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-25923

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer among any demographics that may be less likely to seek medical help or engage with clinical services.

We know that the earlier cancer is diagnosed the easier it is to treat and even cure which is why we continue to invest in our Detect Cancer Earlier (DCE) Programme. The Programme takes a whole-systems approach to earlier detection and encompasses primary care, secondary care, public education, data, innovation and screening.

The DCE Programme works closely with the Scottish Cancer Coalition, to support awareness raising efforts and uses social channels to promote joint content and messages where possible.

Detect Cancer Earlier’s latest public campaign – Be The Early Bird - launched on
‎ 6 March 2023 and ran for four weeks, aiming to reduce fear of cancer and empower those with possible symptoms to act early. Following successful independent evaluation, the campaign re-ran in September 2023 to prompt health-seeking behaviour, targeting those aged 40+ from areas of deprivation.

In parallel to the campaign, a DCE roadshow visited communities across Scotland to reinforce key messages – this resulted in over 6,700 engagements with the target audience.

Question reference: S6W-25908

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many drug deaths have been recorded in the last three years that have included a reference to fentanyl.

This information is publicly available from the National Records of Scotland, which publishes annual Accredited Official Statistics on drug-related deaths in Scotland (Table 1).

Table 1: Number of drug deaths where fentanyl was implicated in, or potentially contributed to, the cause of death in Scotland, 2018-2022

2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
12	25	7	7	6

Source: National Records of Scotland, 2023

Public Health Scotland also publish relevant data through the Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly report. RADAR monitors drug-related harms, service usage and toxicology data to provide an early warning of emerging drug trends and identify actions to reduce and prevent drug harms and deaths. These data are Management Information, and not subject to the same level of quality assurance as the statistics published by NRS.

Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) quarterly report - January 2024

The presence of fentanyl in drug deaths continues to be relatively low. The latest post-mortem toxicology data from RADAR shows that fentanyl-type opioids were detected in 5% of deaths between July and September 2023 (up from 4% between April and June 2023).

Nitazenes, another type of novel synthetic opioid, are being detected in an increasing number of drug deaths. Based on post-mortem toxicology testing, nitazenes were detected in 25 deaths from January to 30 September 2023. PHS have issued a public health alert regarding nitazene-type opioids ( https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/rapid-action-drug-alerts-and-response-radar-alerts/radar-nitazenes-alert-2023/#section-1 ). Scottish Government is working closely with PHS, national and international partners, to ensure preparedness in case that they may continue to have increasing prevalence in the drug supply.

Question reference: S6W-25907

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how much has been spent on taxi journeys for NHS patients in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Question reference: S6W-25921

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting patients who are on waiting lists for cancer diagnostic tests or cancer treatment.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting people at all stages of a potential or confirmed cancer diagnosis. We are investing in the Single Point of Contact programme so that people with a suspicion, or a diagnosis of cancer, are at the heart of all decisions and actions involving them. There are currently 12 pilot projects across Scotland testing ways of working that improve communication and provide early and ongoing support. A scalability assessment is underway which will outline how best we can scale up and expand the reach of the programme.

In addition to this, Scotland’s first Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDSs) – established within existing NHS infrastructure – are operational in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Dumfries and Galloway NHS Fife, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Borders. These are providing primary care with access to a new referral pathway for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer. Patient navigators are embedded in RCDSs, supporting patients and their families from the point of referral while they wait for tests and results.

We are also currently working in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support to improve the service we offer people affected by cancer through the Transforming Cancer Care Programme (TCC). This joint partnership is the first of its kind in the UK and ensures that every person with cancer in Scotland has access to a key support worker, who can provide emotional, financial and practical support to those who need it throughout their experience of cancer care.

Question reference: S6W-25916

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential number of users of single-use vapes who may return to tobacco products once the proposed ban on single-use vapes is introduced, and whether it plans to propose a ministerial statement on this issue.

The Scottish Government is currently preparing a suite of impact assessments to consider the effect of the proposed measure on various communities and will be available before regulations are laid.

We recognise arguments raised in the four nations Creating a smoke free generation and tackling youth vaping consultation that disposable vapes are a useful aid to support quitting smoking but are also appealing to children. The case for action is therefore finely balanced. However, we are persuaded that action is necessary in respect of disposable vapes, due to not only environmental issues but also the low price and convenience of these products. Adults will still have access to non-disposable vapes to support smoking cessation, but banning disposables will reduce access for children while also dealing with the environmental impact of these products.

A ministerial statement on the smoke free generation and tackling youth vaping policy measures will take place following the introduction of legislation to UK Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-25895

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the support available for people with Down's syndrome to study music at college.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all students, including those with a disability, long-term medical condition, or additional support needs, are supported as they study in further and higher education. This is through support provided to each institution, and also through support provided directly to students. The Scottish Government does not undertake analysis of this support at the level indicated in the question.

Students and their families are encouraged to speak to their college to discuss their support needs and the funding that is available to them.

The Scottish Government also funds Down’s Syndrome Scotland as a key partner in the Learning/Intellectual Disability and Autism Towards Transformation Plan, and to raise awareness of the support available to people with Down’s syndrome and their families.

Question reference: S6O-03242

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Audit Scotland report, Decarbonising heat in homes, and the recent report by the Regulatory Review Group regarding the forthcoming Heat in Buildings Bill, what action it is taking to further assess and develop the supply chain for decarbonising buildings.

Question reference: S6O-03246

Asked by: Kate Forbes, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the voices of Highland communities are appropriately considered by the Energy Consents Unit when assessing applications from developers.

Question reference: S6O-03240

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is doing to support elected representatives to take parental leave.

Question reference: S6O-03243

Asked by: James Dornan, MSP for Glasgow Cathcart, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest report by the Royal Bank of Scotland on private sector activity, which showed that employment growth in Scotland was faster than any other UK nation or region.