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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-28509

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to harmonise the provision of consultant doctor-led Emergency Medical Retrieval Services across NHS boards.

The Scottish Ambulance Service is responsible for the harmonisation and provision of consultant doctor-led Emergency Medical Retrieval Services across NHS boards which are implemented through the Scottish Trauma Network. They work collaboratively with pre-hospital trauma teams and boards across the country to deliver consistent high-quality person-centred and equitable critical care to the most seriously injured patients.

Question reference: S6W-28510

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Ambulance Service regarding advanced, doctor-led, pre-hospital critical care capabilities in NHS board areas, including NHS Lothian.

Question reference: S6W-28508

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with NHS Lothian regarding the reported withdrawal of Medic 1 advanced, doctor-led, pre-hospital critical care capabilities within the NHS board area.

The Scottish Government is aware of the situation regarding the withdrawal of the advanced doctor-led Medic One prehospital critical care service (PHCC) within NHS Lothian, which forms part of the wider Scottish Trauma Network (STN) for the Southeast of Scotland.

It is the responsibility of NHS Boards to make appropriate operational decisions to ensure a high level quality of emergency medical care for the members of their communities and we are aware that NHS Lothian and the Scottish Ambulance Service have interim emergency arrangements in place while they develop a business case for a replacement service.

Question reference: S6W-28511

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of (a) any pressures being experienced by the Emergency Department at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and (b) the impact of any such pressures on the provision of pre-hospital critical care.

The national Centre for Sustainable Delivery (nhscfsd.co.uk) has undertaken significant work over the past year to diagnose the key challenges within Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Along with each local board across Scotland, NHS Lothian has a set of bespoke action plans which will bring about the greatest opportunities to create capacity in the system, resulting in lower occupancy and increased flow through the hospital. The Scottish Government will work with NHS Lothian to determine what support is required to embed these plans into business as usual that will allow sustainable improvements.

In terms of assessment of any impact of A&E pressures at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on the provision of pre-hospital critical care, the Scottish Government receives weekly performance reports which include details on response times to the most critical calls to the Scottish Ambulance Service and times for turnaround of ambulances at A&E departments throughout Scotland, including the Royal Infirmary. Clear escalation plans are in place for all Boards should pressures on A&E be impacting on any level of patient care and mechanisms in place for any escalation to be reported to us.

Question reference: S6O-03630

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the use of drones to fly illicit material into Scottish prisons.

Question reference: S6O-03575

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Lothian and NHS Borders regarding financial stability in the 2024-25 financial year.

Question reference: S6W-27282

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 20 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to revise the rules governing political impartiality in schools.

There are no current plans to revise the rules governing political impartiality in schools. This is a matter for local authorities who have the statutory responsibility for the delivery of education.

It is important that our pupils understand the democratic process in Scotland, the UK and further afield. Learning and teaching should be conducted in a non-partisan and non-party political basis. Local authorities also have a role in ensuring their schools can engage confidently with election issues and that balance and impartiality are respected.

Question reference: S6W-27281

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 20 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to revise any guidance on political activity in schools during a General Election period.

The Scottish Government has no plans to issue guidance on political activity in schools during a General Election period. This is a matter for local authorities who have the statutory responsibility for the delivery of education.

It is important that our pupils understand the democratic process in Scotland, the UK and further afield. Learning and teaching should be conducted in a non-partisan and non-party political basis. Local authorities have a role in ensuring their schools can engage confidently with election issues and that balance and impartiality are respected.

Question reference: S6O-03391

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what Forestry and Land Scotland is doing to deliver economic benefit from the land that it manages, including through supporting mountain bike tourism.

Question reference: S6W-26557

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 1 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made, based on any data that it has received from HMRC, of the total value of the contribution made by Scottish employers to the UK apprenticeship levy.

As announced by HM Treasury on 14 November 2016, the Scottish Government's population-based settlement from the UK Government's Apprenticeship Levy was £221 million in 2017/18, £230 million in 2018/19 and £239 million in 2019/20. This funding was allocated as part of the block grant.

Since 2020-21 the Scottish Government has not received a specific allocation of Apprenticeship Levy revenue. Scotland receives a Barnett Formula share of funding via the block grant in the usual way.

Scottish Government exploratory analysis of HMRC data suggests that the amounts contributed by Scottish employers in 2020-21 and 2021-22 were similar to those published by HMRC for earlier years, in the region of £220 million to £240 million.