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-27967

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it does not publish data on the coverage of fracture liaison services in each NHS board, including information on how they are performing.

Question reference: S6W-27928

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 14 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take regarding reports that UHI Inverness plans to withhold 100% of pay for lecturing staff taking part in action short of strike, including any steps that are being taken to end the ongoing pay dispute, and what its position is on whether any such action by UHI is in line with fair work practices.

Operational decisions on pay, resourcing and staffing matters are for individual colleges; Scottish Ministers have no locus to intervene in these negotiations, however I meet regularly with trade unions and employers, urging both sides to continue to negotiate and reach a settlement.

On 6 February, all colleges, with the exception of New College Lanarkshire, agreed to take forward initial mitigations in the form of pay deductions for staff taking part in ASOS.

In circumstances where deductions are to be made, colleges must ensure employees are reminded in advance of their contractual obligations and advised where taking part in ASOS is considered to be a breach of contract.

EIS-FELA’s own guidance for Members acknowledges that colleges may not accept partial performance and may advise of pay deductions.

Question reference: S6W-27936

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 14 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to update the Parliament on its work to bring forward and implement a minimum income guarantee, and what it currently estimates the financial cost of such a policy to be.

The work to define a Minimum Income Guarantee for Scotland continues to be led by an independent Expert Group who are due to publish a full report, which will include consideration of costs, later this year. The Scottish Government will respond to the recommendations made in due course. The report is expected to focus on what is deliverable and fiscally responsible now, alongside a longer-term vision for what a Minimum Income Guarantee with full powers might look like. The Expert Group’s work has been overseen by a cross-party Strategy Group who will continue to be updated as the work progresses.

Question reference: S6W-27931

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 14 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed the rate of Education Maintenance Allowance, and whether it will consider an inflationary increase in advance of the next Scottish Budget.

The Education Maintenance Allowance is vital in supporting young people from lower-income households to overcome financial barriers and to stay in education. It is a central component of this government’s support for young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Scottish Government has faced its most challenging budgetary settlement since devolution began – a settlement which has not been inflation-proofed, and which has subsequently required difficult decisions to be made, due to the pressures on our public services. Any future changes to EMA would need to be considered in this context.

Question reference: S6W-27537

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB) on 14 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, in light of reports of a group of protesters forcing entry into a parliamentary constituency office in Glasgow on 21 February 2024 and intimidating parliamentary staff in their place of work, and Police Scotland's subsequent description of the incident as a "peaceful protest", what discussions it (a) has had and (b) plans to have with Police Scotland to clarify whether such incidents are considered acceptable.

In the wake of the protest at Mr Sweeney’s office, the Parliament’s Security Office engaged with the ‘Operation Sandbed’ team within Police Scotland on behalf of the SPCB. Protest activity can cause alarm and the Security Office shared Mr Sweeney’s concerns, and the experience of his staff, that this protest had been unsettling and upsetting for those involved.

Taking into account the issues experienced by Mr Sweeney’s office, the Security Office will undertake further engagement with Police Scotland on behalf of the SPCB to discuss additional support and training that can be provided to local office staff, and Members, should protest occur at a local office.

Question reference: S6O-03588

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB) on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will review the opening hours of the Scottish Parliament creche to cover non-business days.

Question reference: S6O-03580

Asked by: Karen Adam, MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implications of the reported decision by Aberdeenshire Integration Joint Board to close minor injuries units overnight in Peterhead and Fraserburgh without prior consultation, which has raised significant concerns among constituents.

As the member will know, decisions on how to deliver healthcare services for local communities are ultimately for local health boards and integration authorities to make. Boards and IJBs are expected to carry out proportionate engagement around service change proposals in line with Planning for People: Community Engagement and Participation Guidance. HIS have met with the board and made a number of recommendations on how they can better adhere to the guidance going forward.

Question reference: S6W-27930

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it plans to allow patients to access their medical records digitally, and whether it plans to roll this out across Scotland.

As stated in the answer to question S6W-27820 on 11 June 2024, I can confirm the Digitisation of records is an operational responsibility of individual Health Boards GP practices and Local Authorities, and their partner organisations commissioned to deliver care. At a national level and building on the existing use of electronic record systems, we are focussed on allowing records to be stored, linked, and shared securely.

Our national work recognises, however, that we need to improve the way this works for people across Scotland in a nationally consistent manner. As set out in our integrated health & social care record and a digital front door so that we can introduce a national approach to improving the process for accessing care records for care experienced people, and those around them.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Question reference: S6W-27933

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to have a national integrated ticketing system for public transport in place and operational before the end of the current parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government has already introduced a national smartcard that can be used across all modes of public transport. The National Entitlement Card ( saltire card) is available to any Scottish resident and, since 2019, can be used across Scotland for any operator that provides a compatible smart ticket. This platform is also used for the national concessionary travel schemes, with approximately 170m smart journeys taken each year.

Our refreshed Smart Delivery Strategy will be published in summer 2024, outlining our programme of work in the coming years. This includes exploring development of options for a new national integrated ticketing system to reflect passenger desire for progression to integrated contactless and digital ticketing. We will encourage operators across all modes to participate in these options for a new system that could offer multi-modal fare capping, removing the need to think about a ticket for each leg of the journey, potentially building on the five regional integrated ticketing schemes that are available in Scotland, led by operators and local transport authorities.

The strategy aligns with the work of the National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board (NTSAB), established in November 2023, to advise on national technological ticketing standards that will support a new integrated system, as well as delivery of smart ticketing measures from the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. With NSTAB’s advice, a business case will be developed, which will consider the timescales and costs of delivering a national integrated ticketing system.

Question reference: S6W-28012

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the potential impact on off-grid households in Scotland, whether it plans to work with the heating oil industry in Scotland in relation to the UK Government's planned consultation on the Renewable Liquid Heating Fuel Obligation (RLHFO), in order to support a timely consultation process following the UK General Election.