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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-34182

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the average cost of media training sessions for (a) ministers and (b) civil servants has been in each year since 2018.

Question reference: S6W-34295

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 10 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to consult with charities and healthcare providers (a) as part of any evaluation of the current cancer strategy for children and young people and (b) on the development of any future dedicated cancer strategy for children and young people.

The implementation and evaluation of the Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care The Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People in Scotland 2021–2026 is managed by the Managed Service Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MSN CYPC).

The MSN CYPC works collaboratively with a range of stakeholders in the delivery of children and young people’s cancer services across Scotland. This approach will continue in informing any future national cancer strategy, beyond 2026.

Question reference: S6W-33617

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 10 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update on the implementation of MyNHS Digital, and what assessment it has made of its potential impact on patient care.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34287 on 27 January 2025. 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

We are bringing forward delivery to December 2025, starting in Lanarkshire. Further detail will be contained in the Operational Improvement Plan in March 2025.

A robust equalities impact assessment is underway, and benefits will be proactively tracked as per good practice for a digital service development. This will be crucial in achieving the intended benefit of giving people more control of their care and allow us to continually assess the impact on patient care.

Question reference: S6W-34024

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which national flags it has purchased in each of the last 10 years.

A breakdown of flags purchased since 2017 is shown in the table below. The Scottish Government does not hold information on flag purchases prior to 2017.

Year of Purchase	National Flag
2017	Scotland
2018	Scotland
2019	Scotland
2019	United Kingdom Iceland
2020	Scotland United Kingdom
2021	Scotland United Kingdom
2022	Scotland Ukraine
2023	Scotland Denmark Ireland France Germany Iceland Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Spain Sweden Ukraine
2024	Ukraine

Question reference: S6W-34025

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many flagpoles it has, broken down by height, and what the maintenance costs have been in each of the last 15 years.

Question reference: S6W-34311

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 10 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is raising awareness and understanding of uterine cancer as the most common gynaecological cancer.

Our most recent Detect Cancer Earlier campaign – Be The Early Bird – first launched on March 2023, aiming to reduce fear of cancer and empower those with possible symptoms to act early. Following successful independent evaluation, the campaign re-ran in September 2023 and August 2024 to prompt health-seeking behaviour.

In parallel, a Detect Cancer Earlier roadshow visited communities across Scotland in March and September 2024 to reinforce key messages, with further activity planned for March 2025.

We continue to work with NHS Scotland to ensure that the NHS Inform website provides cancer information that best meets patient needs, including symptoms and treatments for uterine cancer.

Question reference: S6W-34183

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what most recent assessment it has made of the value for money of media training provided to (a) ministers and (b) civil servants.

Media training offers Ministers and civil servants skills to represent the Scottish Government professionally and effectively in media appearances. Since 2016, all media training for Ministers or civil servants has been provided by Scottish Government Communications Division staff at no additional cost. Executive Agencies are responsible for their own training provision and information is not held centrally.

Question reference: S6W-34184

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 10 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what guidelines it has regarding the provision of media training to (a) ministers and (b) civil servants, including how costs are approved and monitored.

On appointment, all Ministers are offered media training options as part of their induction. Civil servants who may carry out media interviews in the course of their duties can request media training through the Scottish Government’s Communications Division. Courses are provided by Communications Division staff at no additional cost. Executive Agencies are responsible for their own training provision and information is not held centrally.

Question reference: S6W-34354

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 7 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to ensure that (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations provide social housing suitable for families with multiple disabled people.

We want disabled people in Scotland to have choice, dignity and freedom to access suitable homes, built or adapted to enable them to participate as full and equal citizens.

As the statutory housing authority for their area, local authorities are responsible for assessing housing need and demand, including specialist housing requirements, and for setting out how this will be met through their Local Housing Strategies and Strategic Housing Investment Plans. This includes the location, size and type of housing required.

Local authorities are also required to include all-tenure wheelchair accessible housing targets as part of their Local Housing Strategy.

The Affordable Housing Supply Programme provides a flexible grant system to local authorities and registered social landlords to support the delivery of specialist affordable housing, including wheelchair accessible homes.

In addition, the draft budget includes funding of £20.9 million for 2025-26 to enable registered social landlords to deliver necessary adaptations to ensure disabled people can live independently at home for as long as possible.

Question reference: S6W-34319

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authority planning decisions the Scottish Ministers have overturned in each year since 2021, broken down by local authority.