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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-08746

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is doing with the Scottish Perinatal Network to make placental growth factor (PlGF) testing for pre-eclampsia routinely available to pregnant women, and when it anticipates PlGF testing will be rolled out across all NHS boards in Scotland.

The Scottish Perinatal Network has been tasked with examining the adoption of PlGF testing in light of the draft NICE guidance published for consultation in March this year. Project information and associated documents are publicly available on the NICE website ( Project documents | PLGF-based testing to help diagnose suspected preterm pre-eclampsia (update of DG23) | Guidance | NICE ) and we expect the finalised guidance to be published on 27 July 2022.

As part of its initial work, the Network is engaging with the clinical and scientific community to understand how the additional two tests included in the draft guidance work in practice. This work is underway and I have asked my officials to continue working with the Network to explore how we can best implement PlGF testing in Scotland.

Question reference: S6T-00764

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that less than a quarter of nursing shifts have enough staff.

Question reference: S6T-00730

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the sports and events sectors regarding alternative transport arrangements in light of the revised ScotRail train timetable.

Question reference: S6O-01142

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the consultation with women and women's organisations regarding their safety while using the public transport system.

Question reference: S6W-07871

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the Climate Change Committee report published on 15 March 2022, which found that "data are not being collected on the number or location of new properties being built in flood risk areas".

All proposals for new properties in flood risk areas are examined in detail through a well-established process, involving planning authorities and SEPA. In the small number of cases where proposals are given permission within the floodplain, it is notified to Scottish Government and the decision is reviewed.

We note the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee report published on 15 March 2022. The Scottish Government is working with SEPA to develop an indicator for monitoring new development on the floodplain based on SEPA’s flood maps and records of new development.

Question reference: S6W-08257

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-00445 by Angus Robertson on 25 November 2021, whether it will provide an update on its work on culture sector recovery and renewal, which was due to be published in early 2022.

We are working with the sector to develop an updated and refreshed Action Plan under the auspices of our existing Culture Strategy, setting out the workstreams we are taking forward to support recovery and renewal. In doing so, we are currently considering the recommendations put forward by the National Partnership for Culture and the Creative Industries Leadership Group, which we received in spring 2022, and which relate directly to the recovery and renewal agenda. Our response to the National Partnership for Culture’s recommendations will be published shortly. Along with our ongoing sector engagement work, this will feed into our Culture Strategy Action Plan refresh, which we expect to publish in the summer.

Question reference: S6T-00685

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with INEOS regarding possible restructuring at the Grangemouth Refinery.

Question reference: S6W-07873

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement that its revised Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan will not be published until Autumn 2022, whether the strategy will still be "refreshed", or fully updated, in light of this extended timescale.

The Energy Strategy and Just Transition plan will refresh the 2017 Energy Strategy, and deliver Scotland’s first Just Transition Plan. It will take a whole-system view of how the sector must evolve to drive our transition to net zero, with a specific focus on actions needed to meet our 2030 interim target. The revised timeline will allow robust evidence and analysis to be produced and take account of ongoing projects, which are progressing at pace in response to the rapidly evolving global energy environment. It will also allow time for us to engage meaningfully with stakeholders in line with our wider approach to just transition.

Question reference: S6W-07869

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 28 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that the number of children hospitalised for deliberate self-poisoning from paracetamol in NHS Grampian was almost three times higher in 2021 than in 2019.

We know that the pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health and wellbeing of many children and young people. There is help available for anyone struggling with their mental health, including support for young people feeling suicidal – details are set out on the NHS24 website. Young people who are struggling are urged to speak to a trusted adult; to contact their GP; seek help via the NHS24 helpline on 111, or call Childline on 0800 11 11.

The Scottish Government set up the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group (NSPLG) to oversee the delivery of the Suicide Prevention Action Plan ‘Every Life Matters’, published in 2018. The Plan continues to deliver a wide range of actions, including: improving suicide prevention skills of the workforce; ensuring effective, compassionate support to anyone in crisis, and supporting local suicide prevention planning. In addition, the NSPLG identified restricting access to means of suicide as a priority during the pandemic, and is currently drawing together international evidence to identify effective approaches to reducing access to means of suicide for people in crisis, including self-poisoning.

The NSPLG is setting up a Youth Advisory Group to bring together young people with lived experience of suicide, self-harm and poor mental health. This Group will ensure suicide prevention policies and approaches are designed to reach, and support, children and young people; this includes informing the new suicide prevention strategy which will publish in September. Finally, the NSPLG is planning a social media campaign over the coming months aimed at young people, with the objective of encouraging young people to talk more openly about suicide, and to seek help.

We recognise that for some people self-poisoning is a form of self-harm rather than a suicide attempt, and the Government is actively developing a stand-alone self-harm strategy to ensure the right policies and support are in place for people who self-harm. We are currently working closely with stakeholders and people with lived experience to inform the Strategy and supporting Action Plan. We are already investing approximately £1.5 million over three years to Penumbra to pilot self-harm support services for people currently self-harming, or people at risk of self-harming. The pilots will begin over the Summer, with the learning providing valuable insight to the development of the strategy.

We know that providing emotional support to school age children is vital, and we provide local authorities with £16m per annum so that every secondary school has access to counselling support. Additionally, a learning resource has been developed for school staff to help them recognise the signs of poor mental health among young people, including signs of self-harm, and giving them skills to respond.

Finally, having provided £11.25 million to local authorities to respond to the mental health impact of the pandemic on children and young people in Financial Year 20/21, since January 2021, we have provided significant additional funding enable them to deliver further mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people in their communities. This new investment totalled £15 million in Financial Year 21/22 and we are committed to doubling the funding for community mental health supports over the lifetime of this Parliament. In 2021-22 this funding included £2.87 million to local authorities within NHS Grampian, which has enabled a range of services including ‘Fit Like’ Family Wellbeing Hubs in Aberdeen, digital mental health support in Aberdeenshire and whole family support in Moray.

Question reference: S6W-07868

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 25 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether COVID-19 spot checks on businesses will continue once restrictions relating to the pandemic have been fully lifted on 18 April 2022.

The remaining Covid-19 specific legal requirements have been removed, but regulators will continue to engage to support businesses in managing their risks and applying any relevant guidance. While Covid-19 specific spot checks may no longer be carried out, pre-existing regulations are still in place, for example on fresh air/ ventilation and cleanliness. Regulators will be conducting inspections as they would have before the pandemic. As part of these visits, Covid-19 risks and adaptations may be discussed.