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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.

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Question reference: S6W-09598

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02451 by Maree Todd on 21 September 2021, whether it will provide an update on how many cervical cancer screenings have taken place in each month since the start of 2019.

Further to the answer to question S6W-02451 which provided information on the number of samples collected within the cervical screening programme from January 2019 to August 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers The following table provides information for each of the months that followed from September 2021 to June 2022.

Cervical Smears collected
Month/Year	2021	2022
Jan		25990
Feb		26873
March		29722
April		24461
May		28919
June		27959
July
August
September	22562
October	22545
November	27967
December	19175

However, it is important to note that the Scottish Government does not routinely publish this information as it is only held as management data and is not subject to the standard quality control checks required for official publication. During the acute phase of COVID-19 management, the data was provided in light of the increased interest in screening performance. However, a report is produced annually providing fully checked information and statistics, and I now refer to the most recently published report which can be found here: Scottish cervical screening programme statistics - Annual update to 31 March 2021 - Scottish cervical screening programme statistics - Publications - Public Health Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-09623

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 26 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards agreeing terms of reference for its Hate Crime Strategic Partnership Group, and what action it is taking to protect Muslim communities in Scotland from Islamophobic incidents until its new hate crime strategy is in place.

The Scottish Government is clear that hate crime and prejudice, including Islamophobia, will not be tolerated.

Our new Hate Crime Strategy will set out our priorities for tackling hate crime in Scotland and will support implementation of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021.

Hate crime legislation sends a message to victims, perpetrators and wider society that hate crime is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Once in force the Act will build on and strengthen existing protections, including through the creation of new stirring up of hatred offences that will apply to all listed characteristics, including religion.

The Ministerial led Hate Crime Strategic Partnership Group has been established to take this work forward and brings together a range of public and third sector partners. The Terms of Reference have been agreed and published on the Scottish Government’s website: The Hate Crime Strategic Partnership Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

We continue to engage with Muslim communities across Scotland as we develop the strategy which will consider how we best tackle Islamophobia in Scotland, including whether a definition of Islamophobia would be helpful.

Tackling hate crime remains a priority and we encourage anyone who has experienced or witnessed a hate crime to report it to Police Scotland or through a third party reporting centre.

Question reference: S6W-09599

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02452 by Maree Todd on 21 September 2021, whether it will provide an update on how many diabetic retinopathy screenings have taken place in each month since the start of 2019.

Further to the answer to question S6W-02452 which provided information on the number of people screened for diabetic retinopathy in each month between January 2019 and July 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers The following table provides information on the number of people screened for diabetic retinopathy, in each month of the period that followed, from August 2021 to June 2022:

Year	Month	Number of people screened
2021	August	14608
	September	15161
	October	13630
	November	13630
	December	12928
2022	January	14598
	February	14933
	March	16250
	April	15049
	May	19147
	June	17116

However, it is important to note that the Scottish Government does not routinely publish this information as it is only held as management information and is not subject to the standard quality control checks required for official publication. During the acute phase of COVID-19 management, the information was provided in light of the increased interest in screening performance.

Question reference: S6W-09465

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 26 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the value engineering exercise will have on the proposed Roseburn to Union Canal Path Link.

As the programme managers and project owners, the details of any such exercises lie with Sustrans and City of Edinburgh Council (CEC). We understand that a value engineering exercise was undertaken by CEC and Sustrans in view of escalating cost pressures and timescales for several Places for Everyone projects. Places for Everyone is an active travel infrastructure programme run and programme managed by Sustrans with grant funding from Transport Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-09466

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 26 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much it plans to spend on active travel projects in Edinburgh over the next four years.

Scottish Government funding for active travel in Edinburgh and other local authority areas is channelled through a number of programmes overseen by Transport Scotland. The single biggest programme is the Places for Everyone (PfE) programme, run by Sustrans with grant funding from Transport Scotland. From PfE, City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) has an indicative amount of £52,129,410 allocated to active travel projects over the next four years.

In addition, CEC receives £3,378,467 of Cycling Walking and Safer routes funding directly from Transport Scotland from a £35 million annual pot distributed pro rata to all 32 local authorities in Scotland. There are also various other partner delivered programmes which CEC can bid into for active travel projects, including the Smarter Choices Smarter Places fund for behaviour change projects, run by Paths for All.

Question reference: S6W-09463

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ash Regan on 26 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote the Charter for Grandchildren.

The Charter for Grandchildren aims to highlight the role of the wider family. The Charter is available at the link below:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/parenting-plan-charter-grandchildren/ .

In the Family Justice Modernisation Strategy (FJMS) the Scottish Government committed to promote the Charter for Grandchildren. The FJMS is available at the link below:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/family-justice-modernisation-strategy/pages/1/ .

The Scottish Government is reviewing the actions in the FJMS and will consider prioritising work to promote the Charter for Grandchildren following delays during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The steps the Scottish Government intends to take to promote the Charter include engaging with key bodies to raise awareness and ensuring information on the Charter is more widely available.

Question reference: S6W-09733

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the minutes of all meetings of the industry advisory group for talent.

Question reference: S6W-09795

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications (a) have been made and (b) were successful for the Social Care Staff Support Fund since it became active in June 2020.

The Scottish Government launched the Social Care Staff Support Fund on 25 June 2020 to ensure that social care workers receive their expected income should they be off ill or self-isolating due to coronavirus.

Staffing costs claimed through sustainability payments encompass the Social Care Staff Support Fund, the staff movement policy and other additional staffing arrangements therefore, we do not have data broken down to the level that you have requested. The guidance for the financial support for social care providers recommends a light touch approach to gathering evidence, recognising the administrative burden of claiming additional costs on both commissioners and providers alike, whilst they respond to the pandemic.

Feedback from stakeholders confirms that the Social Care Staff Support Fund has been utilised to prevent financial hardship for eligible social care workers.

Question reference: S6W-09532

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it is providing to support the early detection of blood cancers.

Question reference: S6W-09476

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07576 by Humza Yousaf on 18 May 2022, how much of the £5 million that it provided for the financial year 2020-21 to support the wellbeing of people working in health, social care and social work was spent; how much it has provided for 2021-22, and how much of that has been spent.