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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-40362

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to address any shortfalls in the radiology workforce and the impact that any such shortfalls might have on cancer patients.

Whilst Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, operational matters including staffing are the responsibility NHS Boards. NHS Boards take account of national, regional, and local priorities, and we expect NHS boards to plan and provide safe, effective, and high-quality care, in line with their statutory service provision and workforce planning responsibilities.

To help address recognised workforce pressures, Scottish Government continues to invest heavily in radiology training. Scottish Government is currently funding around 190 specialty training places in clinical radiology, including 78 extra places which have been added since 2014. This enables doctors to train and enter the workforce following completion of training - which takes a minimum of 5 years. Clinical radiology specialty training programmes have been filled at 100% in Scotland from 2014 to 2024, with 230 resident doctors successfully completing training in this period.

To further support a coordinated response to pressures in cancer services, Scottish Government commissioned the National Oncology Coordination Group. This group considers real-time assessments and develops proactive risk mitigation proposals aligned with the strategic aims for cancer. This collaborative approach across NHS Boards in Scotland is ensuring that services can deliver for people with cancer.

Question reference: S6W-40118

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 11 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on implementing the recommendations of the review of governance of NHS endowment funds, in order to increase the funding available to the NHS.

How the recommendations are taken forward will be determined following consultation with stakeholders, including NHS Boards and OSCR. Consultation will ensure no unintended consequences as well as appropriate consideration of capacity, as significant work will be involved for both for the Scottish Government and for Health Boards. The timing of that consultation has yet to be determined.

In the meantime, funds remain available to be directed in accordance with the charities’ purpose, and taking account any restricted funds.

It is also important to note that neither OSCR's inquiry nor the Independent Review indicated that there are widespread issues in the decisions being made about the use of NHS Endowments’ charitable funds.

Question reference: S6W-39781

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

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote financial literacy to young people in schools.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of Financial Education in equipping learners with key life skills. Financial literacy is embedded in the curriculum in Scotland through numeracy and maths, business studies and personal and social education classes. Financial Education is a key feature of Curriculum for Excellence “Experiences and Outcomes” for Numeracy and Mathematics, assisting learners in understanding the benefits and risks of bank cards, effectively managing money, making appropriate use of technology and appreciating the importance of budgeting.

Education Scotland provides professional learning resources enabling educators to reflect on their own understanding and knowledge and to support future learning and teaching about money. Guidance is available for primary and secondary schools highlighting the links between financial education and Curriculum for Excellence. In addition, a wide range of teaching resources are provided by the private and Third Sector. These include Barclays LifeSkills, financial education guidance from the Money & Pension Service and the work of the charity, Money Ready.

Education Scotland are currently reviewing the curriculum in line with the Curriculum Improvement Cycle programme. As part of this review, work is taking place to review the place of financial education within the curriculum. Education Scotland are engaging with a wide range of practitioners and stakeholders, including children and young people, to review current Financial Education teaching and practice and plan how it can most effectively be integrated into the curriculum, ensuring an equitable approach.

Question reference: S6T-02642

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce NHS waiting lists, in light of new analysis reportedly showing that waits of over two years are now more than 800 times higher in Scotland than in England.

Question reference: S6O-04883

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 August 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it is reportedly downgrading fire station services across the country, including in Helensburgh.

Question reference: S6W-40047

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many calls to the Scottish Ambulance Service have been responded to (a) within (i) under 10, (ii) 10 to 29, (iii) 30 to 59 and (iv) 60 to 120 and (b) after over 120 minutes in each year since 2021-22, broken down by triaged category of call.

Question reference: S6W-39774

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 August 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-39775

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of NHS Forth Valley delivering the BE FAST (balance, eyes, face, arms, speech, time) stroke awareness campaign in its accident and emergency department, whether it is considering rolling out the campaign to other NHS boards’ accident and emergency departments.

Question reference: S6W-39780

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage young people to save money using schemes run by credit unions.

The Scottish Government is supporting work to encourage young people to develop good financial habits and increase engagement with credit unions. This includes collaboration with partners on initiatives aimed at improving financial education in schools and helping young people access suitable financial products.

Current work focuses on piloting approaches in selected areas to test how best to increase account ownership among school leavers and reduce financial exclusion, with progress being monitored to inform future policy and potential wider rollout.

Question reference: S6W-39778

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has awarded to credit unions in each of the last five financial years.

The Scottish Government does not hold a central record of all financial support provided to credit unions. Where funding has been provided, it has generally been through broader third sector or financial inclusion programmes such as those delivered by Social Investment Scotland, rather than as ongoing, dedicated support to credit unions. For example, in total SIS has awarded:

Financial Year	19-20	20-21	21-22	22-23	23-24	24-25
Total Loans to Credit Unions	-	1,637,500	160,000	500,000	2,000,000	1,465,000
Grants Awarded	-	13,500,000	-	-	-	-
Total	-	15,137,500	160,000	500,000	2,000,000	1,465,000

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21901 on 24 October 2023. 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.