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-14974

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns regarding the health and safety of workers and poor environmental management practices in connection with allegations that Scottish Power has used diesel generators to power 71 wind turbines after a fault developed.

The rules and regulations that govern the resilience of the GB electricity grid are a matter entirely reserved to the UK Government.

The Scottish Government has no responsibility in relation to the operational management of wind farm sites.

Scottish Power Renewables have told Scottish Government officials that their management systems are accredited to ISO standards and that they have established a working group to consider alternatives to diesel.

Question reference: S6W-14921

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS boards to identify and deliver sustainable new uses for historic NHS-owned properties that are currently on the Buildings at Risk Register.

We are fully supportive of the need to properly maintain and invest in our existing estate. This is why we are committed to doubling our annual funding for maintenance over the capital spending review period. This means that we will invest around £1 billion in enhancing or refurbishing existing health facilities, and updating and modernising medical equipment that is essential for delivering high quality medical services. However, it is for NHS Boards locally, to determine how that resource will be invested and it is for them to decide how they will manage property on the Buildings at Risk Register.

The Scottish Government delivers support for the historic environment through sponsorship of Historic Environment Scotland. This support allows Historic Environment Scotland to publish advice and guidance on its website which enables the owners of traditional and historic properties in Scotland to make informed choices about the options available to them.

Question reference: S6W-14983

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out an impact assessment of its presumption against new oil fields on oil and gas jobs in Aberdeen, and, if so, on what date.

As the draft Strategy sets out, irrespective of the climate imperative, due to the maturity of the North Sea basin, planning for a just transition to a net zero energy system and diversifying employment and economic opportunities for workers is essential. Scotland’s energy transformation is therefore urgent and inevitable.

In establishing a renewed policy position on oil and gas, whilst licensing is reserved to the UK Government, the Scottish Government is consulting on whether, in order to support the fastest possible and most effective just transition, there should be a presumption against new exploration for oil and gas.

The draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan is an open consultation and as such requires statutory assessments to be undertaken. Some assessments have already been published and the others will be available with the final document.

Question reference: S6W-15493

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the Independent Living Fund (ILF) Scotland 2015 Fund will open to new applicants.

Question reference: S6W-15502

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the (a) Diffley Partnership report, Understanding Scotland – Economy, published in February 2023 and (b) finding that healthcare and the NHS were top priorities for survey respondents.

The Scottish Government notes the findings from the Diffley Partnership report on Understanding Scotland - Economy.

The survey shows that Healthcare and the NHS has remained a high priority for survey respondents in recent years and has now overtaken the Cost of Living / Inflation as the top priority.

Improving access to healthcare is a key priority for this government. Our 2023-24 Scottish Health Budget provides record funding of over £19 billion, providing new investment of over £1 billion and supporting recovery and reform to secure sustainable public services.

Question reference: S6W-15492

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many new applications have been made to the Independent Living Fund in each year since 2015.

As the inherited Independent Living Fund (2015 Fund) is a closed scheme, no new applications have been made since 2015. The following provides information on the number of applications to ILF Scotland’s Transition Fund since launch in December 2017.

Year	Number of Transition Fund Applications
2017-18	128
2018-19	831
2019-20	1,337
2020-21	1,828
2021-22	2,276
2022-23	2,870
Note: 2017-18 and 2022-23 are part years. Full year estimate for 2022-23 is in excess of 3,000

Question reference: S6W-15380

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent Prostate Cancer UK report into regional inequalities in diagnoses of prostate cancer, what its response is to the reported possibility that, in the course of diagnosis, pre-biopsy MRIs are not being routinely undertaken and assessed by a radiologist, thereby omitting the grading of tumours and undercutting the risk management of slow-growing, non-harmful prostate cancers, and whether it has investigated if any such practices have occurred.

We have noted this Prostate Cancer UK research and are discussing it with various clinicians and experts in the NHS. Currently, pre-biopsy MRIs are not mandated in Scotland. However the National Cancer Quality Steering Group utilise ‘Patients with prostate cancer who undergo biopsy should be evaluated initially with a pre-biopsy biparametric MRI (bpMRI) or multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) and reported using a PI-RADS/Likert system of gradings’ as a Quality Improvement Indicator.

In addition to this the Scottish Government is due to undertake a survey of health boards to determine the practises in this area throughout the country.

Question reference: S6W-15340

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many post-foundation specialty training post vacancies for junior doctors in NHS Scotland have not been filled in each year since 2018.

Question reference: S6W-15386

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS Scotland staff are currently employed in primarily equality and diversity-focused roles, and how much of the NHS budget has been allocated towards employing equality and diversity staff in each year since 2020.

Question reference: S6W-14708

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many referrals have been made to Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland’s Long COVID Support Service in each month since it was established.

	Advertised	Filled	Fill Rate	Unfilled
2018	1,125	958	85%	167
2019	1,096	1,015	93%	81
2020	1,062	1,015	96%	47
2021	1,088	1,020	94%	68
2022	1,155	1,073	93%	82