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-02607

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 December 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-02608

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 December 2023

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-23495

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the next paper in the Building a New Scotland series will be published.

The Scottish Government continues to deliver on its commitment to give people the information they need to make an informed choice about their future, and I’m pleased to confirm that we are publishing Social security in an independent Scotland on 6 December 2023.

This is the ninth paper in the Building a New Scotland series. It explains why the UK approach to social security needs urgent reform and identifies the early changes this Scottish Government would prioritise with independence.

I can also confirm that we intend to bring the matters raised in this publication forward for a debate in the Chamber when Parliamentary time is available.

Building a New Scotland: Social security in an independent Scotland will be available to view on the Scottish Government website from 6 December at www.gov.scot/newscotland .

Question reference: S6W-22961

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20769 by Jenni Minto on 19 September 2023, what specific work (a) has been undertaken and (b) is planned by the Women’s Health Leads Network.

The Women’s Health Leads meet together as a Network on a quarterly basis. The Network enables the Leads to identify common challenges and exchange ideas on innovation and best practice, along with discussions on progress to implement the Women’s Health Plan.

Earlier this year, the Network identified access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) as a subject that would benefit from a national approach and in response, the LARC Short Life Working Group was established. Chaired by Professor Anna Glasier, Women’s Health Champion, the group is working to identify and take forward actions to address current challenges in access to LARC methods of contraception.

The Women’s Health Champion quarterly blog provides an update on the Network: Health and Social Care Women's Health Champion Archives - Health and Social Care (blogs.gov.scot) .

Question reference: S6W-23137

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its consideration of a national home dialysis energy reimbursement policy to financially assist home dialysis patients who have to pay additional energy costs.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22410 on 7 November 2023. We are working with health boards to understand how best to achieve national consistency so that patients undergoing home dialysis are protected from the impact of high electricity prices, wherever they live. I expect to provide a further update on this in the coming weeks. 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 .

Question reference: S6W-23089

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the First Minister has responded to the Scottish Occupational Health Action Group's reported proposal for a Scottish Occupational Health Service provision.

As Minister with lead responsibility for Occupational Health, as part of the Health & Social Care portfolio, I responded on 20th November 2023 to the proposal submitted by the Scottish Occupational Health Action Group (SOHAG).

Many of the drivers of ill-health, and particularly ill-health in the workplace, are wider societal factors and I am clear that a cross-government response is required to address both the social determinants of health, as well as improving people’s experiences at work. Occupational health has a key role to play as part of the range of interventions that support fair and healthier work places.

Question reference: S6W-21592

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it being listed as the current site owner on its Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey – site register publication, what plans it has to develop the site of the former remand centre car park at Avonhead Road, Upperton.

Question reference: S6W-23037

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many accreditations have been issued to individuals following their completion of the Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice programme in cohort 2 (2022-23).

Question reference: S6W-22996

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many children it expects will receive support from the Child Winter Heating Payment in the current financial year, broken down by local authority area.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission publish estimates and forecasts of the number of people receiving payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance. The Scottish Fiscal Commission do not publish estimates and forecasts for the number of people receiving payments by area within Scotland. In their May 2023 publication it was forecast that a total of 29,000 people will receive payments in the financial year 2023-24.

Social Security Scotland publish statistics for the number of historic payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance by Local Authority. Statistics for 2023-24 are not yet available.

Table 1: Number of payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance made in Winter 2022-23 by Local Authority area

Local Authority	Winter 2022-2023
Aberdeen City	670
Aberdeenshire	870
Angus	525
Argyll & Bute	370
City of Edinburgh	1655
Clackmannanshire	285
Dumfries & Galloway	720
Dundee City	895
East Ayrshire	575
East Dunbartonshire	415
East Lothian	445
East Renfrewshire	450
Falkirk	845
Fife	1965
Glasgow City	3820
Highland	1055
Inverclyde	480
Midlothian	655
Moray	385
Na h-Eileanan Siar	50
North Ayrshire	730
North Lanarkshire	2125
Orkney Islands	60
Perth and Kinross	745
Renfrewshire	800
Scottish Borders	380
Shetland Islands	90
South Ayrshire	425
South Lanarkshire	1955
Stirling	375
West Dunbartonshire	620
West Lothian	1095
Other Scottish Address	5
Non-Scottish UK Address	25
Unknown	15
Total	26555

Source: Social Security Scotland Statistics - Publications

Question reference: S6W-23015

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22381 by Paul McLennan on 7 November 2023, what action it is taking to receive up-to-date data on the number of households with prepayment meters.

The Scottish House Condition Survey provides a snapshot of the Scottish housing stock in each survey year including the construction age and built form of Scottish domestic buildings. Within this it provides estimates of the number of dwellings with a prepayment meter for gas or electricity.

The 2022 SHCS returned to full in-home surveying in April 2022, and we expect to publish the key findings as National Statistics in February 2024 which will include updated figures for dwellings with prepayment meters.