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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: S6O-00937

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what plans it has to tackle homelessness.

Question reference: S6O-00944

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its global affairs framework.

Question reference: S6O-00947

Asked by: Siobhian Brown, MSP for Ayr, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support Ukrainian refugees will receive after arriving at a welcome hub in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-00926

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the action it is taking to tackle the reported staffing shortages within the NHS.

Question reference: S6O-00927

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the provision of community first responders in island communities.

Question reference: S6W-07320

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 March 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, aligning with the recent independent review it commissioned of the Scottish Strategy for Autism, what plans are in place to carry out an independent review of its Keys to Life strategy, which was launched in 2013, and the impact the strategy has had on the lives of people who have learning disabilities.

We have no plans to conduct an independent assessment of the Keys to Life Learning Disability strategy. We worked with people with a learning disability and autistic people in planning and publishing our Towards Transformation Learning Disability and Autism plan last year. This plan recognises the additional pressures of the pandemic as well as the aims of the Keys to Life strategy. The plan sets out key agreed actions to improve the lives of people with a learning disability and autistic people, to which we are fully committed and on which we have been working in partnership with our stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-07191

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 23 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in 2019-20, how many people under the age of 19 accessing services for mental ill health were offered talking therapy but declined the service and chose antidepressants as first-line treatment.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people are able to access the right support for their mental health without stigma, including medication where this is the most appropriate intervention.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on the numbers of children and young people who have been offered talking therapy or who have refused talking therapy as a treatment option.

Prescribing is a clinical decision based on a prescriber’s judgment as to what they believe to be in the best interests of the patient. The prescribing of antidepressants to children and young people is undertaken in consultation with the patient and, where appropriate, with their family, to ensure that patient choice is also central to decisions taken regarding treatment and care.

Medication is one aspect of treatment, alongside psychological therapy or other therapeutic interventions, available as an option for children and young people who require support. We continue to invest and improve access to other services, including by providing £16 million per annum to ensure that every secondary school in Scotland has access to counselling support; and by investing £15 million in community-based mental health and wellbeing services as part of our focus on early intervention and prevention.

Question reference: S6W-07211

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to allow local authorities to trial the use of e-scooters in public places.

Question reference: S6W-06868

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what contribution stroke unit care provides to recovery from stroke, and whether it reports on this metric.

There is evidence that access to a stroke unit improves outcome for stroke patients.

The Scottish Stroke Care Audit (SSCA) monitors the quality of care provided by the hospitals in all NHS Boards and access to a stroke unit is a standard measured by SSCA, alongside other standards associated with improved patient outcomes. Performance against the standards, and more detail on service models can be found here:

Scottish stroke improvement programme 2021 national report - Scottish stroke improvement programme - Publications - Public Health Scotland .

Question reference: S6W-07384

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 23 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to incorporate the Armed Forces Covenant into law in relation to (a) local government, (b) the NHS and (c) other devolved public bodies in Scotland.

While we do not currently have such plans under consideration, we always keep such matters under review. However, we do continue to engage with MOD as it seeks to further embed the Armed Forces Covenant into legislation through the Armed Forces Act, which received Royal Assent on 15 December. We worked closely with MOD in advance of its introduction to ensure it is fit for purpose in Scotland and continue to work with MOD as they develop the statutory guidance. However, we are satisfied that the Covenant provisions in the Armed Forces Act do not fall within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament.