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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-32458

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what actions are being taken to reduce waiting times for gynaecological procedures.

Timely access to gynaecology services will remain a priority as we continue to develop our Women’s Health Plan

The Budget we set out on 4 December 2024 will throw the weight of the government behind performance improvements with almost £200 million to reduce waiting lists and help support reduction of delayed discharge. By March 2026, we expect no one to be waiting longer than 12 months for a new outpatient, inpatient treatment or day case treatment.

We have already invested £30 million to reduce waiting lists that built up throughout the pandemic. This funding is being targeted at a series of national and local plans to reduce backlogs by maximising the use of local and national resources across Scotland. As part of this, we have allocated additional funding to Gynaecology services which we expect to deliver around 3,500 new outpatient appointments.

NHS Scotland’s Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) is also playing a central role in identifying new ways to increase capacity, and to respond to demand through service innovation and redesign. CfSD programmes have developed strong clinically-led Specialty Delivery Groups (SDG), including one for Gynaecology, which promote multidisciplinary team working, and support local adoption of service improvement programmes.

Our actions will further enable NHS Scotland to maximise capacity, build greater resilience and deliver reductions in the number of patients who have waited too long for treatment.

Question reference: S6W-31789

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided to local authorities for the provision of school (a) libraries and (b) librarians in the current financial year, and in each year since 2021.

Responsibility for funding school libraries and the provision of school librarians is devolved to local authorities, who have a statutory duty to ensure there is adequate provision of library services. Scottish Government does not hold data on the specific funding allocated to school libraries and librarians by individual authorities.

The independent Accounts Commission have recently confirmed that the Scottish Government has provided a real-terms increase to Local Government in this year, 2023-24 and 2022-23. The 2025-26 Local Government Settlement will provide over £15 billion to local authorities, a further real terms increase of 4.7%.

At a national level, £220,000 has been provided to the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) this financial year (2024-25) with £150,000 assigned to the School Library Improvement Fund to support creative and innovative projects within the school library sector in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has provided a total of £1.85 million to the School Library Improvement Fund since the fund was created in 2017.

Question reference: S6O-04145

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement its ministers have had with Disabled People's Organisations to discuss any concerns of disabled people.

Question reference: S6W-31788

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Great School Libraries campaign to bring libraries and access to librarians back to every school in the UK, as it relates to Scotland.

The Scottish Government agrees that Scotland’s school libraries play a key role in supporting literacy and cultivating a love of reading.

Responsibility for school libraries rests with local authorities, who have a statutory duty to ensure there is adequate provision of library services.

At a national level, the Scottish Government worked with key partners to develop and publish the National Strategy for School Libraries. Over the course of 8 years we have provided over £1.8 million via the School Libraries Improvement Fund to enhance school library provision.

Question reference: S6W-31785

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it (a) can take and (b) is taking to support local authorities to ensure that licensed taxi drivers comply with the Equality Act 2010 in relation to refusing or attempting to refuse to carry visually impaired people due to them travelling with their guide dog.

Accessibility obligations for taxi and private hire car drivers and Local Licencing Authorities are reserved to the UK Government under the Equality Act 2010.

The taxi licensing system is devolved under the Civic Government Act 1982 and is implemented by (local authority) licensing authorities. They are responsible for enforcing the duties placed on drivers to carry a disabled person’s assistance dog at no additional charge, unless the driver has a medical exemption certificate.

Transport Scotland will shortly survey licensing authorities to better understand the provision of accessible taxis and disability equality training requirements in each licencing area.

Question reference: S6O-04103

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the next Medium-Term Financial Strategy.

Question reference: S6O-04046

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consult MSP staff trade unions before deciding on uprating the Staff Cost Provision in the 2025-26 financial year.

Question reference: S6O-04022

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported disproportionately lower levels of social security uptake among ethnic minority groups.

Question reference: S6O-03988

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what ongoing discussions the finance secretary is having with ministerial colleagues and officials regarding the planning of portfolio budgets in the lead up to the publication of its Budget for 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-30964

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that emergency care is maintained for patients requiring air ambulance services, in light of any issues created by the issuance of CAP1264 by the Civil Aviation Authority.

The Scottish Government (SG) is aware of the Civil Air Publication to address the design requirements and options for new heliports located at hospitals in the United Kingdom. Any new recommendations will, of course, be considered by Health Boards and organisations with responsibility for maintaining helicopter landing sites.

The SG is also aware that HM Coastguard Search and Rescue has paused helicopter landings at a number of landing sites across the UK.

Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) and Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance aircraft continue to land at helicopter landing sites across Scotland. Should a helicopter landing site not be available for use by one of these assets then another suitable site will be identified. A SAS vehicle will transfer a patient and clinical team to the appropriate receiving medical facility.