Seòmar agus comataidhean

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

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 3284 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-39964

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support is being provided to NHS Lanarkshire to improve its patient-to-staff ratio for audiology services.

The Scottish Government has commissioned NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to undertake work which maps the skills and competencies required at each level of practice for all disciplines within the healthcare science profession, including audiology as a clinical priority area.

This sits hand in hand with activity which will enable us to be able to map our scientific workforce in across all NHS Territorial Health Boards, including NHS Lanarkshire, more accurately, strengthening capacity, training and recruitment pipelines for audiologists, and supporting better workforce planning for the future.

Question reference: S6W-39962

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how NHS Lanarkshire is addressing the recommendations of the Independent Review of Audiology in Scotland report, and whether it will publish a detailed delivery plan for audiology services.

A programme of work to address recommendations of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland has now concluded and each of the 55 recommendations updated.

In line with agreed governance structures processes, all NHS Territorial Health Boards have established Local Improvement Plans for 2023-24 and were instructed by Scottish Government to outline their governance, reporting and management processes through a Local Assurance Framework in 2024, as well as, requiring the inclusion of audiology in their 2025-26 Annual Delivery Plans.

It would be for NHS Lanarkshire to make the decision to publish these plans.

Question reference: S6W-39970

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that all NHS boards adopt and report against national KPIs for audiology services, including patient-reported outcome measures and paediatric pathway indicators.

As part of Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) benchmarking, a mapping exercise is currently underway which includes the consideration of national KPI reporting for audiology services.

An executive lead group for audiology has been reestablished, with representation from each NHS Territorial Health Board to consider the outputs and next steps of this work, which will conclude within the current financial year.

Question reference: S6W-39949

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it continues to operate an "all-or-nothing” funding policy that withdraws all NHS IVF support when couples procure donor eggs privately, and what its response is to reported concerns that this policy is forcing those who cannot secure altruistic NHS donors within a four-year timeframe to pay twice for fertility treatment.

The Scottish Government is clear that patients should not pay for any part of their NHS treatment, and NHS patients are not permitted to use purchased donor eggs for NHS treatment. However, NHS treatment should not be withdrawn from patients who purchase their own donor eggs for use in future private treatment. If a patient is unhappy with the care they have received, they should contact their NHS Board who have responsibility for delivering services.

Question reference: S6W-39916

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 4 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that, when the Scottish Ministers make decisions to allow development under the Electricity Act 1989, they are meeting the requirements of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 for all public bodies to further the conservation of biodiversity when carrying out their responsibilities.

The Scottish Ministers make decisions on applications in accordance with legislative requirements and relevant policy. Energy consent applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, with all relevant information considered to ensure balanced decision-making. This includes environmental information, consultee responses from public bodies and representations from the public.

All information related to determinations made by the Scottish Ministers in respect of onshore wind farm developments, including any conditions to mitigate biodiversity impacts, is publicly available on our Energy Consents portal: https://www.energyconsents.scot/ApplicationSearch.aspx

Question reference: S6W-40283

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the proposed draft regulations to add the characteristic of sex to the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, how it will determine its (a) budget and (b) timetable for implementing the change at (i) Police Scotland and (ii) the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, and in relation to (A) any system upgrades, (B) the delivery of training and (C) the introduction of any statutory guidance.

Question reference: S6W-40282

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its decision not to proceed with the introduction of the Misogyny Bill, and instead to consult on draft regulations to add the characteristic of sex to the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, how it will ensure that it captures the specific experiences of women and girls, particularly by engaging local survivors’ groups, women’s aid services and intersectional advocacy organisations, and what formal mechanisms will help to ensure that their input shapes any statutory guidance.

Question reference: S6W-40285

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 18 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the proposed draft regulations to add the characteristic of sex to the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, what evaluation process will be used to assess whether embedding the characteristic of sex in hate crime law is effective in tackling gendered violence patterns, and how it will ensure that any feedback from frontline practitioners, victims and experts directly shapes any iterative updates in the future.

Question reference: S6W-40019

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 2 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether additional resources will be allocated to recruit and retain trained attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) specialists.

Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, operational matters – including the recruitment and training of staff – are in the first instance the responsibility of the relevant NHS Board.

We continue to work closely with Health Boards and clinical professionals across Scotland to understand any specific challenges they are facing in the recruitment and training of specialist staff needed to support people with ADHD.

We continue to fund NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) to deliver professional learning to improve the Scottish workforce’s knowledge and skills about Neurodivergence, including Autism and ADHD.

To address specific challenges in the recruitment and retention of psychiatrists in Scotland we established a Working Group which recently reported to Ministers, 23 June 2025. Funding also continues to be provided to Boards for the additional roles to help mental health pharmacy services including within community mental health pharmacy support to improve medication use and prescribing practices.

Question reference: S6W-39645

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 26 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is monitoring and evaluating whether annual funding to local government for trading standards teams is being targeted and spent in line with the purpose of ensuring that local and national enforcement priorities are delivered, including implementing the legislation on the sales of tobacco and vapes to underage people, sales of illicit tobacco and vapes, and the ban on single use vapes.

We work closely with the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) to support enforcement of existing legislation, including checks on sales of tobacco and vapes to under 18s, and advice to business.

In 2025-26 this includes providing funding of £46k to support a National Coordinator post and specific enforcement projects that vary year on year. SCOTSS manages the Enhanced Tobacco Sales Enforcement Programme (ETSEP) in Scotland, which is a key component in the Scottish Government’s Tobacco and Vaping Framework, and helps ensure that young people’s access to harmful age-restricted products is minimised.

In addition in 2025-26, the Scottish Government has made £300k available for transitional costs associated with the ban on SUVs, and to support recycling and responsible disposal of SUV’s seized by local authorities.

The 2025-26 budget delivered record funding of over £15.1 billion for Local Government, a real terms increase of 5.5 per cent. Local Government have responsibility for working to ensure local budget decisions deliver local and national priorities, including those on the enforcement of existing legislation, including on underage sales and illicit tobacco and vapes and the single use vape ban.