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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-35145

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact has been of the reported delay in regulating (a) physician associate and (b) other medical associate profession roles in NHS Scotland.

The implementation of regulation has not prevented physician associates (or anaesthesia associates) who are currently practising from continuing to do so, nor has it prevented NHS Boards or other employers from designing services around, and recruiting to, these professional groups.

As set out in Section 19(1)(b) of the Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order 2024, from December 2026 it will be an offence to practise as a PA or AA in the UK without holding registration with the General Medical Council (GMC).

Surgical Care Practitioners, also a Medical Associate Profession, are not regulated by the GMC.

Question reference: S6W-35147

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its freedom of information (FOI) release FOI/202400433327 (Scope of Practice and Medical Associate Professionals), when the Medical Associate Professionals Programme Board will make its recommendations regarding the development and implementation roles of (a) physician associate and (b) other medical associate professional roles in NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-35141

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) physician associates and (b) people in other medical associate profession roles were dismissed by NHS Scotland in 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-35137

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) physician associate and (b) other medical associate profession roles there are in NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-35139

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) physician associate and (b) other medical associate profession students graduated in the 2023-24 academic year.

Question reference: S6W-35138

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) physician associate and (b) other medical associate profession students began their studies in the 2023-24 academic year.

Question reference: S6W-35148

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reduce the usage of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and similar thermoplastics in the food and beverage industry.

The Scottish Government’s policy is to reduce the consumption of single use materials regardless of composition, rather than to target specific material types or to displace one single use material with another. This is in line with the waste hierarchy, which prioritises reduction and reuse over all other interventions.

Our commitment to the circular economy is clear from the passing of the Circular Economy Act last year and our publication of the Circular Economy and Waste Route Map last year.

Question reference: S6W-35155

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered the potential impact of the use of alternative, sustainable materials, instead of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and similar thermoplastics, in the food and beverage industry.

Question reference: S6W-35151

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered the impact of the usage of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and similar thermoplastics in the food and beverage industry on (a) malignant, (b) respiratory and (c) cardiovascular health.

The Scottish Government has not researched the impact of PET on malignant, respiratory or cardiovascular health. The Scottish Government’s policy is to reduce the consumption of single use materials. This is in line with the waste hierarchy, which prioritises reduction and reuse over all other interventions.

As a Regulated product, food contact materials need to be authorised before they can be used and placed on the market.

Regulation 178/2002 aims to protect human health and consumer’s interest in relation to food. It applies to all stages of production, processing and distribution of food and feed with some exceptions. Food businesses must comply with food and feed safety law.

Question reference: S6W-35169

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 5 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) contractors and (b) sub-contractors received funding from the £3.7 million it has provided for the Offshore Skills Energy Passport.