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-15641

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what further progress has been made regarding Moray maternity services since December 2022.

I am delighted to be able to confirm that, following an intense period of scrutiny, that I am approving the plan for Integrated Maternity Services for the North, with consultant-led obstetric services at Dr Gray’s hospital. This is supported by an initial commitment of £6.6m to support implementation. I am also pleased to report that Linda de Caestecker, as lead for the external assurance panel has agreed to continue her involvement for at least the next 12 months as Boards move forward with implementation. The collaboration and innovation from NHS Grampian and NHS Highland on this plan provides a solid platform to build from as we look to strengthen maternity services in the north in a safe and sustainable way.

Question reference: S6O-01953

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of baby boxes that have been distributed since the scheme began.

Question reference: S6W-15257

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 February 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its consultation document on the development of future grant support for forestry that the Minister for Environment and Land Reform announced in her opening statement in the parliamentary debate on Forestry’s Contribution to Net Zero Scotland, on 9 November 2022.

Question reference: S6O-01851

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it provides support to victims of violent crime in the pre-trial period.

Question reference: S6W-13361

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the publication, Neurological Conditions: estimating the prevalence in Scotland of selected conditions using General Practice and Hospital Admissions datasets, for what reasons there are no data on the prevalence of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) from (a) NHS Highland and (b) NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Question reference: S6W-13362

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the publication, Neurological Conditions: estimating the prevalence in Scotland of selected conditions using General Practice and Hospital Admissions datasets, of those with a diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and in the GP practice dataset, how many were children whose age when the extract was taken was (a) under 5, (b) 5-11 and (c) 12-17.

This publication’s Supporting Documents include a spreadsheet file titled ‘General Practice recorded diagnoses’. Table 4 in this spreadsheet shows GP recorded diagnoses of neurological conditions, by sex and age. For each neurological condition shown, it gives the number of GP recorded diagnoses by sex in the following age bands: 0-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19. This data is shown in the following table. In some cases small numbers have been suppressed to help maintain patient confidentiality. We do not have data apportioned to the exact age bands in the question.

Number of people diagnosed with ME/CFS by sex and age group

	Age 0-4	Age 5-9	Age 10-14	Age 15-19
Female	-	7	16	115
Male	*	*	27	77

(-) indicates a zero value

(*) indicates values that have been suppressed due to the potential risk of disclosure and to help maintain patient confidentiality

Please note that that these figures do not cover the whole of Scotland. The general practices whose data are included represented 72.7% of registered patients at the time of the data extract.

Question reference: S6W-13363

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the publication, Neurological Conditions: estimating the prevalence in Scotland of selected conditions using General Practice and Hospital Admissions datasets, of those with a diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and in the GP practice dataset, what proportion were (a) female and (b) male.

This publication’s Supporting Documents include a spreadsheet file titled ‘General Practice recorded diagnoses’. Table 4 in this spreadsheet shows GP recorded diagnoses of neurological conditions, by sex and age, for each neurological condition shown . In some cases small numbers have been suppressed to help maintain patient confidentiality. Taking into account the suppression of small numbers, the approximate split of diagnoses for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is as follows: (a) Female – 69% (b) Male – 31%.

Please note that that this percentage breakdown draws on figures which do not cover the whole of Scotland. The general practices whose data are included represented 72.7% of registered patients at the time of the data extract.

Question reference: S6O-01714

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it last engaged with the UK Government on the subject of EU replacement funding with respect to the rural affairs portfolio.

Question reference: S6W-12648

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how children and young people can access their entitlement to the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme in each local authority in the Highlands and Islands region.

Applications for the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme can be made through getyournec.scot in all local authorities. Additionally, each local authority is responsible for providing alternative application route(s) for their residents.

The application routes for each local authority in the Highlands and Islands region are outlined in the following table.

Argyll and Bute	? Paper form through Customer Service points ? Some applications have been coordinated through primary and secondary schools
Comhairie nan Eilean Siar	? Paper application form, with three in-person application locations available ? Council-specific online form for 16-21 year olds with an existing card ? Some applications have been coordinated through schools for Primary 7 pupils
Highland	? Paper form through Customer Service points ? Postal application forms ? Some applications have been coordinated through primary and secondary schools
Moray	? parentsportal.scot for applications for 5-11 year olds ? Forms available through schools, library and online ? Some applications have been coordinated through primary and secondary schools
Orkney Islands	? Paper applications through the council
Shetland Islands	? Council-specific online forms ? Contact council directly for alternative routes

Question reference: S6O-01666

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, 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 implementation of its policy, Language Learning in Scotland: A 1+2 Approach.