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-14610

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its planned timeline is for ensuring that all NHS boards are providing abortion services locally up to 24 weeks, as set out in Action 17 of the progress report on the Women's Health Plan.

The Women’s Health Plan aims to ensure that women can access abortions up to 24 weeks’ within Scotland regardless of the reason for the termination.

The Scottish Government is pleased to see progress being made on this issue, with all mainland Health Boards now providing abortion services up to at least 20 weeks’ gestation. However further progress is needed to allow women to access services between 20 – 24 weeks’ gestation as locally as possible.

The Scottish Government is working closely with Health Boards, and has commissioned NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) to draft a specification for a national or regional service. This will ensure the service created takes into account the complexities involved with offering abortions at a later stage, and addresses the needs of women in Scotland. NSS will then invite one or more Health Boards to agree to deliver the service in line with the specification.

Question reference: S6W-14619

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that drink producers and retailers are considering reducing product ranges in Scotland due to Circularity Scotland’s reported failure to provide necessary information to producers ahead of the registration deadline, and concerns about inadvertently not being able to follow any rules that they have yet to be informed about.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14338 on 8 February 2023.

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/questions-and-answers .

Furthermore, any producer with questions or concerns about registration should contact Circularity Scotland for advice and guidance.

Question reference: S6W-14626

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns that guidance on what would be considered a GS1 compliant barcode within the Deposit Return Scheme has not yet been published; what discussions it has had with (a) Circularity Scotland and (b) SEPA regarding this, and when it expects this guidance to be published.

Circularity Scotland set out the requirement to use a GS1 compliant barcode in 2021 and this has not changed – it is an international standard. The ability to use a UK-wide EAN barcode within Scotland’s DRS was confirmed by SEPA in summer 2022. Guidance on the use of barcode stickers, to support smaller producers who don’t currently use them on their products, will be published shortly by the Scheme Administrator.

Question reference: S6W-14611

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 February 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will fully enact the remaining regulations in the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 relating to vaping products by restricting in-store displays, billboard and similar advertising, free and nominally priced samples, sponsorship and brand sharing.

On 28 September 2022 the Scottish Government published the report from our consultation on proposals to make regulations under sections 17 to 19 of the 2016 Act, which would introduce restrictions on the following:

advertising
brand-sharing in products and services
free distribution and nominal pricing
sponsorship of an activity, event or person

The responses, together with the analysis report will inform and shape the final vaping restrictions which we aim to bring forward in 2023.

Question reference: S6W-14599

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that people under the care of NHS (a) Lanarkshire and (b) Forth Valley are able to obtain a GP appointment.

Following the publication of the Health and Social Care Winter Resilience Overview I wrote to General Practices on 15 November to set my expectations regarding the need to ensure there is an appropriate mix of pre-booked, same day, face to face and remote appointments that suits individual practice populations.

I also announced the formation of the General Practice Access Group. The group aims to understand the challenges and issues affecting access to General Practice and will establish high level core principles to support and enhance patients’ experience of accessing ‘The Right Care, Right Time, Right Place’. The group has commenced its work and I understand will be looking to consult on a draft document in February.

On 21 December 2022 NHS Forth Valley and NHS Lanarkshire have been allocated £52.565 million and £109.967 million respectively to provide primary medical services.

Question reference: S6W-14621

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether specific funding has been allocated to SEPA to allow it to prosecute any retailers in breach of Deposit Return Scheme regulations.

Question reference: S6W-14586

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12922 by Jenny Gilruth on 21 December 2022, which states that it expects "an update from Transport Scotland on this matter imminently", whether the update has now been produced, and, if so, whether it will provide a revised answer to the question.

Question reference: S6W-14605

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools last met, and when the minutes of that meeting will be published.

Question reference: S6W-14538

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, before an order was placed for Hull 802, whether an alternative option of ordering two smaller vessels to serve on the Uig to Lochmaddy and Uig to Tarbert ferry routes was considered, and, if it was the case, for what reason any such alternative option was rejected, and, if it was not the case, for what reason such an alternative option was not considered.

The proposal for the procurement of what became vessels 801 and 802 was set out in the Vessel Replacement and Deployment Plan (VRDP) Annual Report 2014 vrdp-annual-report-2014.pdf (transport.gov.scot)

The recently published Ferries Plan 2013-2022 had concluded that the level of services then in place on the Uig-Tarbert/Lochmaddy routes met identified community needs. Vessel 802 was earmarked for initial deployment to those services, to bring additional vehicle deck capacity; noting that the deployment plan would be reviewed prior to delivery.

Question reference: S6W-14537

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the current estimated total cost, including design, contract management, construction, legal, and administrative costs, is for the upgrading of the ferry terminal at Lochmaddy to allow its use by Hull 802, and what percentage of the total cost will be funded by (a) it and (b) other bodies.

The works at each of the ports as part of the Skye Triangle Infrastructure programme (Tarbert, Lochmaddy & Uig) are aimed at replacing life expired infrastructure, improving resilience and increasing the range of vessels that can use the ports. The Lochmaddy project is estimated to cost £21million. Our response to the Freedom of Information Request 2022-00297832 published in July 2022 outlined that we have offered a capital funding contribution of up to £15,747million with the remaining contribution to be met by the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (CNES) as statutory harbour authority.