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-37339

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Christine Grahame (on behalf of the SPCB) on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will approach third-party Scottish manufacturers, such as Scotcrest or ScotClans, to authorise them to use the Scottish Parliament Corporate Identity and tartan to retail bespoke parliamentary plaques, which MSPs could purchase at their own expense to use for presentational gift purposes, such as overseas visits, hosting dignitaries, retirements or sporting events.

Question reference: S6W-37714

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any national strategies or funding initiatives aimed at increasing the number of cataract surgeries performed.

In January 2022, the Scottish Government commissioned the Centre for Sustainable Delivery to establish the Scottish National Cataract Short Life Working Group to address current challenges in cataract surgery in Scotland.

This work has led to the publication of 'Improving the Delivery of Cataract Surgery in Scotland: a Blueprint for Success' which will support Boards to deliver high quality, high volume, specialist care.

This Blueprint builds on existing work that has already been done by the National Eyecare Workstream to:

Embed recommendations from Health Board Ophthalmology Peer Reviews.
Align with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists guidelines for training lists and high volume service lists.
Acknowledge different models of service delivery from various sites across NHS Scotland.

Cataract Surgery Standards were published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland in December 2023. Cataract surgery standards – Healthcare Improvement Scotland

In 2025/26 we have announced over £200 million to reduce waiting lists and help support reduction of delayed discharge. This will contribute to additional ophthalmology procedures, alongside our National Treatment Centre programme which is delivering cataract surgery in NTC Highland and NHS Golden Jubilee University National Hospital.

Question reference: S6W-37712

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued to NHS boards on the maximum recommended waiting times for cataract procedures, and whether NHS boards are meeting those standards.

We know that some patients have waited too long for treatment but we are committed to ensuring patients receive the care they need as quickly as possible and across various specialities we will deliver over 150,000 extra appointments and procedures in the coming year. Surgical procedures, including cataract surgery are subject to the Treatment Time Guarantee.

Whilst PHS data can be used routinely to identify the specialty of treatment, data at a procedure level is unavailable. The records are designed to collect coded information on the procedure that is planned for the patient, however this information is often either incomplete, lacking in essential detail and/or its accuracy cannot be assured. In addition, the procedure(s) that was planned may not always reflect the procedure actually performed after the patient was admitted for treatment. The latter is not captured through the national datamart. Consequently, PHS is not currently able to report accurately on waiting times to this level of detail.

Work is ongoing to support local surgical teams to increase efficiency and consequently the number of patients that can be treated across the cataract surgical pathway, in line with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists’ guidelines.

The Scottish Government commissioned the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) to support an increase in surgical throughput across cataract only surgical sessions. CfSD’s clinically-led Cataract Specialty Delivery Groups (SDG) promote multidisciplinary team working, and supports local adoption of service improvement programmes.

This short life working group has supported several new and innovative pathway developments, some of which are now being successfully scaled up in a number of sites across hospital eye services, including: high volume cataract surgery in ring-fenced sessions, and delivering one cataract every 30 mins, as per Royal College of Ophthalmologists’ guidelines. In tandem with this, The National Eyecare Workstream is undertaking clinically led peer reviews which supports new and efficient ways of working and shares best practices across the country across a number of ocular sub-specialties, including cataracts.

Question reference: S6W-37805

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has communicated lessons learned from the process of negotiating the end of private finance initiative contracts to NHS boards, as per the recommendations in the NHS in Scotland 2024 report by Audit Scotland.

The challenges that PFI contracts present at their expiry are understood within the NHS and a programme of work is underway to support Health Boards to manage them.

NHS Scotland Assure and the Scottish Futures Trust have a joint Specialist Support Team to assist Health Boards with management of their PPP contracts.

End of contract is a major focus of the team’s work with a role dedicated to this work since 2021.

This includes handback readiness reviews of contracts expiring in 7 to 10 years.

Question reference: S6T-02545

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that violence against teachers in schools in Aberdeen has risen by 25% in the last year.

Question reference: S6T-02550

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether its current investment in youth work is sufficient, in light of reports of an increase in youth violence and the loss of local youth services in recent years.

Question reference: S6F-04125

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2025

To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on the Scottish Government’s latest engagement with the UK Government regarding its plans for the winter fuel payment and any implications for the Scottish Government’s work to deliver a universal Pension Age Winter Heating Payment in Scotland.

Question reference: S6F-04118

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04119

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2025

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-04138

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2025

To ask the First Minister for what reason there has reportedly been no financial agreement between the Scottish Funding Council and the University of Dundee, in light of the alternative financial recovery plan being launched four weeks ago.