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-11846

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support upgrades of older (a) oil and (b) gas heating systems in rural areas.

The Scottish Government offers funding to support upgrades of older oil and gas heating systems to low carbon alternatives, including in rural areas. This includes via the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme, the Home Energy Scotland cashback and loan scheme, local authority Area-Based Scheme, the SME Loan and Cashback scheme, the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund and the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme.

Many of these support schemes include a rural and islands uplift to reflect higher delivery costs in more remote areas.

Warmer Homes Scotland offers fully funded grant support for replacement heating systems for those at risk of fuel poverty impacts, offering gas boilers only where a zero emissions heating system is not feasible.

Question reference: S6W-11893

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it expects to publish the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.

The Scottish Government committed to publishing a refresh of the 2017 Energy Strategy in the Programme for Government and as part of the Bute House Agreement. Following the Scottish Government's response to the Just Transition Commission, we committed to publishing a Just Transition Plan for energy, which will be integrated with the forthcoming Energy Strategy Refresh to ensure a cohesive and joined up framework for action.

In parliament on 29 March 2022, I announced that the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP) would be published in Autumn 2022 for consultation.

We intend to publish the draft ESJTP for consultation in the coming months.

Question reference: S6W-11863

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09253 by Lorna Slater on 21 July 2022, whether it will provide a breakdown of all of the individual meetings that it has had with small brewers to discuss its Deposit Return Scheme since 28 October 2021.

Question reference: S6W-11862

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what modelling it has carried out on the impact of the Deposit Return Scheme on donations of drinks to charities and other good causes.

Question reference: S6W-11875

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its most recent estimate is of the number of people in Scotland who have CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) skills, as referenced in Scotland's Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy 2021-2026.

Save a Life for Scotland maintain a portal showing how many people have been equipped with CPR skills by partners in the delivery of the Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy.

Recent figures can be found here: Home - Save a Life for Scotland .

Beyond this, The Scottish Health Survey 2021 , published 8 November 2022, finds that nearly two thirds of adults have reported ever attending CPR training.

Question reference: S6W-11878

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the amount currently being spent by the NHS on agency staff is an acceptable level of spending, and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

While the Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality healthcare, we fully expect NHS Board's to utilise funding, facilities and staff while taking account of national and local priorities to meet local health needs.

We expect NHS Boards to plan their facilities and workforce to deliver these services, ensuring the provision of safe, effective and high quality patient care, delivered by the right professional at the right time.

Spend on agency is around 2% of the total NHS expenditure. The majority of temporary staffing in NHS Scotland comes from staff banks; these are NHS staff, working on NHS terms and conditions.

The pandemic has had an impact on bank, agency and locum spend. The rising spend is not unanticipated.

Although bank and agency staff play a crucial role, it is important that we continue our long term investments to attract and retain permanent staff.

Question reference: S6W-11916

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 November 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many projects have (a) applied for and (b) received funding from the Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund since its introduction, broken down by local authority area.

Since its introduction in June 2015, the Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund (KTIF) has received 120 project applications, with the Project Assessment Committee awarding funding to 52 projects delivered by a range of national organisations operating across a wide range of local authority areas in Scotland.

Therefore, it is not possible to provide an accurate distribution of funding across the authorities. On the outcome of KTIF funding rounds, the successful projects are put in the public domain and published on the Scottish Government website .

Question reference: S6W-11932

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the allocation of the £11.2 million housing support for Ukrainian refugees across local authorities.

Question reference: S6W-11920

Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to ensure that its new Cancer Strategy, due to be published in March 2023, addresses any unique difficulties in the early diagnosis of leukaemia.

Our new 10 year cancer strategy due to launch in Spring 2023 will take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care.

An earlier diagnosis vision is being developed as part of the new strategy and consideration is being given to how improvements will be measured, including blood cancers.

The challenges in diagnosing cancer earlier is being explored with key stakeholders as part of the development of the earlier diagnosis vision, with any decisions based on latest available evidence.

Question reference: S6W-11877

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10776 by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2022, on what date it will launch the formal public consultation period on the proposed Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill.