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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-32455

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to address any gaps in services and medical treatment for patients with long COVID, in light of reports undertaken by Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and The ALLIANCE on the condition.

Since the research undertaken by Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE), the National Strategic Network for long COVID managed by NHS National Services Scotland has produced information for NHS boards on the assessment of adults with suspected long COVID in general practice. It has also supported the delivery of online education sessions including on the assessment of patients with long COVID and the management of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTs).

The Scottish Government has made available approximately £3 million to national and territorial NHS boards in 2024-25 to support the operation of the network, boards’ access to the C19-YRS digital platform and the provision of care and support locally by NHS boards.

The 2025-26 budget includes new investment of £4.5 million to deliver new specialist support across the country for long COVID, ME, Chronic Fatigue, and other similar conditions. This represents a 152.9% uplift to the 2024-25 long COVID budget line.

Responsibility for service delivery rests locally with NHS boards which configure services taking into account local circumstances and the reasonable needs of their patient populations.

Question reference: S6W-32274

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport during the members' business debate on motion S6M-14427 (Reversal of £10 Million Funding for Changing Places Toilets) on 11 December 2024, by what date it plans to have published the application form for the planned Changing Places Toilet Fund.

Question reference: S6W-32271

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport during the members' business debate on motion S6M-14427 (Reversal of £10 Million Funding for Changing Places Toilets) on 11 December 2024, whether it plans to publish the draft criteria for the planned Changing Places Toilet Fund, and, if so, when.

Question reference: S6W-32270

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport during the members' business debate on motion S6M-14427 (Reversal of £10 Million Funding for Changing Places Toilets) on 11 December 2024, how much funding has been allocated from within its draft mental health budget for 2025-26 for the planned Changing Places Toilet Fund.

Question reference: S6W-32272

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport during the members' business debate on motion S6M-14427 (Reversal of £10 Million Funding for Changing Places Toilets) on 11 December 2024, whether it will provide the draft criteria for the planned Changing Places Toilet Fund to MSPs, and, if so, when.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32271 on 6 January 2025. As I said during the Parliamentary debate on Changing Places Toilets, I am keen to work in partnership with members from all parties.

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

Question reference: S6W-32273

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport during the members' business debate on motion S6M-14427 (Reversal of £10 Million Funding for Changing Places Toilets) on 11 December 2024, by what date in the 2025-26 financial year it hopes to have opened the Changing Places Toilet Fund for funding applications.

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.