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-33071

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 27 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it spent money creating an outline business case for a Scottish public energy company, in light of the comments made by the Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy at the meeting of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on 7 January 2025, that setting up a public energy company is "not something that we are able to do under the current devolution settlement".

Question reference: S6W-33973

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-33328

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in its Stroke Improvement Plan 2023 to deliver a detailed plan for further development of the national thrombectomy service before the end of 2023, whether it remains committed to publishing such a plan, and, if so, when it plans to do so, and whether it will commit to publishing this in 2025.

The commitment in the Stroke Improvement Plan to publish a plan for further development of the national thrombectomy service in the second half of 2023 was published in December 2023, available at: Thrombectomy Service Update and Expansion Outline

It should be noted that, since publication, the National Thrombectomy Programme Board has, on the advice of NHS National Services Division, moved away from an options appraisal approach in favour of maximising access to thrombectomy and a stepwise approach to service expansion.

Question reference: S6W-33336

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in clinical research into (a) dementia, (b) neurodegenerative conditions, (c) non-neurodegenerative conditions and (d) other neurological conditions in each of the last five years.

Within the Scottish Government, funding for Health and Care Research comes under the policy remit of the Chief Scientist Office (CSO)

CSO directly funds research through its research project and fellowship schemes. These are open to applications from across the clinical spectrum. All applications go through the same independent expert review process to enable funding decisions to be made

For multi-year projects and fellowships, the funding figure is allocated to the year corresponding to the start date and is the total amount committed to the project or fellowship

The 4 categories listed have been interpreted as follows:

Dementia - category including Alzheimer's; Frontotemporal Lobe Dementia; Lewy Body Dementia

2024-25	28,115
2023-24	299,999
2022-23	592,437
2021-22	260,978
2020-21	20,000

Neurodegenerative Conditions - category including MND/ALS; Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's

2024-25	132,368
2023-24	356,955
2022-23
2021-22	1,947,038
2020-21	73,325

Non-neurodegenerative conditions - category including Epilepsy; Migraine; Seizures

2024-25
2023-24	501,704
2022-23
2021-22	379,814
2020-21

Other neurological conditions - category including Ischaemic and Haemorrhagic Stroke; Cerebral Small Vessel Disease; Acquired Brain Injury

2024-25	550,919
2023-24	300,000
2022-23	856,698
2021-22	762,439
2020-21	78,744

In addition to directly funding research projects and fellowships, CSO also funds the NHS Research Scotland infrastructure that supports the running of Clinical Trials in the NHS here. This infrastructure includes topic-specific research networks which act as the interface between the research community, the NHS and patients themselves, facilitating the set up, delivery and completion of clinical studies across Scotland within their specific clinical areas

The research networks in Dementia/Neuroprogressive Conditions; Stroke; and Pain support the delivery of clinical studies across one or more of the above categories.

Details of CSO funding for these 3 research networks is provided in the table below:

Network / Specialty	FY 2020-21	FY 2021-22	FY 2022-23	FY 2023-24	FY 2024-25	Total per area
Neuroprogressive & Dementia	£506,000	£677,000	£777,000	£829,000	£855,000	£3,644,000
Stroke	£616,000	£641,000	£689,000	£734,000	£757,000	£3,437,000
NRS Pain	£14,404	£14,821	£18,000	£28,500	£30,000	£105,725
Total per Financial Year	£1,136,404	£1,332,821	£1,484,000	£1,591,500	£1,642,000	£7,186,725

Question reference: S6W-33303

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what NHS digitalisation projects it is taking forward.

The refreshed Digital Health and Care strategy sets out our digitalisation ambitions and its associated delivery plan highlights our achievements to date and summarises the key commitments to be achieved.

The specific actions being taken can be read in the Strategy at: https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2021/10/scotlands-digital-health-care-strategy/documents/enabling-connecting-empowering-care-digital-age/enabling-connecting-empowering-care-digital-age/govscot%3Adocument/enabling-connecting-empowering-care-digital-age.pdf

Our most recent update to our deliver plan is available at:

https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2024/05/care-digital-age-delivery-plan-2024-25/documents/care-digital-age-delivery-plan-2024-25-scotlands-digital-health-care-strategy/care-digital-age-delivery-plan-2024-25-scotlands-digital-health-care-strategy/govscot%3Adocument/care-digital-age-delivery-plan-2024-25-scotlands-digital-health-care-strategy.pdf

Question reference: S6W-33314

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to address respiratory problems that are associated with smoking illicit drugs.

We know that there are links between smoking illicit drugs and some respiratory conditions. For example, smoking cannabis can lead to chronic bronchitis and clinicians sometimes see destructive emphysema in younger people.

To prevent harm in future generations, we are taking forward education work on substance abuse in our schools through the Curriculum for Excellence. Through educating young people about substance use and the impact it can have on their life and health, this will prevent them making unhealthy choices.

As part of our cross-government response to the final Drug Deaths Taskforce Report, we are investing £1.5 million in piloting Planet Youth in up to 35 schools across eight areas in 2025. Planet Youth is a universal approach to prevention that empowers communities to take action that will work for their specific circumstances to support young people to reduce the risk of substance use and its harms.

We are committed to ensuring that anyone living with a respiratory condition in Scotland receives the best possible care and treatment and will continue to ensure this takes account of areas of particular concern relating to drugs.

Question reference: S6W-33330

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the priorities from the Neurological Care and Support Framework for Action 2020-2025 that will not have been reached by the end of the framework period.

Question reference: S6W-33332

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards have not received any direct investment in neurology services since the start of the period covered by the Neurological Care and Support Framework for Action 2020-2025.

All Health Boards in Scotland receiving baselined funding from the Scottish Government toward their neurology services. As part of Planned Care funding, the Scottish Government has also invested £217,000 in total towards improving waiting times in NHS Tayside and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Through the Neurological Framework, the Scottish Government has given direct investment to numerous territorial Health Boards to undertake projects focusing on neurological care, in line with the Framework’s commitments. Health Boards that have received direct investment are:

NHS Ayrshire and Arran
NHS Forth Valley
NHS Grampian
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
NHS Lanarkshire
NHS Lothian
NHS Orkney
NHS Tayside

Third sector organisations have also been awarded funding to work in partnership with a number of statutory organisations to better integrate services, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Fife. The Migraine Trust has worked in partnership with seven NHS boards to improve treatment for migraine in community pharmacy.

A full list of projects funded through the Neurological Framework can be found here.

Question reference: S6W-33216

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many local authorities have received funding to forgive school meal debt.

The Scottish Government has made £2,877,287.97 of funding available to local authorities to enable them to cancel school meal debts within their respective local areas. This sum represents the entire amounts bid for by each local authority.

29 local authorities submitted applications to receive funding from the School Meal Debt Fund and, to date, 16 of those local authorities have returned their completed grant acceptance forms to us and we have now taken steps to issue those payments to all 16 local authorities. The combined amount issued to all 16 of those local authorities totals £2,164,575.52.

Information about those local authorities whom have received funding so far, plus the amounts issued so far, is contained within the following table:

Local Authority	Funding received from School Meal Debt Fund (£)

Aberdeen City	411,970.90
Aberdeenshire	145,751.82
City of Edinburgh	89,321.00
Clackmannanshire	30,624.00
Dumfries and Galloway	29,439.63
East Dunbartonshire	74,230.69
East Lothian	54,354.71
East Renfrewshire	53,760.77
Glasgow City	655,032.00
Highland	115,747.76
Inverclyde	74,041.99
Midlothian	50,030.00
North Ayrshire	314,843.00
North Lanarkshire	21,263.00
Shetland Islands	15,949.52
South Ayrshire	28,214.73

Total	2,164,575.52

Question reference: S6W-33401

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many vehicles have been added to its fleet in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) vehicle type and (b) fuel type.

A breakdown of fleet additions and disposals since 2019-20, broken down by vehicle and fuel type, is provided in the following tables.

2019-20

Vehicle type	Fuel type	Number of vehicles added	Number of vehicles disposed
Car	Diesel	0	34
Car	Hybrid	0	3
Car	Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV)	9	0
Car	Electric (EV)	2	0
Light Commercial	Diesel	2	12
Light Commercial	Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV)	2	0
Total	-	15	49

2020-21

Vehicle type	Fuel type	Number of vehicles added	Number of vehicles disposed
Car	Diesel	0	4
Car	Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV)	3	0
Car	Electric (EV)	8	1
Light Commercial	Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV)	2	0
Light Commercial	Range extender (REV)	3	0
Light Commercial	Diesel	3	4
Total	-	19	9

2021-22

Vehicle type	Fuel type	Number of vehicles added	Number of vehicles disposed
Car	Diesel	0	14
Car	Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV)	2	3
Car	Electric (EV)	30	0
Light Commercial	Diesel	0	3
Light Commercial	Electric (EV)	1	0
Total	-	33	20

2022-23

Vehicle type	Fuel type	Number of vehicles added	Number of vehicles disposed
Car	Diesel	0	26
Car	Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV)	15	6
Car	Electric (EV)	0	1
Light Commercial	Diesel	2	1
Light Commercial	Electric (EV)	0	3
Total	-	17	37

2023-24

Vehicle type	Fuel type	Number of vehicles added	Number of vehicles disposed
Car	Diesel	0	8
Car	Petrol	0	16
Car	Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV)	24	10
Car	Electric (EV)	0	1
Light Commercial	Diesel	2	4
Light Commercial	Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV)	0	2
Total	-	26	41

2024-25 (up until 22-01-25)

Vehicle type	Fuel type	Number of vehicles added	Number of vehicles disposed
Car	Hybrid	0	5
Car	Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV)	10	5
Light Commercial	Diesel	0	1
Heavy Goods	Diesel	0	1
Total	-	10	12

Parliament dissolved ahead of election

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