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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 41122 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-21191

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 22 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many homes completed under the Affordable Housing Supply Programme have been placed in council tax bands E to H in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-21148

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is pursuing to address any health inequalities experienced by people with long COVID, including inequities between NHS boards.

Question reference: S6W-20912

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, according to the latest data, how many people (a) in Aberdeen and (b) throughout Scotland are in receipt of a free bus pass.

By 31 August 2023, there were 84,660 cardholders in Aberdeen City within the National Concessionary Travel Schemes. In Scotland, there are a total of 2,263,403 cardholders. This includes cardholders in the free bus schemes for those aged 60 and over, those aged under 22 and eligible disabled people.

Cardholder data is supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO) and is provided by local authority.

NECPO supports the 32 local authorities by assisting with the integration of various national and local public services on the National Entitlement Card (NEC) and are the joint controller with local authorities of this data. The figure includes travel products collected from the Transport Scot Pass Collect mobile app.

Question reference: S6W-21415

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent report by Epilepsy Consortium Scotland, Specialist Epilepsy Appointments, which emphasises the importance of face-to-face care, but found that 40% of patients had only attended their specialist epilepsy appointments by telephone since March 2020.

Delivering person-centred care is a priority for both NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government. As far as possible services should be organised around people’s needs, enabling them to be involved in their care in a way that is meaningful and tailored to their personal preference.

In December 2021 we published practical guidance for NHS clinicians on undertaking virtual consultations with people affected by neurological conditions: Digital Consulting in Neurology | TEC Scotland

The guidance considers when virtual consultations may be an appropriate option to offer. It states clearly that patients should be given the opportunity to decide how they wish to be seen. It is for NHS boards to decide how specialist epilepsy appointments are arranged in their area.

Question reference: S6W-21294

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-02115 by Jenni Minto on 19 April 2023, when it estimates that work will begin on the review of the NHS Scotland patient travel scheme.

The comprehensive review of Patient Travel Guidance is a substantial exercise for the Scottish Government and NHS Boards, and, regrettably, a start date is not confirmed at this time.

As we continue to prioritise the recovery of services, this important review will take full account of the matters raised by Members and will be taken forward as soon as possible.

Financial support for travel remains available for patients and authorised escorts, according to eligibility criteria and medical requirements.

Boards are expected to support patients to identify and access support available, taking account of individual circumstances and ensuring patient care is at the centre of all decisions.

Question reference: S6W-21302

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 22 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the proposed Electoral Reform Bill, referred to in its Programme for Government 2023-24, will be introduced to the Scottish Parliament.

We are grateful to all those who responded to the Government’s consultation on electoral reform. We are considering the responses to the consultation and the analysis and will publish a formal response in due course. The responses were independently analysed, and the analysis of the consultation can be found on the Scottish Government website.

As noted, a Bill on electoral reform was announced in the Programme for Government 2023-24. We anticipate that this will be introduced to Parliament by spring 2024.

Question reference: S6W-21301

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will receive any Barnett consequential funding as a result of the UK Government's NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, and, if so, whether this will be used to support additional training for medical and nursing staff in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-21190

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how much funding has been made available by NHS boards for hospices in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) hospice.

Question reference: S6W-21266

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17809 by Jenni Minto on 17 May 2023, whether NHS Highland has recruited a permanent dentist for Campbeltown.

There are now 2 independent dentists working in the Campbeltown area listed with NHS Highland to provide NHS General Dental Services. In addition, a Public Dental Service (PDS) dentist visits Campbeltown one day per month to provide NHS dental care and advice to patients. NHS Highland is currently recruiting for a replacement PDS Senior Dental Officer/Tutor in the area.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with NHS Highland to review all aspects of NHS dental service delivery and provide support on local solutions to improve NHS dental access in the area.

Question reference: S6W-21244

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 22 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many NHS Lanarkshire buildings may have to temporarily close due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

The list of NHS Scotland buildings which have two or more characteristics consistent with the presence of RAAC was provided in the response to answer S6W-19366 on 21 July 2023. This list has also been made available on the NHS Scotland Assure website: RAAC -List of Properties v1 Jul 23 (nhs.scot). This list forms the NHS Scotland Assure RAAC survey programme, which commenced in July 2023. The eighteen NHS Lanarkshire buildings on this list have not yet been surveyed and there are no indications any NHS Lanarkshire buildings may have to temporarily close due to the presence of RAAC.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers