Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-37742

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that four horses died after running in the Scottish Grand National, and what measures are taken to ensure the welfare of horses.

The Scottish Government takes the welfare of all animals, including racehorses, very seriously and the fatalities that occurred are clearly distressing.

Horse racing in Scotland is already tightly governed and regulated by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). The BHA aims to ensure racehorse welfare, including compliance with all aspects of the Animal Health & Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, through its Rules of Racing, the licensing and inspection of participants, education, training and monitoring. The BHA also works closely with a range of animal welfare organisations such as World Horse Welfare to maintain and promote horse welfare and constantly reviews its rules and procedures to ensure that they are as effective as they can be in safeguarding equine welfare.

The BHA also seeks to minimise the risk of injury and fatalities to thoroughbred horses on racecourses, and records and analyses injuries sustained with a view to future prevention.

Question reference: S6O-04673

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.

Question reference: S6W-37141

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 8 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to assess the impact on patients of any geographical variation between NHS boards in accessing Scottish Medicines Consortium-approved therapies for those with advanced or complex Parkinson’s disease.

The Scottish Government does not assess geographical variations in people accessing Scottish Medicines Consortium-approved therapies for advanced or complex Parkinson’s Disease. However, the Centre for Sustainable Delivery are having initial conversations about the potential to undertake Parkinson’s Disease pathway work, which we understand would help to explore and articulate pathways for therapies for advanced and complex Parkinson’s Disease.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) assesses the clinical and cost- effectiveness of newly licensed medicines on a once for Scotland basis and publishes advice for Health Boards to consider. It is expected that Health Board Area & Drug and Therapeutics Committees (ADTCs) will consider making an SMC-recommended medicine, or an equivalent, available on their local or regional formulary for routine prescribing within 90 days of SMC advice being published.

Health Boards are expected to apply common principles and processes in the introduction of newly licensed medicines to facilitate consistency of approach to local decision-making. The decision to prescribe a medicine, and which medicine to prescribe, is entirely for the clinician in charge of a person’s care, having considered their clinical condition, their safety, and any relevant clinical guidance.

Question reference: S6O-04652

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what further action it can take in the current parliamentary session to tackle abuse against women and girls.

Question reference: S6W-37140

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the availability of Scottish Medicines Consortium-approved therapies for patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) assesses the clinical and cost effectiveness of newly licensed medicines, including medicines for advanced Parkinson’s disease, on a once for Scotland basis and publishes advice for Health Boards to consider. It is expected that Health Board Area & Drug and Therapeutics Committees (ADTCs) will consider making a SMC recommended medicine, or an equivalent, available on their local or regional formulary for routine prescribing within 90 days of SMC advice being published.

In March 2024, the SMC accepted for restricted use foslevodopa-foscarbidopa (Produodopa®) within the NHS in Scotland for treatment of advanced levodopa-responsive Parkinson’s disease with severe motor fluctuations and hyperkinesia or dyskinesia when available combinations of Parkinson medicinal products have not given satisfactory results. The SMC restriction was for use in patients not eligible for deep brain stimulation (DBS).

Question reference: S6W-37142

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any financial or service constraints that impact on patients with advanced or complex Parkinson’s disease accessing Scottish Medicines Consortium-approved treatments.

The provision of healthcare services, including medicines, is the responsibility of local NHS Health Boards, and it is for individual Health Boards to consider the implementation of any new treatment within their services in order to meet their local population needs.

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery are having initial conversations about the potential to undertake Parkinson’s Disease pathway work, which we understand would help to explore and articulate pathways for therapies for advanced and complex Parkinson’s Disease.

The Scottish Government has committed to investing rebates from the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines, Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) to fund the New Medicines Fund (NMF), which provides additional top-up funding to territorial Health Boards to support the cost of introducing new medicines.

Question reference: S6W-37139

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to reduce any barriers for patients with advanced or complex Parkinson’s disease to access Scottish Medicines Consortium-approved treatments.

The provision of healthcare services, including medicines, is the responsibility of local NHS Health Boards, and it is for individual Health Boards to consider the implementation of any new treatment within their services in order to meet their local population needs.

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery are having initial conversations about the potential to undertake Parkinson’s Disease pathway work, which we understand would help to explore and articulate pathways for therapies for advanced and complex Parkinson’s Disease.

Health Boards have 90 days from first receiving Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) advice in which to determine whether to make an SMC-recommended medicine (or an equivalent) available locally. This provides Health Boards with time to consider any issues associated the implementation of the medicine, such as changes to the care pathway and staff training.

We are also committed to supporting the national implementation of SMC advice and we have several ongoing programmes to address some of these implementation challenges further upstream of SMC decision making.

Question reference: S6O-04634

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle any racism in Scotland’s housing and homelessness systems.

Question reference: S6O-04602

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the measures that it is taking to support households to reduce emissions and energy costs.

Question reference: S6O-04514

Asked by: Elena Whitham, MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its consideration of a fisheries management plan for the future management of wild wrasse.

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