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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-31915

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 12 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the viability of updating legislation to allow grandparents greater access rights to their grandchildren, including following family breakdowns.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role that grandparents have in many families bringing up children, particularly following parental separation.

When the Children (Scotland) Bill (now the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act)) was introduced, the Scottish Government considered whether to include a presumption or right for grandchildren to have contact with their grandparents.

However, no such provision was included.A presumption in favour of a particular group of adults could cut across the driving principle of the legislation that the welfare of the child must be the paramount consideration in any contact or residence case.

We have no plans to change the law in this area at the present time.It remains possible for any person with an interest in a child, including a grandparent, to apply to the court to seek an order under section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (the 1995 Act), which is the key provision in relation to contact and residence.

Section 16 of the 2020 Act sets out additional factors that the court must consider when deciding whether or not to make an order under section 11 of the 1995 Act.It provides that the court must consider the effect the order might have on the child’s important relationships with other people.This could include the child’s grandparents. Section 16 is not yet in force but the Scottish Government will consider in 2025 which further sections of the 2020 Act could be commenced.

The Scottish Government has produced the Charter for Grandchildren as part of the Your Parenting Plan. The Charter sets out that grandchildren can expect to maintain contact with their wider family except in very exceptional circumstances.

Question reference: S6O-04124

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support farming businesses that are seeking to diversify.

Question reference: S6W-32007

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 11 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, following the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government on 4 December 2024, in which it was announced that it would be "making an additional £3 million available to help to tackle retail crime", whether the (a) Scottish Retail Consortium and (b) Retail Industry Leadership Group will be asked to contribute to the deliberations on how this funding should be used.

The Scottish Government are making £3 million available to help tackle retail crime which costs businesses millions each year and has a knock-on effect on the prices we pay in the shops. Police Scotland will work in partnership with the Retail Industry Leadership Group on how best to use this additional funding for maximum impact. The Scottish Retail Consortium, through their membership of the Retail ILG, will have the opportunity to contribute to these discussions.

Question reference: S6W-31757

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 6 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what work it is doing to support the higher education sector to offer more places on medical courses.

The Scottish Government remains focused on increasing the number of places at medical schools to meet the future demands of NHS Scotland while also ensuring there are sufficient educational and training places of appropriate quality in NHS Scotland for our undergraduates and trainee doctors. In line with this between Academic year (AY) 2015-16 and AY 2024-25 the Scottish Government has increased the annual intake of medical places in Scottish universities from 848 to 1,417, representing an increase of 67%. These increases include funding Scotland’s first Graduate Entry Medical programme (ScotGEM), introducing the innovative HCP MED course and GP track courses. The Scottish Government also remain committed to promoting Widening Access (WA) to medicine raising the total number of available places from 60 places in available in AY 2020-2021 to 115 in AY 2024-25.

Question reference: S6W-31506

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to implement the recommendations of the Independent Review of Audiology Services.

Question reference: S6W-31714

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Technical Advisory Group on Resource Allocation (TAGRA).

The Technical Advisory Group for Resource Allocation (TAGRA) oversees the maintenance and development of the NHSScotland Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) formula. The formula is an objective measure of the need for health care services across Scotland and aims to provide a transparent and fair mechanism for dividing resources for hospital and community health services and GP prescribing between the 14 territorial Health Boards.

The Scottish Government have committed to continually review the funding formula to support vital work to reduce health inequalities and ensuring we continue to allocate funding according to the relative need for healthcare in each Board area.

The funding formulas are inherently complex, and the review will take time, however TAGRA members continue to meet to review the appropriateness of the current formula.

Question reference: S6W-31713

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work is being done to upgrade the NHS Scotland Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) funding formula.

The NRAC formula is an objective measure of the need for health care services across Scotland.

The Scottish Government have committed to continually review the funding formula. This process is managed by the Technical Advisory Group for Resource Allocation (TAGRA) and supports vital work to reduce health inequalities; ensuring that we continue to allocate funding according to the relative need for healthcare in each Board area. Work is underway to review this, however, funding formulas are inherently complex and the review will take time.

Question reference: S6W-31756

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to support NHS boards in relation to workforce planning, following a reduction in full-time hours for NHS Agenda for Change staff.

The Scottish Government’s commitment is to progressing towards a 36-hour working week for Agenda for Change staff, building on an initial 30-minute reduction in working hours implemented from 1 April 2024. Whilst extensive guidance has been issued setting out the overarching principles to be applied in facilitating this transition, the Implementation Group and the Scottish Government have been clear that specific decisions on how the reduction will be achieved should be made at a local level and in partnership, based on the needs of a given service.

We have also made clear that the first half hour will be used as a learning process with a national evaluation carried out to identify the challenges and opportunities associated with further reductions. Health Boards (under the 1978 NHS Act) are required to undertake workforce planning and we would expect to see appropriate consideration around the impacts of the Reduced Working Week on services within their planning activity.

Question reference: S6W-31505

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will implement a primary care community audiology service during the current parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government remains committed to its vision for an integrated and community-based hearing service in Scotland. However, in considering the future direction for the audiology sector, it is right that we move forward in step with the work of the Independent Review of audiology and this – together with the wider financial and strategic context in which we are currently operating – has necessitated the re-phasing of our commitment on community hearing. We are continuing to fund “RNID Near You”, a third sector after-care scheme offered to hearing aid users and delivered in partnership with the NHS within five Scottish health board areas.

Question reference: S6F-03603

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 December 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is regarding any potential risk to the environment of excessive removal of peat during excavation projects.