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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-26885

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26224 by Fiona Hyslop on 16 April 2024, whether it will measure current traffic flows using the two junctions and test the subsequent impact on traffic flows from a temporary closure of the M74 Junction 1 Kingston Interchange, in order to develop a robust data set that can inform the reported recent commitments made by Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government in Glasgow's strategic plan for 2022-27 to reduce the impact of the M8 on the city centre.

Transport Scotland's National Traffic Data System (NTDS) has live traffic counters at the two junctions measuring the volume of traffic on the slip roads and the main carriageway.

At this stage, as previously stated, there is no reason for Transport Scotland to consider temporarily closing the M74 Junction 1 Kingston Interchange, due to the volume of traffic on the M74 and M8 and the resulting impact on the road traffic network around Glasgow City Centre.

Glasgow City Council, as part of its Strategic Plan 2022-27 , plan to commission research on and explore options to reduce the impact of the M8 on the city centre, and review opportunities to re-engineer other roads infrastructure to become more people friendly, including options for a possible long-term replacement.

Question reference: S6W-26795

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 25 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26225 by Fiona Hyslop on 8 April 2024, what the estimated capital expenditure on the M8 Woodside Viaduct project is expected to be during the 2024-25 financial year.

The M8 Woodside Viaducts are a vital element of the motorway and road network serving Glasgow, the wider region and country, carrying approximately 150,000 vehicles per day. The structure requires to be temporarily propped to facilitate the refurbishment of the bridge elements in need of repair. The temporary propping design and implementation is highly complex in nature and requires careful consideration of the underground services and other site constraints in the vicinity of the Viaducts.

The budget allocation for the ongoing works on the Woodside Viaduct project for the 2024-25 financial year is £46.97m.

Question reference: S6W-26731

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 25 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS Scotland is participating in the UK Government scheme to donate surplus medical supplies to Ukraine, or any other such scheme.

Question reference: S6W-27030

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in the last five financial years, how much was allocated to the General Dental Service budget in total, and how much of the yearly allocation was spent, broken down by financial year.

Question reference: S6W-27029

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether patients receiving their free NHS dental check-up may be charged for receiving verbal advice on dental health and toothbrushing during their appointment.

Question reference: S6W-26862

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any instances where a patient has been referred to a different NHS board to the one at which they are registered in order to receive long COVID treatment.

Question reference: S6W-26863

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to ensure that people with long COVID can access specialist treatment that may only be available in NHS boards outside of the one at which they are registered.

The NHS Scotland National Access Policy provides that whilst the vast majority of patients are seen within their local area, services may also be delivered through another Health Board or suitable alternative provider.

We have commissioned NHS National Services Scotland to establish a National Strategic Network for long COVID. This brings together representatives from Health Boards across NHS Scotland to provide a forum for the exchange of learning and best practice in delivering support and services for people with long COVID.

Question reference: S6W-26503

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the £1.3 billion that it has committed to spend on mental health in 2024-25, and in light of the "Mental Health Services" budget being frozen at £290.2 million, whether it will provide a breakdown of the source of the funding, including any allocated from (a) other budget lines in its Budget and (b) NHS boards; whether any funding from NHS boards will be ringfenced for this purpose, and whether it will provide a breakdown of what specific workstreams or services the funding will be spent on.

The most recent Scottish Health Service cost book data published by Public Health Scotland for 2022-23 show that NHS Board spend on Mental Health is over £1.3bn and we expect this will continue in future years.The source of this funding is mainly from NHS Health Boards’ baseline budgets which are provided on an annual basis. Boards are responsible for determining how they utilise that funding to meet the needs and priorities of their local population.

In addition to baseline budgets, direct funding is provided to Boards to help meet specific mental health policy targets including addressing waiting times relating to CAMHS or Psychological Therapies. The direct Mental Health Services budget is set out in the annual Scottish budget and a portion of this is provided to Health Boards in addition to their baseline budgets, which together fund the costs reported in the cost book on Mental Health.

While it is not stated how boards should spend their baseline allocations in relation to mental health services, progress against the 10% target of spend on mental health is monitored through Health Board Annual Delivery Plans.

Question reference: S6W-26502

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the funding streams introduced by the Mental Health Directorate, such as the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund and Recovery and Renewal Fund, broken down by how much has been allocated to each fund in each year of the current parliamentary session to date.

The Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027 set out a 10-year vision of where mental health funding would be focused. This included areas such as additional investment for mental health workers and improved provision of services including CAMHS.

In addition, our Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan was introduced in 2021-22 which set out the key commitments in responding to the mental health needs resulting from COVID. This included funding for Children, Young People and Families, Older People, Distress Interventions and other areas listed in the Plan. This was backed by a £120 million Recovery and Renewal Fund which has subsequently been included in the overall budget allocation for mental health services in each financial year since.

Going forwards, the direct programme funding allocated to mental health services through the 2024-25 annual budget process will be used to meet the priorities set out in our recently published Mental Health and Wellbeing strategy 2023-25 as well as supporting delivery of a number of targets, including those for CAMHS and Psychological Therapies.

The overall funding is allocated on an annual basis to numerous different organisations and delivery partners including the Third Sector, Local Authorities and NHS Boards based on mental health priorities.

Question reference: S6W-26958

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to rapidly emulate the national roll-out of pay-as-you-go mobile in/out public transport ticketing, which was launched in April 2024 in Denmark by Rejsekort and Rejseplan with vendor FAIRTIQ, in order to meet its climate change and modal shift targets.