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: S6O-03530

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there are excessive delays in holding fatal accident inquiries.

Question reference: S6O-03524

Asked by: Evelyn Tweed, MSP for Stirling, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the needs and welfare of women prisoners, in light of the reported challenges arising from a growing prison population.

Question reference: S6W-27908

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has undertaken to identify any additional capacity requirements for the implementation of the new model of neonatal care.

In 2017, the Scottish Government published ‘The Best Start : A Five-Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland’, and the report and recommendations were accepted by Ministers. The Best Start outlined a new model of neonatal service provision that suggests that care for the smallest and sickest babies should be consolidated to deliver the best possible outcomes.

An important part of planning for the implementation stage of the model of care is the modelling of demand and capacity requirements.

The Scottish Government contracted healthcare planning support, RSM UK Consulting LLP, to undertake detailed modelling and capacity planning work, to inform local implementation plans.

The approach to this work has included data collection and modelling alongside engagement with both operational and strategic stakeholders, to validate data, generate and test planning assumptions.

Activity and capacity data was collected from each of the eight units included within the model scope, as well as Public Health Scotland (PHS) and, Scottish Specialist Transport and Retrieval (ScotSTAR) / Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS).

The report outlines this modelling approach, inputs, and interpretation of the outputs to support the future of NICU services. This aligns with the Best Start recommendations and focuses on the three regional NICU sites chosen for adoption in Scotland. To further support local implementation plans, this report also outlines a series of considerations for implementation that can be taken forward beyond the commission.

The report will be published on 29 May 2024 and can be accessed at New Model of Neonatal Care – RSM UK Consulting - Report

Question reference: S6W-27729

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any restrictions on what any monies received from Low Emission Zone fines can be spent on, and, if so, what these are.

Any monies received from penalty charges in respect of a LEZ scheme can be applied by a local authority only for the purposes of facilitating the achievement of the scheme’s objectives, and thus support at least air quality and/or climate change emission reduction activities, and/or the operational running costs of the scheme. The specifics of how these monies are spent is a matter for the local authority.

Question reference: S6W-27685

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost was of the transfer of operations of ScotRail services from Abellio to public ownership.

Question reference: S6W-27598

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to comments by the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to the Public Audit Committee that the entire prison estate may shortly reach maximum capacity and present significant risk of potential disorder.

In my statement to Parliament on 16 May, I set out that there is now a critical risk to the continued safe and effective operation of the prison estate, and that urgent action is needed.

If the legal test for use of emergency release is satisfied when section 11 of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 comes into force on 26 May, then I intend to bring forward a proposal for Parliament’s consideration for the emergency release of prisoners.

This is not a decision I have taken lightly. But we must ensure the safety and wellbeing of Scottish Prison Service staff and those people in their care, and that our prisons continue to function effectively to accommodate those who pose the greatest risk of harm.

Members will have the opportunity to scrutinise and debate the approach and, in this instance, we will not release a single prisoner without Parliament’s consent.

I also intend to carry out a short consultative exercise over the summer, and to return after recess with a proposal for a Bill for Parliament’s consideration to change how long-term prisoners are released and managed.

Finally, I intend to bring forward secondary legislation to amend the eligibility criteria for use of Home Detention Curfew (HDC), increasing the period of time individuals can spend on release under licence conditions. These regulations will be subject to scrutiny under the affirmative procedure.

Question reference: S6W-27567

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) guidance and (b) policies are in place to safeguard against any unpaid individuals being deployed to perform duties and roles that would normally be undertaken by NHS employees.

NHS Boards have a responsibility for ensuring they have the right workforce in place at all times to provide safe and high quality patient care.

There is a long history of volunteer services in NHS Scotland, and we are thankful to those who chose to volunteer. Volunteer services are not however there to replace the core workforce, and we expect all NHS Boards to have policies and procedures in place to ensure that volunteers are used appropriately, and only specifically for volunteering services. Volunteers are subject to the same safety checks as NHS staff, including PVG and Disclosure.

Question reference: S6W-27591

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with ChargePlace Scotland regarding the roll-out of its new payment system and any issues that it has caused to drivers.

The ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) operator is contractually obliged to continually improve the quality of the service for drivers. This includes a necessary shift from monthly billing to pay-as-you-go payment for charging using the CPS card or mobile app. This enables an experience akin to how drivers pay for petrol and diesel at traditional forecourts and has been widely welcomed by users. This has necessitated the migration to a new payment service provider (PSP).

Transport Scotland officials and the CPS operator have held regular discussions about future enhancements, including the planned roll-out of the new PSP. Following the launch of the new PSP on 24 April this year, the CPS operator immediately notified Transport Scotland about the emergence of a technical issue which impacted less than 1% of CPS users. The CPS operator has provided regular briefings to Transport Scotland on the cause, impact and corrective actions, including advanced notice of the resolution that was implemented on 10 May.

The CPS operator will provide Transport Scotland with a detailed report on the issue, Transport Scotland officials will also meet senior managers from the CPS operator to discuss key lessons learned.

Question reference: S6W-27590

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the timeframe is for the contract with SWARCO to operate ChargePlace Scotland, and what provisions are in the contract with SWARCO, including in relation to early termination for poor performance.

The current ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) framework agreement is due to end February 2025 with the call-off contract running until mid-2026. The framework agreement, which includes provisions for the circumstances in which early termination would be appropriate, have been published on Transport Scotland’s public facing website: ChargePlace Scotland Framework Agreement 2021 | Transport Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-27708

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to piloting opt-out HIV and blood borne virus testing in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

The Scottish Government has funded pilots of emergency department opt-out blood borne virus testing in three areas – NHS Lothian, NHS Grampian and NHS Highland. The funding allocations followed a call for bids which was open to all territorial NHS Boards, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It is important that decisions about any further expansion are based on the best available evidence. The Scottish Government will use evaluation data from the three pilot projects, combined with other evidence, to determine whether further roll out would be acceptable, deliverable and cost-effective in Scotland.