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-04145

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement its ministers have had with Disabled People's Organisations to discuss any concerns of disabled people.

Question reference: S6O-04122

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what its position is on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.

Question reference: S6O-04132

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent the emergence of a franchise model of GP provision.

Question reference: S6O-04124

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support farming businesses that are seeking to diversify.

Question reference: S6W-31937

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to specifically address the misuse of opiates/opioids.

The Drug Deaths Taskforce was set up in 2019 to provide evidence-based expert advice on tackling the misuse of drugs. Toxicology results tell us that opiates/opioids were, and still are the main substances implicated in drug deaths in Scotland, with polydrug use being a significant factor.

After January 2021 when the National Mission was launched, the Scottish Government published the MAT standards, and through their continuing implementation, transformational change has taken place in drug treatment services throughout Scotland.

Methadone remains the primary form of medication assisted treatment, as an internationally accepted and evidence-based form of opioid antagonist. In the 12-month period ending 31 March 2024, Opioid Substitution Therapy was prescribed to a minimum of 29,817 people for the treatment of opioid dependence.

Question reference: S6W-31940

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to reduce Medication Assisted Treatment waiting times.

The Scottish Government continues to support local areas provide medication assisted treatment.

The Scottish Government also has overall Drug waiting times in terms of accessing services, for which a target was set that 90% of people accessed treatment within 3 weeks.

Since the introduction of the Medication Assisted Treatment Standards in 2021, as reported in the National Benchmarking Report published in July 2024, the waiting times have dropped and show that 75% of people now wait one day or less to access a form of treatment.

Question reference: S6W-31934

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many claims have been made to the Young Patients Family fund within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in 2024.

Question reference: S6W-31810

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to encourage and enable universities to respond to any changes in student demographics, including in relation to disabled students.

Data shows that we have a record number of new students at university with a recorded disability or additional support need (6,765, an increase of 14.9% over the year). Additionally, the support provided to students via the Disabled Students’ Allowance totalled £14.1 million in 2023-24, an 18.4% increase over the year.

Against that backdrop, the 2025-26 budget, published on Wednesday 4th December, emphasises the First Minister’s priorities and champions programmes that have a far-reaching impact in addressing child poverty and improving outcomes for families and learners across Scotland.

As part of the budget announcement, Ministers expect the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to prioritise the additional investment, to support widening access and to protect and enhance the learner experience. In addition, by protecting the right to free tuition, the Scottish Government is driving forward our commitment to widening access.

As part of the annual funding allocations process, the SFC reviews demand and supply of funded places, to reflect the dynamic changes to learner needs.

SFC and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) are currently working together to enhance the SFC’s leadership and oversight role in tackling persistent inequalities in the tertiary system.

Through this, SFC and EHRC have established a set of National Equality Outcomes (NEOs) for the tertiary education sector through their Persistent Inequalities work, including three NEOs specific to disabled students.

The SFC asks colleges and universities to be mindful of the Equality Act (2010), under which disabled students are protected, and supports them to meet the requirements and achieve the aspirations of the Public Sector Equality Duty. This includes through the statutory requirement for Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessments of new and revised strategies and policies.

Question reference: S6W-31806

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on developing a replacement notification process for Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) assessors that will maintain GDPR compliance.

Notifications of awards of DSA to assessors are being provided as part of the new DSA online service that Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) released in October 2024.

The service is in a pilot stage where it is being trialled by 3 universities to submit new DSA applications. It is anticipated that the online service will be rolled out by SAAS to every Higher Education Institution during 2025. In the interim, there is an exceptions handling process in place for assessors who require a copy of a DSA award notice from SAAS.

Question reference: S6W-31793

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider introducing a policy that no individual will be appointed to the board of David MacBrayne Limited or CMAL without being able to demonstrate experience of island communities and conditions.

Scottish Ministers have been clear on their desire to ensure greater islander representation on the Boards of David MacBrayne Ltd and CMAL. Previous recruitments have resulted on at least one board member in each organisation who has the skills required for the role and is also an islander. We will continue to work hard with both Boards to fully explore all options that will result in encouraging more island residents to apply for future Board opportunities.