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-35644

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is implementing to provide timely support for carers and families in emergency situations, particularly where people are entitled to funding but face extended waiting times or financial hardship due to a lack of support or delayed assessments.

In circumstances where the authority considers that a person’s need for services is a matter of urgency, they have the power to provide community care support to individuals, carers and their families without an assessment under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968.

Local authorities also have duties under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 to provide adult carer support plans (ACSP) or young carer statements (YCS) for any carer that wants one and to provide support to carers according to their eligible needs. In circumstances where a carer is caring for someone with a terminal illness, the authority must offer and prepare an ACSP or YCS in set timescales, ensuring associated support is provided in an efficient and timely manner. These responsibilities are set out in the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 Statutory Guidance.

Question reference: S6W-35969

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish in full all documents related to the reported safety concerns at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, and what the timeline is for the resolution of the issues raised.

The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry was established in 2020, to investigate planning, design, construction and maintenance of both the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital/ Royal Hospital for Children (QEUH/RHC) and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People/Department of Clinical Neurosciences (RHCYP/DCN). To that end, the Inquiry recently concluded 12 weeks of hearings into the QEUH/RHC’s built environment and the potential causal links to hospital acquired infections.

The evidence which was presented and heard at the recent hearing has been published by the Inquiry and is available on the Inquiry’s website (https://www.hospitalsinquiry.scot/).

In Counsel to the Inquiry’s closing statement, concerns were raised regarding the recommended guidelines for ventilation at the QEUH/RHC.

Lord Brodie has made it clear that the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry is on-going and therefore no conclusions should be taken from submissions to the Inquiry at this stage. Further oral hearings into the QEUH/RHC are scheduled for later this year.

Like all hospital sites, there is a comprehensive system of clinical oversight and patient safety monitoring at the QEUH/RHC. There has been no information reported through our robust governance arrangements which questions the safety of the hospital.

In addition, there have been no healthcare associated infection incidents reported to Scottish Government in the last 12 months relating to concerns on ventilation control.

To provide additional assurance, I have written to Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) to undertake a formal review of the action plan arising from their Infection Prevention and Control inspection in 2022; to check the progress made against the recommendations and requirements.

Question reference: S6W-35901

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has carried out to fully adopt each of the 15 recommendations in the paper, Independent External Review of Skye, Lochalsh and South West Ross Out Of Hours Services, which was published in 2018, and by what date each recommendation will be fully implemented.

Question reference: S6W-35905

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish its plan for delivering round-the-clock urgent care at Portree Hospital with the area's health campaigners and wider community.

Question reference: S6W-35908

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the cumulative impact of multiple wind farm and transmission developments on the (a) landscape, (b) ecology, (c) economy and (d) biodiversity of Skye and whether it will introduce guidelines to prevent excessive wind farm and pylon developments in areas such as Skye.

Where new energy developments come forward, applications are subject to site-specific assessments by the decision maker. Our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) policy 11 (energy) requires that project design and mitigation demonstrate how impacts to communities, landscape, biodiversity and other receptors, including cumulative impacts, are addressed. It also encourages development to maximise net economic impact, including local and community socio-economic benefits. We have no current plans to introduce guidelines in addition to NPF4.

Question reference: S6W-35913

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses in the Highlands will go above the VAT threshold because of the visitor levy.

Question reference: S6W-35914

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated cost to the public sector will be from increased accommodation expenses linked to the implementation of the visitor levy.

Question reference: S6W-35994

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the age profile is of MRI, X-ray and CT scanning equipment in use across NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-35903

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported challenges in the recruitment and retention of staff in remote, rural and island healthcare settings, what (a) incentives and (b) support programmes have been introduced in each year since 2018 to encourage healthcare professionals to work in such areas, and what the outcome of these has been.

A number of incentives and programmes are in place and have been prior to 2018 to encourage healthcare professionals to work in remote and island healthcare settings. These include the Scottish Government funded ‘Golden Hello’ scheme, administered by Health Boards, which provides up to £10,000 to every GP taking up an eligible post in a rural and island area.

To support GPs to develop the skills required to work in rural and island areas, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) offer a Rural GP Fellowship, which has been in place since 2002. The fellowship provides qualified GPs with direct experience of working in rural and island areas for a year.

The Scottish Government also provides the Remote Areas allowance, in place prior to 2018 which pays out up to £9,000 to dentists providing NHS dental services in qualifying areas. Additionally, the Recruitment and Retention Allowance is in place for certain areas where there is a particular and protracted issue with the recruitment of dentists. This pays dentists £25,000 over two years, and £12,500 paid over one year for dentists undertaking vocational training.

In addition to the Scottish Government funded incentives, staff being recruited to posts in rural and island areas may also be eligible for relocation expenses. The decision to offer relocation expenses lies solely with boards.

Question reference: S6W-35982

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the deadline is for the NHS Scotland app to be fully operational across all NHS boards, and what contingencies are in place should there be delays.

The online app for health and social care, which is part of our ‘digital front door’ programme, will initially be available to a small cohort of people in Lanarkshire from December 2025. Whilst work continues on preparing for that initial release, we are simultaneously engaging with Health Boards and COSLA to develop the rollout approach beyond Lanarkshire. It is our intention to set this out in more detail from Summer 2025.