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-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-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.

Question reference: S6W-27724

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any potential impact on its funding of the service, what discussions it has had with the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre in relation to its compliance with employment laws.

Question reference: S6W-28135

Asked by: Keith Brown, MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angus Robertson on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Registrar General for Scotland will publish the next results from the 2022 Census.

I have asked Janet Egdell, Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

National Records of Scotland have today published: “ Scotland’s Census 2022: Armed Forces veterans ”.

This is the first time Scotland’s Census has ever collected data on veterans. Today’s publication provides a unique insight enabling governments, local authorities and charities to shape support for veterans and their families.

Scotland’s Census results are designated as National Statistics and form an integral part of the statistical system in the UK. The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), the independent regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority , awards Accredited Official Statistics designation based on the quality, good practice and comprehensiveness of official statistics.

More detail about the schedule for future reports can be found at: https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/about/2022-census/census-outputs-schedule/

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-28050

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the average ambulance response time is for a cardiac arrest in NHS Dumfries and Galloway.

Question reference: S6W-28031

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to introduce regulations under section 74 of the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, as passed.

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-28011

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 whether it will remove renewable liquid fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil from the “polluting heating systems” criteria that are anticipated to be within its proposed Heat in Buildings Bill.

In the consultation on a Heat in Buildings Bill, we recognise that as a renewable, and potentially net zero, energy source, bioenergy may represent the best option to help decarbonise some homes for which clean heating systems are not suitable. We also want to ensure that owners who have taken the proactive step of installing renewable bioenergy systems are fairly treated.

This is why, in addition to permitting extra time for those currently using bioenergy to meet the clean heat element of the Standard, we sought views on whether a more flexible approach to the use of bioenergy under future regulations is needed.

We are currently analysing the over 1600 responses to this consultation and considering how to take this matter forward in a way that balances the needs of Scotland’s diverse buildings. We would need to balance this flexibility with the need to protect and ensure the supply of bioenergy in other sectors of the economy that also rely on bioenergy to remove emissions.

Question reference: S6W-27865

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16651 by Maree Todd on 21 April 2023, whether it will provide an update on whether it has commenced the recruitment for the additional roles to ensure that every GP practice has access to a mental health and wellbeing service, and, if so, how many have been recruited, and what training is in place for them.

The recruitment of the 1,000 additional roles to support community mental health resilience, ensuring every GP Practice has access to a mental health and wellbeing service has not yet commenced. The economic conditions for the 2024-25 Scottish Budget remain challenging which means that recruitment for this programme continues to be paused in 2024-25. We have already prioritised significant investment to build mental health capacity in primary care through Action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027 and the Primary Care Improvement Fund, with funding for posts continuing in 2024-25.

We continue to focus on delivery of our mental health and wellbeing strategy and delivery plan, which includes commitments around mental health in primary care, with a view to reporting on progress by November 2024.