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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-39774

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the delivery of the BE FAST (balance, eyes, face, arms, speech, time) stroke awareness campaign in NHS Forth Valley’s accident and emergency department.

Question reference: S6W-39392

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to monitor whether the funeral industry standards set out in the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 are being upheld.

The Scottish Minsters are committed to the modernisation and improvement of the regulation of burial, cremation, and funeral services. The Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 (the 2016 Act) provides for Ministers to make regulations in connection with burial, cremation and inspection; to issue Codes of practice; and to appoint independent Inspectors of burial, cremation and funeral directors.

Work remains ongoing towards full implementation of the Act, and in consultation with a range of stakeholders Ministers have already brought forward a number of regulations. In March of this year the Burial and Cremation (Inspection)(Scotland) Regulations 2025 came into force, providing Inspectors with powers of inspection and enforcement in relation to burial authorities, cremation authorities and funeral directors to ensure that such bodies comply with relevant requirements set out in the Act, the Funeral Director Code of Practice, the Cremation (Scotland) Regulations 2019, the Burial (Applications and Register) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 and the Burial (Management) (Scotland) Regulations 2025.

This inspection and enforcement regime will hold relevant bodies to account for compliance, through inspection against statutory requirements, and will provide clarity for relevant bodies and allow enforcement by Inspectors where non-compliance occurs. In addition, this will improve standards within the funeral sector in Scotland in order to protect the deceased and the public in Scotland.

We currently have a Senior Inspector of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors, whose main functions (including powers and duties) are set out in the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 Act (the 2016 Act) and regulations made under that Act. This includes the provision of an annual report detailing how they have exercised their functions as an Inspector.

Question reference: S6W-39393

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made hiring funeral inspectors, as set out in the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016.

The Scottish Ministers appointed inspectors of burial, cremation, and funeral directors under section 89 of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 on 1 October 2023 and 1 October 2024. There is currently one Inspector of burial, cremation, and funeral directors.

In light of the introduction of the inspection regime set out in the Burial and Cremation (Inspection) (Scotland) Regulations 2025, a range of work is in progress to support the appointment of further Inspectors, including establishing the register provided for under regulation 3 of those Regulations, training for Inspectors and support materials for Inspectors.

Question reference: S6W-39394

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the 2024-25 edition of the Annual Report: Inspectors of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors.

Section 93 of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 requires each Inspector to prepare and publish an annual report. The time period for each report is dependent on the appointment date of each Inspector. The current Inspector’s appointment began on 1 October 2024, and the current report is due no later than 12 months after that appointment. Once published, the report will be laid before the Scottish Parliament in accordance with the requirements of the Act.

Question reference: S6W-39726

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reported findings by the British Society for Haematology that 19.7% of consultant haematologists in Scotland are due to retire in the next three years.

Question reference: S6W-39725

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve recruitment and retention levels among the blood cancer workforce.

Question reference: S6W-39724

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to boost the cancer workforce, and whether haematology professionals are included in any such plans.

Question reference: S6W-39723

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 1 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings laid out in the British Society for Haematology’s 2025 workforce report, The Haematology Workforce: A comprehensive view.

Question reference: S6W-39660

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that NICE-compliant specialist services for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) are introduced by NHS boards, and that these services comply with the principles contained in the delivery plan for ME/CFS to ensure that people in Scotland with the condition do not receive inadequate care compared with those in England.

Question reference: S6W-39659

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it will implement and fund the devolved elements of the delivery plan on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).