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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-18618

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to tackle any growing use of nitazenes and new psychoactive substances in Scotland, in light of reports that such drugs are already causing deaths.

Following reports at the end of 2022 that nitazenes, a new form of synthetic opioid, had been detected in a drug related death in Scotland, Scottish Government officials have worked closely with Public Health Scotland (PHS) colleagues to monitor and better understand this new substance of concern.

Through work done with PHS to improve our public health surveillance system, an alert was issued through their RADAR (Rapid Action Drug Alert and Response) system in January in relation to nitazenes, highlighting the risks and dangers associated with these substances, but also providing information for people who take drugs as well as setting out actions which drug and alcohol service staff could take. This alert was further updated on 29 March. A copy can be found here - RADAR Alert 2023/04, Nitazene type drugs in Scotland - Publications - Public Health Scotland .

As a result, drug and alcohol services, health care settings and high-risk settings, like prisons, have all been urged to follow harm reduction advice for opioids and polydrug use and to increase and optimise the availability of naloxone to people they support.

Following the identification of this new substance in drug related deaths in Scotland, and a recommendation from the RADAR toxicology sub-group, post-mortem screening in Scotland has been expanded to ensure that toxicology providers are now routinely testing for nitazenes and, in selected cases, retrospective post-mortem testing has also been conducted.

Due to the potential for nitazenes, and other new psychoactive substances, to be present in the wider drugs supply, we are committed to delivering drug checking facilities in Scotland to enable us to respond faster to emerging trends in the drug supply. We anticipate that license applications to the Home Office, to grant permission for the establishment of these facilities in Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen, will be submitted in the coming months.

Question reference: S6W-18832

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the communication that chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients receive about the watch and wait approach, also known as active monitoring.

Question reference: S6W-18751

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many breast cancer patients have attended additional follow-up clinics, as committed to in its NHS Recovery Plan.

Question reference: S6W-18750

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional clinics it has provided to date for the most challenged pathways including urological, colorectal and breast cancers, as set out in its NHS Recovery Plan.

£10 million of funding was directed to support Cancer Waiting Times improvements in our NHS across 2021-22, with a further £10m made available to Boards in 2022-23 to continue to support Cancer Waiting Times. Health Boards across NHS Scotland direct spend towards the most challenged areas, which included additional clinics for new patients and follow-ups.

Funds in 2022-23 were largely directed towards breast, colorectal and urology specialties – three of the most challenged 62 day pathways. Significant funds went towards up-skilling nurses and investment to support extended working days and weekend working to increase capacity.

Question reference: S6W-18711

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 1,500 new staff for National Treatment Centres have been recruited as of 1 April 2023.

NTCs require an appropriate mix of new and experienced staff to operate safely and efficiently. Management information provided by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) shows that at 31 March 2023, 502 people were employed in an NTC. This figure excludes those staff delivering pre-existing NHS services which have been relocated to NTC sites. 130 (26%) are new entrants meaning they are undertaking their first role in NHS Scotland. Whilst these figures from NES are classed as management information at this stage, NES will continue to work with data providers to develop these as Official Statistics. The next step in this process will be to release these statistics within the NHS Scotland workforce publication as Experimental Statistics in December 2023. NTC workforce data will be reported every six months thereafter.

Question reference: S6W-18710

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what targets have been set to recruit (a) nurses and (b) medics to meet its commitment of 1,500 new staff for National Treatment Centres, in the period up to and including 2027.

Question reference: S6W-18713

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its international recruitment target for the NHS is in 2023-24, broken down by profession.

The Scottish Government has previously advised that International Recruitment is a short term solution to build our workforce capacity and a target for 2023-24 has yet to be announced. However to continue to support Boards, based on current budget we have advised of interim funding of £3 million that is being made available to avoid a break in already developed supply lines, securing the recruitment of a further 250 nurses, midwifes and Allied Health Professionals from overseas in 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-18708

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many paramedic training places were available in (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-18703

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £3 million investment for accelerated treatment in lung cancer diagnostic services has been allocated to date, broken down by NHS board.

The Scottish Government has made available £3 million of funding to the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), hosted in NHS Golden Jubilee, to support implementation of the optimal lung cancer diagnostic pathway. CfSD is responsible for supporting the design and delivery of optimal cancer diagnostic pathways in NHS Scotland, and has been working with Boards across Scotland to enhance current services and direct investment to the areas with greatest need.

Question reference: S6O-02408

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there was a delay of more than 80 days in processing 70% of Adult Disability Payments in April 2023.