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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-22844

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21396 by Fiona Hyslop on 2 October 2023, whether the Minister for Transport's officials have now prepared the advice for her to further consider the matter.

Question reference: S6W-22839

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19380 by Jenni Minto on 11 July 2023, what steps it is taking to review the conclusion of the National Services Division's National Specialist Services Committee assessment in 2018, which concluded there was insufficient evidence to support a formal national service at that time, in light of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) having approved magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for essential tremor (ET) with special arrangements, and NHS England subsequently commissioning MRgFUS as a national service from the same evidence base.

Decisions on the national designation of services are considered by NHS National Services Division (NHS NSD) as part of NHS National Services Scotland.

NHS NSD have encouraged the MRgFUS team in NHS Tayside to submit a formal application for national designation of the MRgFUS service in Dundee, supported by the health board’s Executive Leadership Team, for consideration and scrutiny. NHS NSD hopes to receive such an application from NHS Tayside for 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-22755

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the 16-25 Railcard cannot be used before 10.00 am, and whether there are any plans to remove this time restriction.

Question reference: S6W-22758

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the use of service level agreements in relation to employment contracts adheres to the NHS Scotland Partnership Information Network (PIN) policies, which define a minimum standard of best employment practice.

Question reference: S6W-22751

Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider a collaborative approach with its counterparts across the UK to increase knowledge and awareness of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Scottish Government officials have made contact with Northern Ireland and have met with counterparts in England and Wales regarding fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) policy. We will continue to share learning and consider how these discussions will inform FASD policy in Scotland.

In addition to the links through policy officials relating to FASD, our funded FASD delivery partners are also linked in nationally with other third sector organisations as well as universities and researchers.

Question reference: S6W-22727

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how regularly its Knowledge and Information Management Branch reviews its (a) Records Management Plan and (b) mobile messaging policy.

Question reference: S6W-22688

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it applies when prioritising the capital funding allocation for the building of new health infrastructure.

NHS Boards are allocated approximately £150 million of formula capital funding which is used to maintain their estate and refresh and replace their equipment base.

The remainder of the portfolio’s capital allocation is mainly directed towards delivering the capital projects that were included in the Scottish Government’s five year Infrastructure Investment Plan which was published in February 2021.

Question reference: S6W-22957

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what investigations Consumer Scotland (a) has conducted since it was established and (b) plans to conduct.

Question reference: S6W-22800

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21911 by Angela Constance on 24 October 2023, what action it is taking in response to the finding by the University of Edinburgh's Child Safety, Justice and Recovery Research Group in its North Strathclyde Bairns Hoose Evaluation: Phase One Report, published in March 2023, that the use of joint investigative interviews (JIIs) has had “little impact” on children and that child witnesses are still required to attend court “in almost all cases”.

The Scottish Government is continuing the phased implementation of the Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2019. A presumption in favour of pre-recording the evidence of child witnesses in cases which involve specified offences is already in place in the High Court, unless specific exceptions apply. We remain committed to extending this presumption to children giving evidence in relevant cases in the sheriff courts and will publish a revised Implementation Plan by the end of March.

We continue to support national rollout of the new Scottish Child Interview Model for Joint Investigative Interviews with over £2 million funding and have committed further support through the Bairns’ Hoose Pathfinder Phase. The model aims to secure a child’s best evidence at the earliest opportunity, while minimising retraumatisation. We have commissioned an independent evaluation of the model and its expected outcomes. It is anticipated that the model will be available across Scotland by the end of 2024.

Question reference: S6W-22724

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 21 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21483 by Graeme Dey on 3 October 2023, when it expects to conclude its consideration of options, and (a) in what form and (b) when it will publish its conclusions.

The Scottish Government is still awaiting some responses to the Lessons Learned report from partners in the National Collective Bargaining process and is currently considering next steps with respect to the report’s recommendations that are for Scottish Government to progress, particularly in relation to the independent Chair of the National Joint Negotiating Committee (NJNC).

Once all responses have been received from all partners in the National Collective Bargaining process, the Scottish Government will engage with the Education, Children and Young People Committee on those findings.