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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-33762

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on contracts for government-issued mobile phones in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-33767

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it keeps communications secure for government-issued mobile phones.

Question reference: S6W-33765

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors compliance with policies on the use of government-issued mobile phones.

Question reference: S6W-33519

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what agreement it has with the UK Government regarding accessing essential data from UK departments that is required for devolved policy areas; when this was last reviewed, and what plans there are to update this.

Whenever personal data is shared, the processing must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The UK GDPR requires the careful assessment of compliance with the key principles of the legislation on a case by case basis. This means demonstrating that each instance of data sharing is necessary and proportionate to meet a specific purpose, it has a lawful basis and it is within the expectations of the individuals’ whose data it is. Therefore, the Scottish Government has no over-arching agreement with the UK Government as data sharing agreements are put in place for individual projects that adhere to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Data Sharing Code of Practice.

Question reference: S6W-33516

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many times in each of the last five years has a request by it to a UK Government department for data been (a) denied and (b) delayed, broken down by department; what steps were taken to resolve the issue, and what the outcome was, also broken down by data specifically in relation to (i) meeting its net zero targets and (ii) social security and poverty reduction policies.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested centrally. Where data sharing agreements are put in place under certain data sharing powers in Part 5 of the Digital Economy Act 2017, these are recorded on a register of information which can be found at: Register of Information sharing agreements under chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 of part 5 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 - GOV.UK. These can only be established where there is a clear legal gateway to undertake the sharing. Requests for UK government data which have been delayed or are in the process of being resolved are part of continued policy development. To support this, the Office of the Chief Statistician established its UK Data Sharing Team in 2022 following the COVID-19 pandemic and in response to the need for greater data sharing across the UK. The team provides advice and guidance on request to support Scottish Government in accessing data from UK Government departments for statistics and research. Delays often occur in identifying the appropriate legal gateway or in demonstrating technical and security requirements.

The Scottish Government is working with UK departments to resolve barriers to data sharing, such as those evidenced in the Independent Review of the UK Statistics Authority by Professor Denise Lievesley (Independent Review of the UK Statistics Authority 2023 - 2024 - GOV.UK) which noted “systemic and cultural barriers to responsible data sharing between government departments”. In addition, it is working with the UK Government to continue to implement the Digital Economy Act which is expected to improve data sharing processes across programme for government policy areas in the future.

Question reference: S6W-33772

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it complies with the General Data Protection Regulation requirements in relation to the use of government-issued mobile phones.

Question reference: S6W-33769

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to upgrade or replace its current government-issued mobile phone inventory.

Question reference: S6W-33759

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many mobile phones it has purchased for use as government-issued devices in each of the last five years, and what the total cost was.

Question reference: S6W-33768

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any audits have been conducted on the use of government-issued mobile phones, and what the outcomes of any such audits were.

Question reference: S6W-33557

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how often it reviews healthcare service provision in rural areas to ensure that it meets the needs of local communities.

The Scottish Government expects and relies on our Integrated Joint Boards and Health Boards to plan and deliver services to meet the needs of local populations. Local planning is expected to take account of the particular needs of these populations, and decisions on the provision of services will be based on ensuring fair and equitable access to services wherever this is possible.

The Scottish Government works with territorial Health Boards to ensure services meet the needs of local populations. NHS Boards set out service delivery in annually produced Delivery Plans, reviewed and discussed with the Scottish Government. These plans describe how Boards will deliver services to meet the needs of their own communities, including the particular needs of rural areas, with a focus on fair and equitable access to services.

At the national level, a Board-led working group has been convened to develop a framework for safe, quality and sustainable healthcare services across our rural and island communities.