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: S6F-02863

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 February 2024

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to prevent convicted sex offenders from changing their identity.

Question reference: S6F-02856

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 February 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-02857

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 February 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-25458

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-03036 by Angela Constance on 31 January 2024, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs is aware that the Scottish Prison Service reportedly plans to derecognise Community as HMP Kilmarnock’s recognised trade union, and what the Scottish Government's position is on such a decision.

The Scottish Government is aware of the Scottish Prison Service’s (SPS) intention to maintain existing trade union arrangements for public sector prisons and the transferring staffing group will be covered by those existing arrangements.

It is SPS’s view that their existing trade union relationships are working well and that to recognise a further trade union with collective bargaining rights for the same group of staff, i.e. prison officers, would unnecessarily complicate the trade union landscape.

Question reference: S6W-25368

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress has been made towards fulfilling its Programme for Government 2023-24 commitment to undertake a review of abortion law to identify potential proposals for reforms.

The review on abortion law will begin once the Scottish Parliament has considered the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill.

In the meantime, the Scottish Government is working towards convening an expert group, which the Women’s Health Champion, Professor Anna Glasier, has agreed to chair. The Scottish Government is also starting discussions with other stakeholders who are likely to advise the expert group on particular topics. The expert group will be asked to set out options and any recommendations for reforms. These recommendations, along with other stakeholder input, will be considered by Ministers before setting out any proposals for potential reform.

Question reference: S6W-25372

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the First Minister last met formally with the Women's Health Champion.

Question reference: S6W-25324

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of its revised prison suicide prevention strategy.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS have completed the first stage of a review of Talk To Me, our suicide prevention strategy which was gathering the evidence base. This has included a literature review, User Voice interviews, staff focus groups, an NHS survey and a workshop for families. The next step is to analyse this evidence and formulate recommendations.

Once this is complete, recommendations will be presented to the SPS lead National Suicide Prevention Management Group for consideration and ratification. This group includes a number of experts in the field such as third sector, NHS and Public Health Scotland.

The policy will be aligned with the Scottish Government Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan.

Question reference: S6W-25290

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many drugs deaths there have been in custody (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of total deaths in custody in each of the last five years, also broken down by drug category or categories implicated, including cases involving (i) synthetic opioids (ii) synthetic benzodiazepines and (iii) other synthetic drugs.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Any death of an individual whilst in the care of the SPS is a tragedy, irrespective of the cause. Unfortunately, there have been 34 deaths in custody between month 2019 and month 2023 confirmed as drug related, either by postmortem or by a Medical Certificate Cause of Death. This is approximately 16% of deaths in custody. SPS do not record drug category or categories implicated in deaths.

All deaths in custody are subject to a Fatal Accident Enquiry, the findings of which are published on the Scottish Courts website.

Question reference: S6W-25238

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support is available to medical students during placement years, when they are unable to work elsewhere.

Scottish domiciled medical students are eligible for the standard student support package which is comprised of tuition fees and living cost support throughout the full duration of their medical degree. Additionally the most disadvantaged students can access up to £9,000 per year through a bursary and loans with the Scottish student support package currently the highest it has ever been. All Scottish domiciled students, irrespective of circumstances are eligible for a loan of up to £6,000 a year for the full duration of their medical degree.

It should be noted that students studying on the ScotGEM programme are eligible to claim a return of service bursary of £4,000 per year. This is only available to ScotGEM students, and for each year of the bursary accepted the students is required to work in NHS Scotland for the corresponding number of years.

Question reference: S6W-25239

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce grants for medical students, similar to the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary (PNMSB) scheme, which is administered by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).