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-30115

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29676 by Jenni Minto on 18 September 2024, for what reason (a) it and (b) Public Health Scotland does not (i) collect and (ii) hold this data centrally, and whether either organisation will commit to begin collecting this data to help understand how disease modifying therapies are being used in Scotland to treat multiple sclerosis (MS).

Many specialist medicines, often referred to as "biologics", and including the disease modifying medicines for multiple sclerosis (MS), are normally managed by secondary care specialists, but supplied to patients in their homes, most often by homecare medicines (HCM) suppliers. A number of these companies operate in the Scottish market.

The national HCM dataset is a relatively new resource and is still developing as new suppliers come onstream and start providing data (including, where available, retrospective data from January 2019). As a new resource, and because these medicines can have multiple supply models, work is being undertaken to validate the completeness and accuracy of the national HCM dataset in comparison with local registries, where local registries are available.

It is anticipated that, in the future, the national HCM dataset, either itself or through linkage with other datasets, will become a valuable resource in helping to better understand treatments pathways and the beneficial outcomes or otherwise from these types of medicines, as well as helping to identify any unwarranted variation in clinical practice or access to treatment.

Question reference: S6T-02142

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported view of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine that its winter planning is "not doing enough" to support A&E departments as they approach their busiest time of year.

Question reference: S6T-02138

Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported growing concerns over the shortfall of psychiatrists employed by the NHS to deliver psychiatric care.

Question reference: S6F-03444

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

To ask the First Minister what support the Scottish Government is providing to NHS boards in order to reduce waiting times for breast reconstruction surgery.

Question reference: S6F-03447

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6F-03457

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reported concerns that the UK Labour administration has not affirmed the commitment, which was signed in March 2021 by the UK and Scottish governments under the Borderlands Growth deal, to allocate £5 million towards a feasibility study to extend the Borders railway to Carlisle.

Question reference: S6F-03439

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is, regarding any potential impact on its Fair Work agenda and the nighttime economy in Scotland, to the new UK legal framework that has come into force requiring employers to pass all tips, gratuities and service charges on to workers.

Question reference: S6F-03438

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-03437

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-30144

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what training it has provided to justice system staff regarding eradicating male violence against women and girls.

The Scottish Government are committed to the eradication of violence against women and girls (VAWG), and this is why we are implementing the Equally Safe Strategy.

However, the Scottish Government are not responsible for the training of justice system staff. As independent organisations, they are responsible for their own learning and development.

The Scottish Government often provides additional funding for training to support the implementation of new legislation and initiatives, for example, additional funding of £825k was provided to Police Scotland to support officers and staff respond to and investigate the new Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 offence.

Justice organisations are subscribed to the Equally Safe Strategy and are included in the membership of the Equally Safe Joint Strategic Board who are responsible for driving change in relation to the aims and priorities of the Equally Safe Strategy and its implementation. Our Equally Safe delivery plan, which was published in August 2024, contains a commitment to develop a streamlined approach to trauma-informed workplace practices that promote and enhance VAWG knowledge, skills, and expertise. Partners from the justice system will be engaged in the development of this approach.

The Vision for Justice in Scotland (2022) prioritises women and children and reiterates a commitment to make improvements to the justice system which benefit and empower women. The Justice Board, which represents many of the key national justice organisations, overseas the implementation of the delivery plan. The Vision ensures that Equally Safe is a key component in the route to a transformed justice system and commits to working across boundaries to improve outcomes for individuals to address causes of crime and reduce offending.