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-12355

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-00960 by Lorna Slater on 15 November 2022, in relation to the Minister’s statement on the figure relating to Scotland having 25% of Europe’s offshore wind potential that "Ministers became aware of the issue on Tuesday 8 November [2022]", and in light of correspondence indicating that Scottish Government officials were aware of an issue with the 25% figure in October 2020, what investigations it has carried out to understand for what reasons officials were aware that the 25% figure was inaccurate prior to 8 November 2022 and did not alert Ministers, and what the outcomes were of any such investigations.

We have accepted that the 25% figure for offshore wind potential is dated. The figure has been used widely and was included in a UK Government report in 2013. In relation to the Freedom of Information requests associated with the These Islands report, we recognise that there was correspondence between officials about the use of the statistic in late 2020, and we are now undertaking a further examination of our records, alongside work to provide an updated estimate.

Question reference: S6W-12485

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) adults and (b) children have been admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of asthma in NHS (i) Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (ii) Ayrshire and Arran in (A) 2011, (B) 2016, (C) 2020, (D) 2021 and (E) 2022 to date.

Question reference: S6W-12477

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken since the recommendations were made by the National Review of Care Allowances Group.

Question reference: S6W-12489

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any assessment of the analysis reported by the NICE medical technologies advisory committee for England and Wales that states that a footwear device from AposHealth, to support people with osteoarthritis in their knee, may have the potential to save the NHS £1,958 per patient, with the cost of the footwear estimated at £875 per patient.

Question reference: S6W-12501

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many GPs have taken up the Scottish Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme in NHS (a) Grampian, (b) Highland, (c) Orkney, (d) Shetland and (e) Western Isles in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-12505

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that more than half of people seeking psychological therapy in the NHS Highland area experience waits of more than a year.

We have been working with NHS Highland on an improvement plan for long-term, sustainable improvement to Psychological Therapies and we appreciate the hard work that the Director of Psychology and supporting staff in NHS Highland are doing to clear backlogs.

We recognise that performance in NHS Highland is not satisfactory. Long waits are unacceptable and we are continuing to offer tailored support to Boards, including NHS Highland, in the form of support from the Scottish Government Principal Psychology Advisor, Quality Improvement Advisor, Data Analyst and policy support. We are monitoring progress on this closely.

To help ensure that services deliver and measure Psychological Therapies in a more standardised way across Scotland, a new National Specification for the delivery of Psychological Therapies and Interventions is currently under development, with a consultation publication date of Winter 2022.

Question reference: S6W-12393

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comments from the Chair of the British Medical Association's (BMA) Scottish general practitioners committee that "we are now looking at serious issues of patient safety and staff safety" and that GPs are "exhausted, burnt out and cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel".

Addressing the wellbeing needs of the Health and Social Care workforce is now even more crucial than it was prior to Covid-19 and is key to both retaining our GP workforce as we press ahead with our commitment to increase the GP population in Scotland by at least 800 additional GPs by 2027.

Staff wellbeing is front and centre of our efforts to support the recovery of health and social care services. If we want our NHS and social care to provide the best care for us, we need to make sure we take care of them. The NHS Recovery Plan highlights that the recovery of staff is intrinsic to our collective ambitions for renewing our NHS, and highlights measures to support the physical, mental and emotional needs of the workforce.

Question reference: S6W-12515

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on delivering Action (a) 46 and (b) 47 in the Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People in Scotland 2021–2026.

The Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People in Scotland is delivered by the Managed Service Network for children and young people with cancer (MSN CYPC). A progress update will be provided by the MSN as part of its annual reporting.

To support the MSN CYPC strategy and review of psychological support for Children and Young People with cancer, which actions 46 and 47 refer to, the Scottish Government has commissioned the Scottish Cancer Network to work with the MSN in delivering a workforce review. An initial review on three allied health professional (AHP) specialities is underway.

Additionally, the Scottish Government committed to a National Allied Health Professions (AHP) Workforce and Education Policy Review. The review will consider whether or not policy for AHP education provision is congruent to the current and future needs of our students and the future health needs of the people of Scotland. It will also consider the actions necessary to deliver a national education and workforce plan for AHPs, giving full consideration of all aspects of workforce measurement, planning and education needs for the future.

Question reference: S6O-01675

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the timeframe for the implementation of the recommendations of the 2016 Sludge Review into the spreading of sewage sludge on land.

Recommended actions from the 2016 sludge review already completed include publication last year, of the James Hutton Institute's report on the impacts on human health and the environment arising from the spreading of sewage sludge to land, and implementation of the remedial actions that were recommended be taken by Scottish Water.

The legislative changes recommended by the review are being implemented via the Integrated Authorisation Framework regulations. Development of these regulations was delayed due to Covid-19 and other priority work, however work has now recommenced.

A consultation on the proposed regulations is due to be published in 2023 and stakeholders will have the opportunity to comment on the proposals relating to sewage sludge.

Question reference: S6O-01706

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that NHS boards comply with public procurement rules in relation to the purchase and operation of specialist medical equipment.

	Feb-17	Aug-17	Feb-18	Aug-18	Feb-19	Aug-19	Feb-20	Aug-20	Feb-21	Aug-21	Feb-22	Aug-22	Total Feb 2017 - Aug 2022
Grampian			4	5	1	3	3	5	1	5		4	31
Highland	1	13	4	10	4	16	2	18	5	11	1	14	99
Orkney		1					1	1	1			1	5
Shetland			2				2	2		1		1	8
Western Isles		2		2		2		2			1	2	11