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-07475

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Environment and Forestry Directorate and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) include the impact on emergency services and hospitals in any analysis of plausible extreme scenarios for surface water flooding.

The National Flood Risk Assessment published by SEPA in 2018 provided Scotland with the knowledge and tools to assess the causes and consequences of river, coastal and surface water flooding, taking into account the effects of climate change. The Assessment considered the potential impacts of flooding on emergency services and healthcare facilities. The information from this Assessment was used to help identify those areas most at risk of significant flooding impacts.

NHS Scotland Chief Executives have made a commitment that all Health Boards will prepare a Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) and Climate Change Adaptation Plan by the end of the 2021-22 financial year. This includes the identification of any sites at risk of flooding both now, and in the future with projected climate change.

https://www.sepa.org.uk/data-visualisation/nfra2018/ .

Question reference: S6W-07834

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of young people in Scotland who have taken part in the Teach the Nation to Code initiative.

Question reference: S6W-07841

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will publish plans for the National Care Service.

The Scottish Government is committed to the establishment of a National Care Service (NCS), and that work is continuing on schedule. We have pledged to bring forward legislation to enable the creation of the NCS by the end of June 2022.

Scottish Ministers are still considering the wealth of information provided through the recent National Care Service consultation. We are committed to ensuring that the design and delivery of the NCS has human rights embedded throughout. We are continuing to engage with the real experts – people with lived experience of the service whether they are people accessing care and support, their families, care workers or providers – and will continue to do so in order to improve future services and make things better for everyone.

We will then be in a position to bring forward the detailed plans for improvement to be undertaken over the course of this Parliament, to end the postcode lottery of care provision ensuring quality, fairness and consistency of provision that meets individuals’ needs, regardless of where they live in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-07760

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made and action it has taken to ensure that former Hong Kong residents who resettle in Scotland are not subjected to racism or discrimination, and what steps it has taken to collect feedback on the experiences of those people since they resettled in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-07524

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent report on Edinburgh's children's homes by the City of Edinburgh Council, which reportedly states that there was "illegality, maladministration and injustice" in the running of Edinburgh’s secure accommodation for young people.

The report has not been shared with the Scottish Government, but children and young people living in this type of accommodation should receive the highest level and quality of care.

Officials have contacted the City of Edinburgh Council to offer support. We are assured that the findings and recommendations of the report are now being taken forward as part of a robust and detailed action plan to improve the quality of care.

Question reference: S6W-07673

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people are currently waiting for a neurodivergent assessment as part of a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting list.

This data is not centrally available; aggregated data for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Waiting Times is sent to Public Health Scotland (PHS) from each NHS Board. It does not contain explicit information on the type of assessment or treatment children and young people are waiting for. It reports on the number of referrals for young people to CAMHS; numbers waiting to start treatment and total waiting; not accepted for treatment from referral and Did Not Attend status numbers for 1st contact appointments; and the time between referral and first treatment.

The CAMHS statistics capture children and young people who meet the CAMHS criteria. Children and young people who are waiting for a neurodevelopmental assessment but do not meet the CAMHS criteria are not reported in these statistics.

PHS are developing a patient-level dataset to provide detail for these aggregate CAMHS statistics. This Child, Adolescent and Psychological Therapies National Dataset (CAPTND) will contain reason for referral to CAMHS, which will include assessments for neurodevelopmental support needs where this is included in the care plan.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with Boards to implement the National Neurodevelopmental Specification: Principles and Standards of Care for Children and Young People, published in September 2021, which specifies service standards that all children’s services should follow, to ensure access to support is effective and consistent across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-07589

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to increase mileage allowance for social care workers, in light of the rising cost of petrol and diesel.

Mileage rates, that is the rate per hour that can be claimed back against tax, is set by the UK Government and allows employers to set a mileage rate of up to 45p per hour for the first 10,000 miles and 25p per mile thereafter. The actual allowance paid is a matter for individual employers. We are however aware of the pressures faced by social care staff and will continue to engage with partners to consider how providers can best support their staff.

Question reference: S6W-07553

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 20 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the inclusion of Tetrapak in the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6F-01011

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 April 2022

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to bring down the cost to tenants of private rent in the coming year.

Question reference: S6F-01005

Asked by: Jenni Minto, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 April 2022

To ask the First Minister what assurances the Scottish Government has had from the UK Government that the reported privatisation of Channel 4 will not negatively impact the development of the creative sector across Scotland and the growth of new Scottish talent.