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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-00831

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the allocation of Discretionary Housing Payments in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-06602

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is responding to the reported warnings of under-reporting of sexual crimes, and what action is being taken to address the reported barriers to reporting of such crimes.

The Scottish Government want all victims to have the confidence to report sexual crimes, including those that may have happened some time ago. A Scottish Government led Governance Group has now been established, comprising key stakeholder interests, to enable progress and detailed consideration of the recommendations within Lord Justice Clerk’s Review Group report on improving the management of sexual offence cases.

We remain absolutely committed to improving the justice system to respond better to the needs of survivors in Scotland and it is hoped that this work will go some way to addressing any barriers to reporting.

The creation of Police Scotland has transformed the way rape and other sexual crimes are investigated in Scotland allowing far greater consistency of approach, including the training of police officers and use of specialist officers.

The Scottish Government also recognises the key role that advocacy services play in helping victims come forward and engage with the justice process, like those provided by Rape Crisis Scotland, which is why we fully fund the RCS National Advocacy Project.

Question reference: S6W-06414

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent deaths from non-communicable disease, in light of a recent report by the Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Coalition, which stated that only one of the six actions it called for had been implemented.

We are fully committed to taking action to prevent deaths from non-communicable disease. Work is underway to deliver a range of measures to target harmful health behaviours such as smoking, unhealthy diet and obesity and alcohol misuse.

We published our out of home action plan in September last year.
On 03 Feb 2022 we launched our consultation to introduce regulations on the domestic advertising of e-cigarettes.
We are taking a range of actions to reduce alcohol-related harms including consulting on potential restrictions on alcohol advertising this year, reviewing the level of the minimum unit price and improving health information on product labels.
Our Programme for Government committed to introduce a Public Health Bill that includes restrictions on unhealthier food and drink promotions during the course of this parliament. Government officials are working on this and other policy proposals for the Bill and will be consulting on them throughout 2022. We will continue to engage stakeholders as proposals develop.
We are undertaking a range of work to ensure that weight management, alcohol treatment, and smoking cessation services can be accessed when needed.

Question reference: S6W-06252

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend the Transvaginal Mesh Removal (Cost Reimbursement) (Scotland) Bill to apply to the use of mesh during other medical procedures, such as hernia operations.

The Scottish Parliament unanimously backed the Transvaginal Mesh Removal (Cost Reimbursement) (Scotland) Bill on 25 January 2022. The Bill will now proceed to Royal Assent with the reimbursement scheme opening as soon as practically possible thereafter.

The Bill focussed solely on reimbursement for the removal of mesh that was inserted transvaginally for Stress Urinary Incontinence and Pelvic Organ Prolapse, the two procedures that, in Scotland, have been subject to a halt since September 2018. This is in light of the specific circumstances surrounding transvaginal mesh removal, as set out in the Policy Memorandum that accompanies the Bill. There are therefore no plans to extend the reimbursement scheme to include mesh used in other sites such as hernia repair.

Question reference: S6W-06381

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government by what date NHS Scotland will resume face-to-face antenatal classes, in light of the reported resumption of private classes.

Group antenatal classes were able to resume from 31 July 2020. Current guidance for delivery of maternity and neonatal services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic states that antenatal and postnatal group sessions can continue virtually or in person, subject to local risk assessment in NHS Boards.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) delivering maternity and neonatal services through the pandemic: beyond Level Zero - guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-06605

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported significant increase in sexual assault, rape and attempted rape crimes in the last ten years.

Violence against women and girls is a devastating violation of human rights and any increase in reports of these types of crimes is concerning.

The Scottish Government has taken robust action to help justice agencies tackle sexual offending by improving and making much clearer the operation of our sexual offence laws, providing the necessary funding to support law enforcement efforts to deal with sexual offending and encouraging more victims of recent and historical cases to come forward so that justice can be achieved.

Our Programme for Government committed to legislating for a statutory right to lifelong anonymity for complainers in sexual offence cases, and a Scottish Government led Governance Group has now been established, comprising key stakeholder interests, to enable progress and detailed consideration of the recommendations within Lord Justice Clerk’s Review Group report on improving the management of sexual offence cases.

Our £100 million three-year commitment to tackling violence against women and girls includes a new Delivering Equally Safe Fund which will direct £38 million to frontline services over the next two years.

Question reference: S6W-06561

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 14 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the current waiting times are for maxillofacial surgery in each NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-06475

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what impact new offshore installed power generation will have on the reported concerns regarding onshore landscape capacity.

Scottish Government is working with key stakeholders in the process to try and address challenges and ensure as far as possible that connections to the network do not act as a barrier to the delivery of our ambitious offshore wind aspirations.

Our draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) sets out how our approach to planning and development will achieve a net zero, sustainable Scotland by 2045. We are currently consulting on the draft NPF4 and following the consultation will present a final draft to parliament.

Any applications for consent for offshore and onshore energy infrastructure are considered by the relevant consenting authority, which can be the Scottish Ministers or the relevant local planning authority depending on the nature of the proposal, and determined in accordance with the applicable legal and policy considerations relevant to that particular proposal. This will include consideration of any landscape and visual effects arising from the proposal. Parties with an interest in such proposals, including members of the public, have opportunities to provide their views in relation to applications through the relevant applicable consenting process.

Question reference: S6W-06499

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent by each NHS board on external legal support in connection with cases of staff bullying, in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-06497

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent by each NHS board on external legal support in connection with cases of unfair dismissal, in each year since 2007.