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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-26902

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of staff currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner were previously employed by (a) Police Scotland, (b) any other police service and (c) the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Question reference: S6W-26901

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner, and in what roles.

Question reference: S6W-26900

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 April 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of staff currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner were previously serving police officers.

Question reference: S6W-26392

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions the treatment Olaparib has been prescribed in each NHS board area since it was approved for use by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) in 2021.

Question reference: S6W-26307

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to any implications of recent flooding events for wild salmon populations.

The Scottish Government has not given specific consideration to the implications of recent flooding on wild salmon populations. High river flows potentially wash out salmon eggs from nests on the riverbed and displace juvenile fish downstream. However, research suggests that salmon are well adapted to natural flow variability, including floods in natural river systems. Current evidence suggests a periodic trend towards more extreme flows in some Scottish rivers. With climate change scenarios, there is potential for further increases in high flows which may impact on salmon.

Heavily modified rivers are likely to be less resilient to potential disturbance. Restoration of natural morphological processes and channel characteristics could improve resilience. The Wild Salmon Strategy covers five priority areas, including ‘improving the condition of rivers and giving salmon free access to cold, clean water.’ The Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) specifically encourages projects to restore wildlife and habitats.

Question reference: S6W-26306

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to measures to increase the wild salmon population through stocking initiatives.

A Government report on the scientific considerations in stocking policy development for river managers was published last year Science of salmon stocking: report .

In summary, the supplementation of wild populations with salmon raised in hatcheries can play a part in securing benefits for wild salmon, but may also cause significant and long-lasting harm, depending on the situation.

It is recognised that in specific situations where the threat of extinction can be identified and is imminent and extreme, stocking with hatchery raised salmon may be a vital tool following careful consideration of the inherent risks. The Wild Salmon Strategy Science and Evidence Board is currently reviewing the evidence of various stocking methods in these situations and will report to the Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan Delivery Group soon.

Question reference: S6W-26304

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the implementation of the Scottish Wild Salmon Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-26390

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer will be completed.

Question reference: S6W-26391

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether consideration is being given, as part of the review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer, to risk factors such as family history and ethnicity in improving the early detection of prostate cancer.

A wealth of evidence is being collated and analysed as part of the 2024 Clinical Review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer, including from key partners Cancer Research UK and Healthcare Improvement Scotland. All factors that are relevant in the context of symptoms suspicious of cancer based on available evidence, that could support primary care decision-making, will be considered in the Guideline review. The prostate peer review session (PRS), as part of the Review, is scheduled for May 2024.

Question reference: S6W-26389

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the necessary genetic tests are available in all NHS board areas to enable the prescribing of Olaparib to treat prostate cancer.

Prostate BRCA1/2 genetic testing to support access to Olaparib is available to all eligible patients in Scotland. The testing has been implemented with funding from Scottish Government in 2023-24.

In Scotland genomic testing is provided through a network of four NHS laboratories which are commissioned through NHS National Services Division (NSD), part of NHS National Services Scotland. The laboratories work in conjunction with the Scottish Strategic Network for Genomic Medicine (SSNGM) to deliver a directory of genomic tests for people across Scotland as a whole and to ensure that testing is embedded within end-to-end clinical pathways.