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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.

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Question reference: S6W-27095

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 26 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken, since the publication of Out of hospital cardiac arrest: strategy 2021 to 2026, to ensure that defibrillators are (a) placed in positions that are as accessible as possible to the public and (b) available 24/7.

The Scottish Government is a member of the Save a Life for Scotland (SALFS) Partnership. Through SALFS, work is ongoing to increase the strategic placement of defibrillators in Scotland.

The Scottish Government have provided funding to support the Resuscitation Research Group’s development of a tool to help defibrillator guardians make informed decisions about where to place their device in order to have most impact.

In order to maximise defibrillator availability they are usually best mounted on the outside of buildings, and placed in unlocked cabinets. SALFS partners work with defibrillator guardians across Scotland to encourage such placement and availability.

Question reference: S6W-27097

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 26 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding defibrillators in schools, what action it has taken to encourage the installation of defibrillators in publicly accessible positions for use by the wider community, rather than in locked rooms within the schools.

Question reference: S6O-03407

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to introduce long-term rent controls.

Question reference: S6W-26874

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 19 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government at what stages of the process there are the longest delays in cancer (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment, and what steps it is taking to tackle any such delays.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on waiting times for each step of a patient’s cancer pathway. The most recently published Cancer Waiting Times data can be found here: Cancer waiting times - 1 October to 31 December 2023 - Cancer waiting times - Publications - Public Health Scotland

Our NHS remains under pressure, which is reflected in the fact that we're treating more patients on 62- and 31-day pathways than before the Covid-19 pandemic. We’re also treating more patients with cancer on time, within both standards, compared to pre-pandemic and 10 years ago. Despite this, there will always be instances where some patients wait longer depending on their health, complexity of disease and agreed treatment plan.

Scottish Government officials continue to engage with Health Boards’ Cancer Management Teams frequently to identify challenges, explore solutions and spread best practice.

To support efforts to reduce cancer waiting times, £11.3 million of non-recurring Cancer Waiting Times funding has been made available in 2023/24 across NHS Scotland. The majority of funding is being directed to urology, colorectal and breast – the three most challenged tumour types and NHS Boards have agreed performance improvement plans in place to ensure cancer cases continue to be prioritised.

The Scottish Government also published our ten year Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033 along with an initial three year Cancer Action Plan ( Cancer Plan for Scotland 2023 – 2026 ) in June 2023.

Over the next 10 years, our strategic aim is to improve cancer survival and provide excellent, equitably accessible care. The Strategy and Plan take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care, and have people living with cancer, their families and carers at their very heart.

Question reference: S6W-26872

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has regarding setting timelines for achieving the 62-day cancer treatment standard.

Cancer remains a national priority, within the Scottish Government and across NHS Scotland, with urgent suspicion of cancer referrals continuing to be prioritised, this is reflected in the fact that more people with cancer have been treated on both the 62 and 31 day pathways this quarter alone, compared to the same time pre-pandemic. NHS Boards have provided 62 day performance improvement plans, detailing what is being done at local level to drive improvements backed by £11.3 m investment.

In addition we are committed to reducing inpatient and day-case waiting lists by an estimated 100,000 patients over the next three years, backed by planned investment of an extra £100 million annually, subject to the annual Scottish Budget process.

An initial investment of £30 million can now be funded and will target reductions to the national backlogs that built up throughout the pandemic, including orthopaedics treatments, diagnostics for cancer referrals and patients with the longest waits. This will enable NHS Scotland to maximise capacity, build greater resilience and deliver year-on-year reductions in the number of patients who have waited too long for treatment.

Question reference: S6W-26873

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason adherence to the 62-day referral-to-treatment standard for cancer is reportedly worse than adherence to the 31-day decision-to-treatment standard.

It is reassuring to note that once a decision to treat has been made people wait on average 5 days to receive treatment. However we continue to see an increasing number of eligible cancer referrals and our priority is to ensure these people receive cancer diagnosis and treatment safely and based on their clinical urgency.

While suspected cancer patients are always prioritised there are capacity pressures on diagnostic services. This is why we have published a £70m Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery & Renewal plan, which includes a commitment to develop a network of Urology Diagnostic Hubs which will help reduce waiting times for people with cancer.

We have also provided three permanent CT scanners to support core capacity within Boards, including a mobile CT pod. In addition, one further mobile CT and seven mobile MRI scanners are being used across multiple NHS Boards to provide additional capacity with plans underway to further increase activity.

Question reference: S6W-26875

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many people are currently waiting for (a) cancer treatment and (b) diagnostic tests with suspicion of cancer.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

Public Health Scotland publish official statistics on how long patients waited for their first cancer treatment at

Cancer waiting times - 1 October to 31 December 2023 - Cancer waiting times - Publications - Public Health Scotland and on ongoing waits for key diagnostic tests at Diagnostic waiting times - Waits for key diagnostic tests 27 February 2024 - NHS waiting times - diagnostics - Publications - Public Health Scotland

Question reference: S6W-26876

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported long-term downward trend in adherence to the 62-day cancer treatment standard, whether it plans to make any significant changes to its approach to tackling cancer waiting times.

he Framework for Effective Cancer Management provides NHS Cancer Teams with the tools to effectively manage people with a suspicion of cancer, from the point of referral to first treatment. A refresh of the Framework will take place in 2024 to ensure each key element has been reviewed and updated, providing NHS Cancer Teams with the tools to effectively manage patients with a suspicion of cancer, from the point of referral to first treatment.

Work is underway to redesign cancer diagnostic services with new optimal cancer diagnostic pathways published for Lung Cancer and Head & Neck Cancers. Work is underway to redesign the colorectal cancer diagnostic pathway.

In addition we have now established five Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services to provide primary care with a new referral route for patients with non-specific symptoms of cancer in NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Borders, NHS Dumfries & Galloway, NHS Fife and NHS Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S6O-03334

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly spent nearly £400,000 of public money to promote Scotland’s new hate crime laws.

Question reference: S6W-26481

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 15 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the purpose is of its policy to make music tuition free in schools, and what its response is to reports that the policy could lead to a ban on private tuition during school hours and require paid lessons to be arranged outwith the school day.

The purpose of the Scottish Government’s policy on free instrumental music tuition is ensure that fees and charges are not a barrier to learning an instrument at school.

The policy has transformed instrumental music tuition in Scotland’s schools by funding all councils to eradicate unfair music tuition charges. The most recent Instrumental Music Survey published in December 2023 Instrumental Music Survey shows the number of pupils participating is at a record high.

The policy means that Local Authorities should not charge fees for instrumental music tuition at school.