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-19462

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding the funding for post-diagnostic services to support autistic people.

Question reference: S6W-19453

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update as to what contact it has had with local authorities regarding the expansion of universal free school meal provision to P6 and P7 pupils.

Question reference: S6W-19460

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is allocated to Self Directed Support Scotland to provide training to personal assistants in autism-affirming ways.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of Personal Assistants who offer bespoke, personalised and flexible care, enabling those with support needs to remain healthy and at home for longer.

The Personal Assistant (PA) Programme Board was established in 2021 to provide advice to Ministers on issues and actions needed to support this workforce. The work of the PA Programme Board Training sub group is led and informed by key stakeholders including PA employers. Work underway during 2023 includes funding of up to £91K, to build on the successful leadership in this area by Self Directed Support Scotland, to prepare a national PA training framework which will be developed with consideration of neurodiversity. Further information about the PA Programme Board is available at: Self Directed Support Scotland .

Question reference: S6W-19384

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 17 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering implementing formal protocols for risk stratification of patients requiring oncology services, in line with protocols put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Question reference: S6W-19403

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government to ensure that the benefits system UK-wide does not impede learning disabled, autistic and neurodiverse people in Scotland from going into training and employment.

The Scottish Government has not had discussions with the UK Government on this issue.

The Scottish Government is in discussion with the DWP about the proposed reforms set out in the Health and Disability White Paper published by the UK Government on 15 March, including to ensure that people in receipt of Scottish disability benefits are not disadvantaged in any way as a result of those reforms.

We are aware of concerns that have been raised about how the current operation of reserved benefits impacts upon learning disabled, autistic and neurodiverse people in Scotland going into training and employment and have set up the Scottish Access to Work Stakeholder Forum, led by the Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living, to support discussion with DWP on these matters.

Question reference: S6W-19859

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 07 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider how data collated and held by NHS boards on mental health conditions can be improved and held consistently across all boards, in order to improve understanding of the prevalence of specific conditions.

The Scottish Government is currently working closely with Public Health Scotland (PHS) to improve the data landscape across the NHS Health Boards in Scotland. Comprehensive data is vital to enable Boards to plan services and create appropriate care pathways. Many individuals accessing services do not initially have a diagnosis, but instead have general presentations.

In April 2019, to better understand the prevalence of specific conditions, referral outcomes, and patient demographics, the Scottish Government commissioned national patient-level data for people seeking and receiving treatment in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Psychological Therapies (PT) services. This is known as the CAMHS and PT National Dataset (CAPTND). IT systems in some Boards will require significant overhaul to enable the recording and extraction of the full dataset. Directors of eHealth are liaising with system suppliers and embedded PHS analysts to prioritise this work as part of the £0.5m digital infrastructure, applications and data package announced in September 2021.

Question reference: S6W-19827

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 17 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will receive any Barnett consequential funding as a result of the UK Government's £5 million fund for Arts Council England's Supporting Grassroots Live Music Fund, and, if so, whether any such funding will be ring-fenced to support the Scottish grassroots music sector.

Question reference: S6W-19883

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 17 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19718 by Christina McKelvie on 7 July 2023, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture has held any discussions with Historic Environment Scotland regarding any permanent closures of sites that it manages, and, if so, which sites were earmarked for closure.

Question reference: S6W-19839

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to change the paper form for the reusable nappy voucher in the Baby Box by adding an electronic QR code option, in order to improve uptake and ensure that the voucher is accessible to all.

Question reference: S6W-19748

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 July 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 17 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in its paper, A Culture Strategy for Scotland, whether it will provide an update on how it is increasing diversity within the cultural sector.