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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: S5O-04262

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that people across the country have easy access to community sports facilities.

Question reference: S5W-27507

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed sale of Glasgow Prestwick Airport, and when the successful bidder will be named.

I advised Parliament on 19 December 2019 that a Preferred Bidder had been selected and set out the reasons why the identity of the Preferred Bidder could not be disclosed. I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-26761 on 19 December 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Good progress continues to be made and we are satisfied with how the sale process is developing. I will update Parliament further in due course once discussions with the Preferred Bidder have concluded.

Question reference: S5W-27579

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential disruption to a child's education caused by having a parent in the armed forces.

We fully recognise the potential disruption which Armed Forces children may face during their education.

The Additional Support for Learning Act places duties on education authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs, long and short term, of pupils in their schools. The supporting statutory Code of Practice is clear that additional support needs encompass a wide range of barriers to learning, including those which might impact on children from forces families such as interrupted learning and parental deployment. The assessment of needs and the support required depends on individual circumstances and is a matter for the education authority, school and family.

The Scottish Government continues to work with a wide range of stakeholders to help understand and promote support for the education needs of children from military families.

Question reference: S5O-04210

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress it is making in implementing the proposals in its paper, A Fairer Scotland for Older People: A Framework for Action.

Question reference: S5W-27286

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 25 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when the funding for a lung cancer screening pilot programme that it committed to in December 2019 will be released, and what the next steps are to implement this programme.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office awarded funding in January 2020 for a two year research project led by the University of Edinburgh titled: “How should Scotland respond to the challenge of Lung Cancer Screening: a mixed methods feasibility study?” that will examine how to best identify those at highest risk of lung cancer and offer them a medical check on their lung health. The project is expected to start once the arrangements needed to conduct the study have been put in place by the research team.

Question reference: S5W-27287

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 25 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that patients who were involved in the recently published trial of the blood test for early diagnosis of people at risk of lung cancer continue to receive the follow-up screening attention that they need.

Question reference: S5W-27310

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 February 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 25 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to implementing a screening programme for lung cancer, in light of it being the most common cause of death from cancer in Scotland.

The Scottish Government, along with the rest of the UK is advised on all aspects of screening by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group. Due to a lack of evidence to support the use of the screen tests within a population screening programme the UK NSC do not currently recommend screening for lung cancer. We understand the VKNSC will review the evidence again following the publication of the results of the NELSON randomised lung cancer screening trial. The Scottish Government is exploring what further opportunities exist for Scotland to contribute to the emerging evidence base.

Question reference: S5F-03992

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 February 2020

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government considers to be the educational benefits of learning to play music.

Question reference: S5O-04168

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5O-04149

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will fully fund the recent teachers' pay settlement to be delivered by councils in 2020-21.