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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-25627

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding UK-wide legislation to exonerate sub-postmasters and mistresses who have been wrongfully convicted as a result of the reported issues with the Post Office accounting system, Horizon.

On 22 February, the Under-Secretary of State for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business stated that the UK Government would introduce legislation to reverse only the convictions of sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses convicted in courts in England and Wales. This followed the Scottish Government making clear on 10 January in a letter from the First Minister to the Prime Minister that UK-wide legislation would be the appropriate response to this issue. The position of the Scottish Government was also made in further letters from the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs.

Following the UK Government announcement on 22 February, I wrote to the Minister the following day to make clear that the Scottish Government remained of the view that the best way to ensure a solution that treats all affected sub-postmasters across the United Kingdom equitably is for the Westminster Parliament to legislate to overturn the convictions of those affected across the whole of the UK, and asking the UK Government to reconsider its approach on this matter.

On 13 March, the UK Government introduced its Bill to reverse the convictions of affected sub-postmasters and post office employees convicted in courts in England and Wales. The Deputy First Minister wrote to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations on 14 March urging him to make good on the commitment he made at the meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Standing Committee on 12 March to consider extending the Bill to cover convictions in courts in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

This reflects the fact that the cause of these wrongful convictions, wherever they occurred, is the defective Post Office Horizon IT system and the failure of the Post Office to disclose relevant information about it to prosecutors.

However, if the UK Government maintains its position that it will legislate only to reverse convictions of sub-postmasters convicted in England and Wales, we will introduce legislation in the Scottish Parliament to reverse the convictions of affected sub-postmasters in Scotland. Any such Bill will have to be passed after the equivalent UK Bill to ensure that the approach is compatible with the approach taken in the UK Bill and sub-postmasters convicted in Scotland whose convictions are reversed can access the Horizon compensation scheme operated by the UK Government.

Scottish Government officials are continuing to engage with UK Government officials on this matter.

Question reference: S6W-25534

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 9 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the cost of the proposed Winchburgh train station development.

As the member is aware, the Scottish Government supports a new station in Winchburgh, it is our understanding of the station proposal that it is and always has been a developer-led station, as outlined in the original Winchburgh Developments Ltd Masterplan for the wider development.

Transport Scotland reviewed both the design and construction cost proposals from Network Rail for a new station at Winchburgh and proactively suggested amendments to these proposals, which would see any new station delivered significantly more efficiently.

Question reference: S6W-25552

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 9 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out a weighted evaluation of any (a) environmental and (b) economic benefits of the proposed Winchburgh railway station compared with other regional railway stations that have been completed in the last five years, such as Reston, East Linton and Robroyston.

The Scottish Government acknowledges the findings of the Economic Impact Assessment paper the Developer commissioned, by SYSTRA.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-25534 on 9 March 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Question reference: S6W-25228

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the availability of qualified stonemasons to repair and maintain traditionally built homes, in light of Edinburgh College no longer delivering a stonemasonry apprenticeship.

The Scottish Government has been exploring the workforce demand for skilled stonemasons through engagement with the stonemasonry short life working group led by Historic Environment Scotland. The working group was set up to look at stonemasonry and traditional skills provision in Scotland with a view to identifying sustainable models of stonemasonry training for future delivery.

Additionally, Historic Environment Scotland ran a stonemasonry consultation in early 2023 to inform understanding of the size, shape and resilience of the stonemasonry sector in Scotland. The stonemasonry working group have since provided their report of findings and recommendations to Ministers for their consideration.

Regarding the cessation of stonemasonry apprenticeship training at Edinburgh College, the then Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development and I met Historic Environment Scotland in recent months to discuss stonemasonry and we await their proposals to address the skills issues in the sector.

Question reference: S6W-25536

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 1 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to reduce waiting times for ambulances sent by NHS 24.

NHS 24 do not send ambulances to patients. If NHS 24 receive a call from a patient that is deemed to be an emergency, it is passed to a SAS call handler within the Ambulance Control Centres (ACC).

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with the Scottish Ambulance Service and Health Boards to ensure a continuous focus on responding to the most critically unwell patients as quickly as possible.

We continue to invest in supporting the Service and patients, including a record number of additional staff (1388) since 2020. Our £50m funding investment this year is being used, in part, to recruit a further 317 additional frontline staff across the country.

We have also set out a number of principles that health boards should aim to achieve in order to safely reduce handover times at the front door of hospitals. This is an important piece of work that will reduce the pressure on hospital and ambulance services.

Question reference: S6W-25240

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 26 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how often it monitors and reviews the decisions taken by NHS boards on safeguarding training for non-clinical staff who interact with patients.

The Staff Governance Standard, which is applicable to all staff employed in NHSScotland, requires health boards to appropriately train and develop staff, as well as provide a safe working environment. The Scottish Government monitors compliance annually to ensure health boards, as employers, are meeting this standard. This includes providing the necessary training for staff according to statutory requirements.

Question reference: S6W-25207

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent to date on the legal process that began in 2022 between Transport Scotland and the developer, Ambassador Living, regarding the dispute over the use of Ferrymuir Gait to access the Forthview housing development.

Question reference: S6O-03055

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding actions that can be taken to preserve energy networks following periods of bad weather.

Question reference: S6W-24440

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 25 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the funding set out in the NHS Recovery Plan 2021-2026 has been allocated to improving child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in the (a) NHS Lothian and (b) West Lothian Council area.

Table One shows the funding allocated to NHS Lothian for improving child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in 2021-2022 and for a broader range of Mental Health Services, including CAMHS, from 2022-2023. Allocations for the current financial year, 2023-2024 have not yet concluded.

It should be noted that allocations from 2022-2023 onwards were made from the Mental Health Outcomes Framework, which bundled a number of funding streams to allow NHS Boards flexibility to meet local priorities against the stated outcomes. The total allocation can be utilised to support improvements in CAMHS, psychological therapies, eating disorder care, primary care and children and young people’s neurodevelopmental services, as well as ongoing innovation and service reform. It is therefore not possible to provide a specific figure for funding allocated to CAMHS improvement from 2022-23 onwards.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the final allocations to specific Integration Joint Boards. NHS Lothian will be able to advise on the funding received for CAMHS in the West Lothian Council area resulting from their delegation arrangements.

Table One:

Financial Year	NHS Lothian Allocation
2021-2022	£5,702,137
2022-2023	£9,154,511

Question reference: S6O-03043

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that pupils can interact with museums as part of their education to help address racism and the legacy of colonialism.