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 1084 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-40874

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 9 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that children and young people from rural areas who have cancer and are excluded from accessing the Young Patients Family Fund do not experience inequalities in accessing their treatment and care because of any significant travel distances and costs that they might face over long periods of time.

If a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, the Scottish Government wants them to be treated as close to home as clinically appropriate. As treatments for cancer become more complex and expensive however, it is not possible to deliver them in every location. We know that the best outcomes are often associated with specialist centres and patients should be fully supported in accessing these.

Where travel is necessary, the Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to work collaboratively with each other and transport providers to make suitable arrangements to ensure that the necessary treatment can be provided in a patient-centred way.

The Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) was established to support families visiting children receiving inpatient care in hospital, for any health condition, to meet some of the costs of hospital visits. This includes providing a contribution to costs relating to travel, subsistence and accommodation. The YPFF was not designed to provide financial support to patients themselves.

Further to this, the Scottish Government provides the overall guidance to NHS Boards for patient travel expenses reimbursement. Several schemes are in place offering financial reimbursement for travel costs for treatment.

The Patient Travel Expenses Scheme (PTES) is Scotland-wide and provides support to those in receipt of certain benefits.

The Highlands and Islands Travel Scheme (HITS) reimburses the travel costs of everyone in the Highlands and Islands area required to travel more than 30 miles to a hospital by road or 5 miles by air or land, less the first £10 (unless in receipt of certain benefits).

Under the discretionary scheme, NHS Boards may also choose to reimburse patient travel expenses to those not eligible under PTES or HITS where it is viewed to be an extension of treatment costs and deemed to be clinically necessary.

Question reference: S6O-05038

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure there is appropriate policing cover for communities in Dumfriesshire.

Question reference: S6W-40875

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 September 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 28 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on allowing children and young people from rural areas who have cancer and must travel significant distances for day care and treatment, and who are currently excluded from accessing the Young Patients Family Fund, to access this Fund to support their travel costs.

Question reference: S6O-05007

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support NHS Dumfries and Galloway in addressing financial pressures.

Question reference: S6W-40314

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that passengers from Lockerbie train station can benefit from the removal of peak fares.

ScotRail is not currently contracted or funded by Transport Scotland to operate rail services to Lockerbie. This has been investigated several times in the past but cannot be delivered efficiently by extending an existing service to Lockerbie.

It would require the leasing of additional trains and recruitment of staff resulting in an increased cost of several million pounds each year. It is therefore most cost efficient to the taxpayer, for cross-border operators to serve the station.

Options were explored to find a solution for Lockerbie station, however due to a range of factors, no sensible solution could be progressed at this time.

Question reference: S6O-04957

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that pupils attending smaller rural schools are receiving the additional support for learning that they need.

Question reference: S6W-38472

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 20 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many stoma nurses there currently are, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-38473

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 20 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason young carers are reportedly discriminated against in relation to school absences and claiming Education Maintenance Allowance.

No young person should not be discriminated against if they are a young carer and are entitled to claim the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

Receipt of the EMA is linked to attendance - that is why we strongly encourage delivery partners to consider a young person’s personal circumstance and apply flexibility to their attendance pattern.

This approach is clearly highlighted in the EMA guidance document which gives local authorities and colleges the necessary guidelines to help them administer the EMA programme effectively and fairly by using their own discretion, and in line with both local and national policies.

We also advise that young people inform their school or Local Authority of their circumstances (such as those with caring responsibilities) in order for flexibility to be applied.

Question reference: S6W-38474

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Young Carer Grant is only available to carers aged 16 to 18, in light of many young carers being younger than this.

The Young Carer Grant is part of a package of measures to support young carers alongside non-cash support through the Young Scot Young Carers Package, which is available to young carers aged 11-18 and provides tailored discounts and opportunities including high value e-vouchers, wellbeing boxes and vouchers for family days out.

The eligibility criteria for Young Carer Grant were developed with carers and those that represent and support them. As highlighted in the Equality Impact Assessment for the grant it is “…targeted at young adults at a transition point in their lives. There was a firm consensus among stakeholders that it would be inappropriate to pay benefits to people under the age of 16.”

The interim evaluation of the Young Carer Grant, published in 2021, showed the grant was having a positive impact on young carers' ability to take part in opportunities that are the norm for their peers and that stakeholders were generally supportive of the age criteria.

Question reference: S6O-04810

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that residents in Eskdale can access patient transport for hospital appointments.