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-12218

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost for agency nurses has been in the current financial year to date, and what it estimates the cost will be for the whole of the current financial year.

Question reference: S6W-12109

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the new funding that it has provided in the current financial year to recruit additional staff for the NHS, and what the level of overseas recruitment has been.

Funding of £18 billion is provided for the health portfolio in 2022-23. This builds on frontline health spending in Scotland that, per head, is 2.2% (£74) higher than in Wales and 10.6% (£323) higher than in England - equivalent to around 10, 000 nurses and 44, 000 nurses, respectively - and takes investment in our frontline NHS Boards to £12.4 billion. This investment supports both existing staff costs and ongoing recruitment, in line with local workforce and service planning.

In addition to this, in October this year funding of £7.98 million was announced to recruit up to 750 nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to offset the up-front recruitment costs of international recruitment by the end of March 2023. Last winter we announced funding to build infrastructure within boards and support international recruitment to recruit at least 200 registered nurses. By the end of August 2022 c.230 nurses have been recruited. Boards may also independently pursue overseas recruitment for specific roles or indeed as part of a campaign and routinely do so.

Question reference: S6W-12115

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the proposed 4.5% pay award to NHS Scotland junior doctors for 2022-23 would be the equivalent of a real-terms pay decrease.

Question reference: S6W-11940

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has made of the impact of the reported continued closure of community hospitals in Dumfries and Galloway on bed and service pressures at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.

I have raised this issue with Julie White, Chief Officer in the Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership, who has advised that following the temporary closure of the in-patient facilities a total of 52 staff were re-deployed.

The deployed community staff are currently supporting:

102 packages of care (535.5 hrs) which equates to circa 120 individuals to support care at home sector
The opening of 18 beds in Mountainhall Treatment Centre as an intermediate care facility as a step down from Acute Care.
The Marie Curie and district nursing 24/7 services have resulted in reducing the need for cottage hospital beds as the partnership are able to support caring for more people in their homes.

Question reference: S6W-11890

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of reports that a GP is only visiting the Leadhills Surgery once monthly, and what its position is on whether such a GP schedule meets the policy aims regarding universal access to healthcare.

Question reference: S6W-11849

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6F-01451 by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 October 2022, how it plans to support those with complex disabilities whose energy costs, including for the operation of life-support equipment, are not fully reimbursed.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with health boards to ensure, as far as possible, that support for energy costs is available to those who require it.

Some patients already receive support for costs associated with home haemodialysis and the use of oxygen equipment. We have now written to all NHS territorial Boards to understand what support with fuel costs is available to patients using life-saving equipment.

We have already pledged almost £3 billion in this financial year towards helping families and households face the increased cost of living. This includes the provision of services and financial support not available elsewhere in the UK to help reduce every day costs and increase incomes.

Question reference: S6O-01643

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding the reinstatement of the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry route.

The Scottish Government is supportive of the reintroduction of ferry services from Scotland to Europe.

Transport Scotland have engaged with a number of interested parties proposing such services and we will continue to engage with potential operators and Scotland’s main ports to provide information and advice on what the Scottish Government can offer in support of a viable commercial proposition.

The Scottish Government have also recently undertaken engagement sessions with key port stakeholders as well as freight forwarders and logistics companies to explore options for increasing freight movements through Scottish ports.

Question reference: S6O-01669

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment is made of the financial health of businesses and the viability of projects prior to the award of a grant of public funds.

Question reference: S6O-01670

Asked by: Kaukab Stewart, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the next steps for the national conversation to inform a new Dementia Strategy, which closed to responses on 5 December.

Question reference: S6O-01668

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm whether WhatsApp messaging by the health secretary and his ministers are covered by Freedom of Information legislation and the processes that are in place to archive these to prevent them being inadvertently lost or otherwise deleted.