question reference: S5W-33669

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many women have received a "Pills by Post" abortion kit from British Pregnancy Advisory Service providers since the changes to abortion procedures on 31 March 2020.

Question reference: S5F-04653

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 December 2020

To ask the First Minister how many staff are employed to answer calls to book COVID-19 tests in Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-04829

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it has met its climate change targets that were set during session 3 of the Parliament.

Question reference: S5F-04620

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 December 2020

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government plans to mitigate the impact of any reduction in services due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives and mental wellbeing of disabled people.

Question reference: S5W-33397

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 26 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government by what date (a) Pension Age Disability and (b) Winter Heating Assistance payments will begin.

As set out in my statement to Parliament of 17 November 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a major impact on the Scottish Government’s delivery partners, including the Department for Work and Pensions, whose support we need to transfer the relevant social security benefits. This is an on-going and complex exercise.

Earlier this month, I discussed the delivery of all remaining devolved benefits with the UK Minister of State for Disabled People, Work and Health. Now that our respective officials have the capacity to do so, we reaffirmed our commitment to taking forward the necessary detailed planning work on the benefits, having prioritised reaching an agreement on child and adult disability payments over the past few months. I will make announcements regarding individual benefits in due course.

Question reference: S5W-33040

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will continue to fund Scotland’s participation in the National Neonatal Audit Programme from March 2021, in light of its impact on the outcomes for babies requiring neonatal care and its alignment with the aims of its Best Start programme.

Scotland will continue to participate in the National Neonatal Audit Programme until the end of this current contract, which is 31 March 2021. The Scottish Government on behalf of NHS Scotland and other stakeholders have been working to try and identify a mutually agreeable legal and financial basis for continued participation in the National Neonatal Audit Programme, after the contract expires. We are confident that a way forward will be agreed and are keen to progress this as quickly as possible, given participation in the audit helps to drive improvements in clinical care in neonatal settings, helping to realise the vision set out in The Best Start.