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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: S6W-40829

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many children under the age of 16 have been admitted to an NHS hospital for a tooth extraction as a result of tooth decay in each of the past five years, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6F-04374

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 October 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that the mental health budget has been reduced in the 2025-26 Autumn Budget Revision.

Question reference: S6F-04327

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 September 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that proposed changes to the counting method for NHS waiting lists will result in numbers falling despite no more patients being seen.

Question reference: S6W-40200

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 September 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement that the chickenpox vaccine will be offered on the NHS in the UK from January 2026, what consideration it has given to adding the chickenpox vaccine to its standard childhood vaccination programme.

Question reference: S6F-04284

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 September 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2025

To ask the First Minister what urgent steps the Scottish Government is taking in response to reports that nursing and midwifery vacancies have risen by 60% in six months.

Question reference: S6W-39792

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 August 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) it and (b) Public Health Scotland (i) budgeted for and (ii) spent in each of the last three years running (A) mass and (B) social media campaigns to raise smokers’ awareness of the (1) Quit Your Way cessation services delivered by NHS boards and (2) health benefits and financial savings that might be achieved through quitting, broken down by how many people made enquiries or sought support, and how much it has (aa) budgeted for and (bb) spent so far in 2025-26, broken down by the (AA) current and (BB) expected uptake.

We do not set an annual budget for marketing campaigns for smoking cessation and this would form part of the overall budget for tobacco and smoking, which since 2023-24 has been £2.93 million. The Scottish Government ran Community Pharmacy poster campaigns promoting the free Quit Your Way Scotland (QYWS) service in 2022-23 (£15,288) and 2023-24 (£16,544). The initiative encouraged individuals to engage with their local pharmacists for tailored support and advice on quitting smoking. As part of the implementation of the Tobacco and Vaping Framework we committed to continue to support, promote and review Community Pharmacy cessation campaigns.

A series of campaigns led by Public Health Scotland (PHS) have also promoted the QYWS. Including a national campaign in February 2024 to increase awareness of, and engagement with the free QYWS service and, most recently, an organic social media campaign in August 2025 to raise awareness among pregnant women, their partners, and families of the support available to quit smoking. Spend and evaluation for PHS’ campaigns are not held centrally.

The Scottish Government does not have data on the number of enquiries or support sought as a result of these awareness raising campaigns.

The Scottish Government provides funding annually to Health Boards for smoking cessation and prevention services as part of a wider Outcomes Framework allocation, whereby budget is provided to Health Boards to cover a range of outcomes. It is up to Health Boards to decide how much of this funding to allocate to each outcome. The published Scottish Budget for 2025-26 includes £72.2 million for the Outcomes Framework.

In 2023-24 PHS statistics from NHS Stop Smoking Services showed there were 30,319 attempts to stop smoking, a 12.4% increase from 2022-23. Data is not yet available for 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-39210

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 8 August 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38812 by Jenni Minto on 26 June 2025, what prior engagement it had with the clinical community to inform the development of the long-term conditions framework consultation, and what feedback it received from any such engagement.

The Scottish Government has undertaken a range of stakeholder engagement prior to the development of a long term conditions framework consultation, including meeting with fifteen clinicians representing seven policy areas (stroke, respiratory, cardiology, chronic pain, neurology, diabetes and long COVID) between August and September 2024. These engagements captured a mixed response, with some raising concern that moving to an integrated approach risks losing focus and progress for policy work in these areas. However, the potential transition to an integrated approach was also seen as more equitable, with value in conditions working together. All clinical leads were able to identify opportunities within their specialty for beneficial joins to be made across conditions.

Additionally, in September 2024 the approach set out in the consultation was presented to the Scottish Government Professional Advisory Group, which involves clinicians working across a wider range of specialties including primary care and allied health professionals, to discuss the proposed changes in approach to long term conditions. This meeting involved discussion of opportunities to simplify, make efficiencies and provide effective interventions while taking a whole person approach, starting with the person rather than the condition.

We will continue to engage with the clinical community and lived experience groups as the Framework develops. The public consultation on long term conditions closed on 20 July, and analysis is ongoing.

Question reference: S6W-39209

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported variability of access across Scotland to the 12-month minimum guaranteed post-diagnostic support for people living with dementia.

The New Dementia Strategy for Scotland emphasises the importance of ensuring that people are supported to receive a timely diagnosis, delivered in a person-centred manner, and high quality Post-Diagnostic Support is received for a minimum of 12 months, irrespective of where they live or how old they are. This includes a diagnosis of dementia being followed with clear, consistent quality information and support options, underpinned by inclusive communication approaches, including Post-Diagnostic Support, rehabilitation and other supportive treatments to people with dementia and their care partners.

To support the delivery of this ambition, and address variation in access, we have continued to invest an additional £3.5m per year to Health & Social Care Partnerships to increase uptake of this support in communities across Scotland.

We have also commissioned IFF Research to undertake an independent evaluation of Scotland’s dementia Post-Diagnostic Support policy. To better understand how this is being prioritised and delivered locally, and provide evidence of the value and impact of Post-Diagnostic Support to date which will help inform future Post-Diagnostic Support policy, service planning and practice.

To support the evaluation, we are progressing work with data specialists in the Scottish Government, local government and Public Health Scotland to improve data collection on diagnosis and Post-Diagnostic Support, with the aim of publishing more accurate data on the numbers of people living with a diagnosis and the proportion of those diagnosed who access Post-Diagnostic Support. Early work has seen Public Health Scotland develop an initial version of a Dementia Index which brings together 5 points of data from across Health and Social Care. This data work is crucial in helping us to identify the number of people living with dementia who are accessing care and support, ensuring that this links into data from primary care.

Lastly, I also want to highlight the role that dementia community groups across Scotland play in supporting people to seek a diagnosis and improve access to Post-Diagnostic Support. Working with the National Dementia Resilient Communities Board, made up of local, national and third sector partners alongside the voices of lived experience, the Scottish Government has allocated around £1.45m since 2024 to enhance the resilience of community and grassroots supports for those who are living with dementia.

Question reference: S6W-39212

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on developing a clear, consistent set of national standards and care pathway guarantees that set out the level and standard of care that everyone with a diagnosis of dementia should expect throughout each stage of their condition.

A national local delivery plan (LDP) standard was introduced to agree priorities between Scottish Government and NHS boards for the provision of care and support. The LDP standard states all people newly diagnosed with dementia should receive a minimum of one year’s Post-Diagnostic Support, provided by a named link worker.

Extending the awareness, reach and impact of Post-Diagnostic Support is a key priority for all those living with dementia, from those diagnosed with the condition it its initial stages to those living in residential care. This supports people with dementia and their care partners to uphold their right to participation in care needs assessment, future care planning, choosing and arranging care, support and treatment. This includes advanced decision making, embracing the principle of shared decision making and in accordance with the principles of Realistic Medicine and detailed in the SIGN Dementia Guideline.

Question reference: S6W-39213

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 July 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 30 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been undertaken to understand the potential impact of increasing eligibility criteria to access local social care services on people living with dementia.

The Scottish Government and CoSLA are working in partnership to deliver on the Joint Statement of Intent and Next Steps for Adult Social Care 2022-23 commitment to overhaul the current mechanism of eligibility criteria to ensure an approach to social care support that is based on human rights and needs, including for people living with dementia.

This work is being undertaken with input from an external working group including representatives from Disabled People’s Organisations, carers’ representatives, people working in the sector and academics. We are also ensuring the voices of people with lived experience are informing our work via the ongoing National Care Service co-design programme.

The work will include planning for assessment of impacts of any future eligibility criteria.