- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported findings in the Royal College of Radiologists report, Clinical Oncology: Workforce Census 2024, that 80% of cancer centre leaders reported that staff shortages have led to delays in patients starting systemic anti-cancer therapy treatment and 100% reported that shortages have caused radiotherapy delays in their hospitals.
Answer
The Scottish Government has established the National Oncology Coordination Group to provide a coordinated and collaborative response to immediate and foreseeable service pressures. This group provides rapid real-time assessment of highest risk services and proactively develops risk mitigation proposals, in line with the overall strategic aim for cancer. Officials also meet with Boards’ Cancer Management Teams monthly to identify immediate challenges, explore solutions and share best practice to reduce delays and improve patient outcomes.
We have mobilised an ambitious Oncology Transformation Programme and are working closely with NHS Boards and regional leaders from across the country to address longer-term pressures. We have also committed to further funding for chemotherapy and acute oncology services using a phased approach to ensure we build a sustainable workforce. The funding will reach up to £10 million per annum by 2027 and will support increased regional working, workforce recruitment, and maximise capacity across the existing workforce. £6.6 million has been provided in 2025-26 and will support NHS Boards to develop sustainable plans.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Royal College of Radiologists report, Clinical Oncology: Workforce Census 2024, how it plans to reduce any reliance by NHS boards on the outsourcing of radiology reporting, in light of the reported forecast that outsourcing spend could reach as much as £30 million per year by 2029.
Answer
As stated in the answer to question S6W-38508 on 18 June 2025, whilst Scottish Ministers are responsible for determining the strategic policy of the NHS in Scotland, NHS Boards are responsible for delivering their services, including making decisions to outsource NHS contracts to the independent sector where appropriate to meet the Board’s needs.
Scottish Government has committed to reduce the radiology backlog so that 95% of referrals are seen within six weeks by March 2026, through expanding to seven-day services, recruitment, and using mobile scanning units. More than £106 million has been allocated to NHS Boards in 25-26 to help address waits for procedures and operations, with £21 million for imaging.
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.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Kidney Care UK’s recent report, Left to get on with it: The real impact of inadequate psychosocial support in kidney care, whether it plans to implement measures to train and upskill NHS kidney care teams, general practitioners and talking therapies professionals, to ensure timely referral and access to psychosocial support for people living with chronic kidney disease.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not currently have plans to introduce specific measures to train and upskill NHS kidney care teams in relation to psychosocial support.
NHS Boards are expected to follow current guidelines and best practice in delivering safe, effective, and person-centred care. Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023 sets out a long-term vision for improving mental health, supported by the National Specification for Psychological Therapies and Interventions and the new Mental Health Core Standards, introduced in September 2023. Workforce planning and training are led locally, aligned with national frameworks.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring is in place to ensure consistency and quality in school-based counselling services across local authority areas.
Answer
Our national guidance for local authorities sets out expectations for monitoring and reviewing the service. The guidance also makes clear that the operation of the counselling service within the school should be reviewed annually and any necessary improvements made.
The Scottish Government facilitates a quarterly Counsellors Network to provide a forum for local authority representatives co-ordinating the school counselling service to discuss practice and delivery.
Local authorities also provide annual reports to the Scottish Government on counselling services. These returns provide national oversight and inform ongoing engagement with local authorities. A summary of these reports can be accessed here: Access to counsellors in secondary schools and children and young people’s community mental health services – summary reports - gov.scot.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend access to counselling provision in primary schools, building on its existing commitment to secondary school counselling.
Answer
School counselling services are available to all pupils aged 10 and over, including primary and special school pupils.
The Scottish Government engaged with professional counselling bodies prior to establishing counselling services who advised that therapeutic counselling is not appropriate for younger pupils.
Counselling is just one of a range of mental health supports available for children and young people.
We are also providing local authorities with £15 million per annum to fund community-based mental health and wellbeing supports for children, young people and their families, which includes younger primary-school-aged children.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will explore the introduction of mobile or hybrid counselling models in any under-served areas.
Answer
It is for local authorities to determine how they deliver the counselling service in their area.
The school counselling aims and principles, agreed jointly with COSLA, set out that counselling services should be accessible, utilising technology, virtual approaches and delivery in non-educational settings where that best meets children and young people’s needs and interests, including, for example, in rural and island communities.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish data on the (a) frequency, (b) type and (c) availability of counselling provision in schools in the last five years, broken down by local authority area, including rural and island areas.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Local authorities may hold this information.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many weapons have been seized and recorded as being carried by pupils in schools in each year since 1999.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-33307 on 28 January 2025. 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
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to identify any errors in reports on chronic pain that it has commissioned and supervised, in light of reports that one such report did not make it clear that it was based on accounts of commercially recruited people who were paid £200 each to participate, and that, when these people were interviewed, they were not asked whether their condition had been diagnosed by a health professional.
Answer
The Scottish Government takes the accuracy of its commissioned reports seriously and aims to ensure that work carried out on its behalf is appropriate.
The report referenced was produced by an independent research organisation using established qualitative research methods. Participants were recruited and offered reimbursement for their time, which is standard practice in lived experience research.
The research intended to explore experiences of people living with chronic pain rather than to verify clinical diagnosis. As such, participants were not asked to provide a confirmation of diagnosis.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 June 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on counsellors in schools in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government. Since 2021, we have continued to support our local authority partners with £16 million in funding to ensure that all school pupils aged 10 and above and all secondary schools in Scotland have access to school counselling services.
Funding for school counselling services was established in the 2019-20 financial year and therefore the table below outlines the distribution and allocation of funding since 2019-20. The funding for the years 2019–20 to 2022–23 was ring-fenced for the provision of counselling services. From 2023–24 onwards, this funding has been baselined in the overall local government settlement.
The following figures represent funding provided to local authorities for the provision of counselling services. The Scottish Government does not hold information on how much has been spent on counsellors in schools as local authorities are responsible for the delivery of education. Local authorities may hold this information.
Funding distribution and allocations - Scottish Government funding for delivering access to counsellors in schools
Local Authority | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
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Aberdeen City | 350,000 | 466,000 | 466,000 | 466,000 | 466,000 | 466,000 | 466,000 |
Aberdeenshire | 574,000 | 774,000 | 774,000 | 774,000 | 774,000 | 774,000 | 774,000 |
Angus | 264,000 | 346,000 | 346,000 | 346,000 | 346,000 | 346,000 | 346,000 |
Argyll and Bute | 286,000 | 377,000 | 377,000 | 377,000 | 377,000 | 377,000 | 377,000 |
Clackmannanshire | 131,000 | 164,000 | 164,000 | 164,000 | 164,000 | 164,000 | 164,000 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 385,000 | 514,000 | 514,000 | 514,000 | 514,000 | 514,000 | 514,000 |
Dundee City | 299,000 | 395,000 | 395,000 | 395,000 | 395,000 | 395,000 | 395,000 |
East Ayrshire | 287,000 | 378,000 | 378,000 | 378,000 | 378,000 | 378,000 | 378,000 |
East Dunbartonshire | 308,000 | 407,000 | 407,000 | 407,000 | 407,000 | 407,000 | 407,000 |
East Lothian | 242,000 | 317,000 | 317,000 | 317,000 | 317,000 | 317,000 | 317,000 |
East Renfrewshire | 311,000 | 411,000 | 411,000 | 411,000 | 411,000 | 411,000 | 411,000 |
Edinburgh City | 705,000 | 955,000 | 955,000 | 955,000 | 955,000 | 955,000 | 955,000 |
Eilean Siar (Western Isles) | 140,000 | 177,000 | 177,000 | 177,000 | 177,000 | 177,000 | 177,000 |
Falkirk | 352,000 | 468,000 | 468,000 | 468,000 | 468,000 | 468,000 | 468,000 |
Fife | 738,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
Glasgow City | 955,000 | 1,300,000 | 1,300,000 | 1,300,000 | 1,300,000 | 1,300,000 | 1,300,000 |
Highland | 754,000 | 1,022,000 | 1,022,000 | 1,022,000 | 1,022,000 | 1,022,000 | 1,022,000 |
Inverclyde | 195,000 | 251,000 | 251,000 | 251,000 | 251,000 | 251,000 | 251,000 |
Midlothian | 220,000 | 286,000 | 286,000 | 286,000 | 286,000 | 286,000 | 286,000 |
Moray | 208,000 | 270,000 | 270,000 | 270,000 | 270,000 | 270,000 | 270,000 |
North Ayrshire | 329,000 | 437,000 | 437,000 | 437,000 | 437,000 | 437,000 | 437,000 |
North Lanarkshire | 765,000 | 1,037,000 | 1,037,000 | 1,037,000 | 1,037,000 | 1,037,000 | 1,037,000 |
Orkney Islands | 146,000 | 185,000 | 185,000 | 185,000 | 185,000 | 185,000 | 185,000 |
Perth and Kinross | 328,000 | 436,000 | 436,000 | 436,000 | 436,000 | 436,000 | 436,000 |
Renfrewshire | 389,000 | 519,000 | 519,000 | 519,000 | 519,000 | 519,000 | 519,000 |
Scottish Borders | 263,000 | 345,000 | 345,000 | 345,000 | 345,000 | 345,000 | 345,000 |
Shetland Islands | 197,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 | 255,000 |
South Ayrshire | 253,000 | 332,000 | 332,000 | 332,000 | 332,000 | 332,000 | 332,000 |
South Lanarkshire | 709,000 | 961,000 | 961,000 | 961,000 | 961,000 | 961,000 | 961,000 |
Stirling | 262,000 | 344,000 | 344,000 | 344,000 | 344,000 | 344,000 | 344,000 |
West Dunbartonshire | 226,000 | 294,000 | 294,000 | 294,000 | 294,000 | 294,000 | 294,000 |
West Lothian | 429,000 | 574,000 | 574,000 | 574,000 | 574,000 | 574,000 | 574,000 |
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SCOTLAND | £12,000,000 | 16,000,000 | £16,000,000 | £16,000,000 | 16,000,000 | £16,000,000 | £16,000,000 |
