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-02006

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that over 600,000 people are on a hospital waiting list.

Question reference: S6O-02017

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with its Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, including in relation to expanding free school meal provision.

Question reference: S6O-01999

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last engaged with the UK Government regarding support available through future budgets to support agriculture in Scotland, including the replacement of EU agricultural funding.

Question reference: S6O-02002

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its initial assessment is of the potential impact of the Windsor Framework on the food and drink supply chain in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-02005

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the recruitment of breast cancer oncologists in NHS Tayside.

Question reference: S6W-15463

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the independent report of the detailed analysis of the future prospects for the North Sea and how Scotland's energy activity aligns with its climate change commitments, as referred to in the Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which is currently open for consultation.

The analysis was published on 3 March and can be found here - https://www.gov.scot/publications/energy-system-transition-independent-analysis/ .

This publication is an independent report, reviewed by an independent panel, which provides a significant volume of evidence and analysis and will contribute to our understanding of the opportunities and challenges in energy transition. To allow stakeholders to fully consider this material before responding, the consultation period for the draft ESJTP has been extended by 5 weeks, and will now close on 9 May.

Question reference: S6W-15261

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to set out its strategic intent for the delivery of an equitable genomics health service in Scotland, and its genomics strategy and implementation plan.

In partnership with the Scottish Strategic Network for Genomics Medicine (SSNGM), we have been developing our Strategic Intent for Genomics Medicine which will be published in the coming weeks.

While early in its’ development, we will also publish our first Genomics Strategy for Scotland and associated implementation plan in the course of 2023.

We will continue to engage and seek input from the wide range of stakeholders under the SSNGM through the development of these documents.

Question reference: S6W-15039

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 8 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the potential impact that Forestry and Land Scotland’s contract with venison dealers in Scotland has had on the ability of land managers to sell venison on to wholesalers.

The Forestry and Land Scotland contract for the sale of venison from Scotland’s national forests and land was awarded by a competitive tender following substantial stakeholder engagement / market research.

The stakeholder engagement / market research considered all aspects of the venison market both in Scotland and the UK and involved the following (amongst others):

Association of Deer Management Groups (ADMG)
Lowland Deer Network
Scottish Quality Wild Venison
Scottish Venison Association
Approved Game Meat Handling Establishments (AGHE) processing venison
Ardgay Game
Highland Game
Simpson Game
Lincolnshire Game
Hubertus Game
Ben Rigby

Following the stakeholder engagement / market research a tender strategy was developed, which detailed how the contract would be structured to maximise the benefits in line with the Scottish Venison Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-14823

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 8 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made, since the Children (Scotland) Bill became an Act in October 2020, regarding its commitment to introduce guidance on children in care maintaining a connection with former foster carers, which was made during the amending stages of the Bill, and, if it is the case that the guidance has not progressed, what it is doing to fulfil its commitment to ensure that children in care do not face any detrimental impact due to such broken relationships.

The Scottish Government values the commitment that foster carers make to providing safe and loving homes for children and young people who are not able to stay with their own families. As part of Keeping The Promise, we are taking action to support children and young people to maintain the connections and friendships that are most important to them.

Whilst the Scottish Government has not published specific guidance on maintaining contact with former foster carers, the principle of helping children and young people maintain positive relationships is at the heart of the Staying Together and Connected guidance published in July 2021. This guidance has been supported by a National Implementation Group whose work is due to conclude in Spring. Part of the Group’s work has been to consider what more we can do to better understand, map and support the key relationships that are important to children and young people.

The Why Not? Trust has developed a Directory called Why Not? Reconnect which provides adults, who experienced foster care in their childhood, the opportunity to reconnect with those foster families who cared for them. The Directory is funded through the Promise Partnership Fund, a Scottish Government Fund aimed at delivering work to Keep The Promise.

Question reference: S6W-15604

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 8 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will fulfil its commitment to abolish non-residential social care charges.