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-12445

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-11995

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 18 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the Childsmile programme is delivered to children under the age of five.

The Childsmile Programme is designed to help improve the oral health of children in Scotland and is delivered through a range of measures. The Childsmile Core Programme is available throughout Scotland and is introduced to families by their Health Visitor. Every child in Scotland is provided with a dental pack containing a toothbrush and toothpaste on at least six occasions by the age of five and can receive twice-yearly applications of fluoride varnish from the age of 2.

Childsmile School and Nursery ensures that all 3 and 4 year old children attending nursery are offered free, daily, supervised toothbrushing. Those children in the 20 per cent most deprived areas of Scotland are also able to receive an additional twice-yearly fluoride varnish applications by Childsmile dental teams in nurseries and schools until at least primary 4.

More information on the Childsmile programme can be found at: https://www.child-smile.org.uk/index.aspx .

Question reference: S6W-11994

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 18 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware that children under the age of five are reportedly being refused registration at dentists.

It is a priority to ensure that all patients are able to access NHS dental care.

We have provided over £150 million of financial support to date to maintain the capacity and capability of NHS dentistry and agreed further funding into the new year to address the cost of living crisis. From April 2022 we have re-introduced a system of fee per item payments that incentivises NHS dental teams to see patients. Additionally, from February 2022 we have also introduced an enhanced examination fee for both adults and children.

NHS registration is significantly higher in Scotland than the rest of the UK, with more than 95% of the population registered with a NHS dentist. Information on registering with a dentist can be found at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/nhs-services/dental/receiving-nhs-dental-treatment-in-scotland .

Question reference: S6W-12070

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 16 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11466 by Kevin Stewart on 25 October 2022, when the further work to assess the amounts to be recouped from Integration Joint Boards in line with COVID-19 requirements will be completed.

We communicated the action to reclaim surplus Covid reserves to be redistributed across the sector to meet current Covid priorities on 12 September 2022. We will continue to work with IJBs to understand their financial forecasts and further detail will be communicated later in the financial year. The detail will follow at an IJB level and the process and timetable will follow through further communications.

Question reference: S6W-12102

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 16 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its letter of 12 September 2022 to Integration Joint Boards, how much it expects to recoup in COVID-19 reserves.

IJBs were given a funding allocation in 2021-22 to support a range of Covid pressures. This was a ring fenced allocation specifically for Covid.

There have been a number of significant changes to Public Health policies in relation to Covid over the summer, resulting in the profile of Covid spend reducing significantly compared to when funding was provided to IJBs.

In response to this, we communicated the action to reclaim surplus Covid reserves to be redistributed across the sector to meet current Covid priorities. We will continue to work with IJBs to understand their financial forecasts and further detail will be communicated later in the financial year. The detail will follow at an IJB level and the process and timetable will follow through further communications.

Question reference: S6W-11840

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04274 by Humza Yousaf on 17 November 2021, what records it maintains on the (a) return and (b) disposal of unused prescribed medicines.

Question reference: S6W-11850

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many people are recorded as having complex disabilities, broken down by NHS board.

An estimate of the number of people with complex disabilities was published by the charity Sense in a short report in May 2022, which estimated that there were around 157,000 people in Scotland that could have complex disabilities, where complex disabilities were defined as a person having two or more of the following conditions: ‘deaf or hearing impairment’, ‘blind or vision impairment’, ‘learning disability’, ‘autism’. A link to the report is available here: https://www.sense.org.uk/about-us/statistics/complex-disabilities-in-scotland/

Question reference: S6W-11851

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many people with complex disabilities require the use of life-support equipment at home that depends on an energy supply, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-11661

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to support voluntary sector employees over the coming months as living costs continue to rise.

The Scottish Government values the important role of those working in Scotland’s third sector to tackle tough social issues at source. We recognise the challenges faced by the third sector in the current cost crisis and we will ensure the sector is not excluded from any financial support made available to the public or private sectors.

The Scottish Government is doing what it can with its limited powers to ensure people receive the help they need. We are already providing significant support for households to mitigate the impacts of the cost crisis. By the end of March 2023, we will have invested almost £3bn in a range of measures for households, supporting energy bills, childcare, health and travel, as well as social security payments that are either not available anywhere else in the UK or are more generous, such as the Scottish Child Payment.

The Scottish Government has developed a website as a ‘one stop shop’ to help those struggling with the cost of living crisis. The website provides information on the wide range of advice and financial support available to people to meet rising energy, housing and other costs. The new website address is http://gov.scot/costoflivingsupport

Question reference: S6W-11633

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS Scotland patients have been referred to the designated providers in (a) Bristol and (b) the USA for mesh removal surgery.

A number of women have been assessed at the specialist service in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and have subsequently requested onward referral to the independent providers. It is the responsibility of the patient’s local Health Board to make that referral and, in a number of cases, this has already occurred whilst, in others, preparations for referral are ongoing.

Neither the Scottish Government nor NHS National Services Scotland are able to confirm specifically when any patient will travel to the USA or Bristol for treatment, as the scheduling of surgery is dependent on clinical review by the provider and their subsequent acceptance of the case in question.

In light of the small number of patients referred, it would not be appropriate to disclose exact numbers due to the potential risk to patient confidentiality.