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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: S6T-01869

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported cyber attack on NHS Dumfries and Galloway.

Question reference: S6W-25488

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 11 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) current value and (b) status is of the fund that has been set aside for the costs associated with the job evaluation of college support staff.

Question reference: S6W-25793

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Standard 1 within the National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People: Principles and Standards of Care, which was published in September 2021, that a first appointment for all children and young people who have been identified as needing a neurodevelopmental assessment should take place "as soon as possible and no later than 4 weeks from identification of need", whether waiting times for first appointments are routinely published.

We do not routinely publish waiting times for neurodevelopmental assessments.

As many children and young people do not meet diagnostic criteria for a neurodevelopmental disorder and their needs will change over time, the Scottish Government believe that the focus should be on identifying needs and the support they require within the framework of Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC).

As described in the National Neurodevelopmental Specification , we expect NHS Boards and Children's Services partners to work towards implementing the standards outlined. The Specification makes clear that support should be put in place to meet the child or young person’s requirements when they need it, rather than be dependent on a formal diagnosis. For many children and young people, such support is likely to be community based, and should be quickly and easily accessible.

We are working with NHS Health Boards and Local Authorities to enhance support for neurodivergent children and young people, including how quickly they can access support. We have also funded five tests of change focussing on various aspects of the Specification, including improving multi-agency working.

Question reference: S6W-25489

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent action it has taken to ensure that the provision of traditional building skills (a) college courses and (b) apprenticeships is available across the south of Scotland.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) continues to champion traditional skills and is working with stakeholders across the country to address traditional skills gaps to help ensure Scotland’s historic buildings can thrive as part of the country’s sustainable future.

Colleges are responsible for their own operational decisions, including course provision, as they are best placed to respond flexibly to emerging trends at local and regional level. Apprenticeships continue to be based on demand and Scottish Government work closely with Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council to support those who are looking to take on apprentices.

Scottish Government has been exploring the workforce demand for skilled stonemasons through engagement with the stonemasonry short life working group led by HES. The working group was set up to look at stonemasonry and traditional skills provision in Scotland with a view to identifying sustainable models of stonemasonry training for future delivery, and they have since provided their report of findings and recommendations to Ministers for their consideration.

The former Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development and I met HES in recent months to discuss stonemasonry and we await their proposals to address the skills issues in the sector.

Question reference: S6W-25490

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reintroduce the Flexible Workforce Development Fund for colleges.

Question reference: S6O-03212

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the accessibility for disabled people of train stations in Dumfries and Galloway.

Question reference: S6F-02904

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 March 2024

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to reduce waiting times for children referred for a neurodevelopmental assessment.

Question reference: S6W-25737

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to brachycephalic dog breeds, what steps it has taken to enforce the condition in Annex B of its publication, Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021: guidance for dog breeders, which states that "No dog may be kept for breeding if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype, conformation, behaviour or state of health, that breeding from it could have a detrimental effect on its health or welfare or the health or welfare of its offspring".

Enforcement of The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 is the responsibility of local authorities in Scotland. The Scottish Government has provided detailed guidance to local authorities to assist them to deliver this enforcement function, including guidance on the checks required when a licence application is received from a breeder breeding, or proposing to breed, a category 3 breed as recognised by the Kennel Club, which includes brachycephalic breeds such as Pugs and Bulldogs. Where an inspector appointed by a local authority is not satisfied that a breeder has sufficient knowledge of the breed and/or is failing to apply robust selection and health screening procedures to minimise the risk of extreme conformations, then the local authority can refuse to license the breeder.

Question reference: S6W-25738

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the condition in Annex B of its publication, Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021: guidance for dog breeders, which states that "No dog may be kept for breeding if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype, conformation, behaviour or state of health, that breeding from it could have a detrimental effect on its health or welfare or the health or welfare of its offspring", has noticeably improved the welfare of brachycephalic dog breeds in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken any targeted work to assess if the welfare of brachycephalic breeds has improved following the introduction of The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (the 2021 regulations), however this is something that we do intend to investigate further with local authorities and relevant stakeholders.

Meantime, the Scottish Government continues to engage regularly with local authorities on the enforcement of the 2021 regulations and work with key stakeholders to promote and encourage ethical and responsible breeding of dogs.

Question reference: S6W-25492

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 1 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the concerns of BMA Scotland regarding the proposal that the General Medical Council rather than the Health and Care Professions Council should regulate anaesthesia associates and physician associates.

The Scottish Government is aware of the BMA Scotland’s views that anaesthesia associates (AA) and physician associates (PA) should be regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) rather than the General Medical Council (GMC).

The Scottish Government is satisfied with the suitability of the GMC as the regulator. AAs and PAs are educated in curricula aligned to the medical model and work complementary to and under the supervision of doctors, a common regulator ensures consistent standards, providing doctors with better assurance when delegating clinical tasks. It also ensures a consistent approach across professional groups in relation to adverse events, particularly where fitness to practise concerns arise.

Furthermore, the Department of Health and Social Care published a UK-wide consultation in 2017 which clearly demonstrated a majority preference for the GMC as the regulator (59% in comparison to 20% for the HCPC).

With regard to the BMA Scotland’s concerns that GMC regulation will confuse patients as to a practitioner’s professional status, current guidance issued to Health Boards by the Scottish Government stipulates that patients should always be told when they are being treated by an AA or PA, rather than a doctor. Once regulated, the roles will also become subject to the principles in Good Medical Practice to always be open and honest about their role and ensure that they are working within the limits of their qualifications and experience.