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-15327

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Primary Care Out of Hours Workforce Survey 2022, published by Public Health Scotland on 14 February 2023, which found that most NHS boards have reported decreases in the number of GPs working in out-of-hours services since 2019.

Despite the system wide pressures, health boards continue to deliver a primary care out of hours service for the provision of urgent care when GP Practices are closed. Although the 2022 OOH workforce survey showed a decrease of around 97 whole time equivalent GP’s working in the service, it should be noted that the data collection was incomplete with not all Health Boards providing full returns so this figure should be approached with caution as it is not directly comparable with data from previous surveys.

It is also important to note the increased number of other professions which reflects that this service is now provided using a multi-disciplinary model which includes nurses, advanced nurse practitioners and paramedics.

Question reference: S6W-15324

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve awareness of the Scottish Welfare Fund’s Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants among pensioner households.

The Statutory Guidance for the Scottish Welfare Fund sets out the responsibilities for Local Authorities in their administration of the Fund, including promotion and raising awareness across all potentially eligible individuals. This includes providing information on the Fund and making clear guidance available on how to apply for a grant. Local Authorities are also required to ensure that other services which have contact with people in crisis have up to date information about the Fund, including promotional posters and leaflets.

As recently indicated by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government in correspondence to the Committee for Social Justice and Social Security, the Independent Review of the Scottish Welfare Fund is due to publish soon and will inform next steps across a range of areas, including accessibility and promotion.

Question reference: S6W-15345

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce screening for metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) in children.

The Scottish Government, along with the other UK nations, takes advice on whether or not to introduce any new screening programmes from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group.

The UK NSC conducts an Annual Call for Topics, which allows members of the public and stakeholders to submit new potential screening programmes for the Committee to consider and assess against internationally recognised criteria. In the 2021/22 Call, Metachromatic leukodystrophy was submitted and accepted for review.

It is not yet possible to say when this review will be complete, but we continue to monitor the situation closely. Should the UK NSC recommend screening following this review, the National Screening Oversight (NSO) and Scottish Screening Committee (SSC) will then consider the best course of implementation for Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-15356

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of people from a BAME background accessing patient clinical trials.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office (CSO) along with partners in the UK Clinical Research Recovery, Resilience and Growth programme considers it important that clinical trial populations reflect the populations that could benefit from the treatments as closely as possible. For this reason, a theme of this programme is the widening of opportunities for people to participate in clinical research. CSO is working with partners on the UK-wide Be Part of Research initiative and invests in the Scottish Health Research Register and Biobank (SHARE) with this aim. CSO is also funding a research project looking at ways to support ethnic diversity in clinical trials populations.

Question reference: S6W-14771

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of debt collectors acting on behalf of British Gas breaking into customers’ homes, whether it is aware of any such instances having taken place in Scotland, and if this is the case, how many such instances it is aware of, and what discussions it has had with British Gas about this issue.

The Scottish Government has been made aware of incidents of force-fitted installations of prepayment meters across different suppliers, although it does not hold information on the number or nature of those incidents. While policy on energy markets is a matter reserved to the UK Government and the responsibility for supplier guidance sits with Ofgem, the Scottish Government opposes the forced installation of prepayment meters, which increases the risk of self- rationing and self-disconnection. The additional costs associated with prepayment meters also lead to increased debt.

We are engaging with Ofgem regarding its request to suppliers to immediately halt forced installations and remote switching to prepayment meters until 31 March 2023, as well as its consultation on the rules and guidance on the use of prepayment meters by suppliers. We will use this engagement to ensure that the rights and interests of Scottish consumers are fully considered.

Question reference: S6W-15489

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total budget of the Independent Living Fund is for 2022-23.

The published budget for 2022-23 was £53.3 million. ILF Scotland’s Grant-in-Aid allocation for 2022-23 was £52.72 million. Of this, £48.45 million was allocated to the Independent Living Fund and £4.27 million for the Transition Fund which was launched in December 2017. Funds are provided in response to need and therefore there can be a difference between published budget and final spending.

Question reference: S6W-15400

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support women with endometriosis, in light of reports of long waiting times for surgery and medication being unavailable.

We know that endometriosis can have a significant impact on people’s lives, and that support for those with the condition is required while we work to improve waiting times.

To ensure those with endometriosis are receiving consistent and appropriate care we will help support The Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP) to implement the new Integrated Endometriosis Referral Care Pathway for NHS Scotland, which has now been approved and will be circulated to all NHS Scotland health boards this year.

We have invested in research into endometriosis, which is vital to help us achieve better care for those with the condition. We are jointly funding a £250,000 endometriosis research project with Wellbeing of Women and the recipient of the grant will be announced later in March. The research aims to develop improvements into treatment and management options for the condition.

To ensure that people with endometriosis have access to the most accurate and relevant information and links to further support, we updated the NHS Inform endometriosis page. This includes videos to support those with the condition and to provide information about symptoms and treatment options available.

The supply of medicines is a reserved matter for the UK Government. Scottish Government officials are regularly updated on any supply disruptions which may arise and will provide advice to the NHS in Scotland on options to address any shortages.

Question reference: S6W-15413

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14295 by Lorna Slater on 7 February 2023, what the (a) median and (b) average financial loss for all local authorities is anticipated to be between the launch of the Deposit Return Scheme in August 2023 and when the anticipated 90% capture of single use drinks containers is achieved by 2025.

Question reference: S6O-02021

Asked by: Graeme Dey, MSP for Angus South, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that key sectors, such as engineering, are allocated sufficient numbers of modern apprentices.

Question reference: S6O-02026

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is for the migration strategy in an independent Scotland, including how it could address any workforce and recruitment challenges resulting from the withdrawal from the European Union.