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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-30599

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it being approved in principle 12 years ago, for what reason there is reportedly still no completed design specification, business plan or agreed promoter to progress the Winchburgh railway station project.

The station proposal is a developer led proposal with planning permission in principle granted by the Planning Authority, in this case West Lothian Council. It is for Winchburgh Developments Limited to progress the above items.

Transport Scotland, utilising its considerable experience of rail infrastructure construction, is currently supporting West Lothian Council and Winchburgh Developments Limited as they look towards identifying a lead promoter, or promoters, and the development of both the station design and business case process.

Question reference: S6W-30598

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its reasoning was for investing £116 million in the Levenmouth Rail Link while not investing in Winchburgh railway station.

The two schemes are not related.

The decision by the then Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity to progress the Levenmouth Rail Link was based on the findings of the Levenmouth Sustainable Transport Study.

The study was undertaken in line with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) and provided robust evidence of a Strategic Business Case (SBC) for the Rail Link. The SBC provided the initial stage of the business case for the Rail Link in accordance with Transport Scotland's guidance on the development of business cases, which then progressed through the subsequent stages of the business case process.

The Winchburgh station proposal is developer led. It is for Winchburgh Developments Limited to progress the required business case.

Question reference: S6W-30597

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can guarantee that no funds will be diverted from other transport projects in order to pay for Winchburgh railway station.

Question reference: S6W-30462

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendations of the report by Engender, Outdated, harmful and never in the public interest - The urgent need to modernise Scotland's abortion law and prevent prosecutions.

The Scottish Government believes that all women in Scotland should have access to abortion services, available free from stigma.

In the 2023 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government committed to undertake a review of the law on abortion. An expert group chaired by Professor Anna Glasier, the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Champion, has been set up to help take forward this review. The review aims to identify potential proposals for reform, within specified term limits, before the end of this parliament. The Scottish Government will consider the recommendations made within the report carefully as part of this review. As such, the Scottish Government plans to wait for the outcomes of the review before commenting in more detail on the recommendations set out in Engender’s report.

Engender represent members of the advisory group of women’s rights organisations on this expert group, and will be able to feed their views into the review.

Details of the expert group, including minutes of their meetings are published on the Scottish Government website here: Abortion Law Review Expert Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Once the expert group has completed its work, the Scottish Government will consider any recommendations or options proposed. Any proposals for changes to abortion law would be subject to a public consultation.

Question reference: S6W-30437

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether mental health screenings should take place at routine epilepsy appointments to help identify any possible issues at an earlier stage.

We want all people with epilepsy to be able to access the best possible care and support. Since October 2020 we have committed almost £650,000 towards projects which specifically improve the health and wellbeing of people with epilepsy.

In 2022-23 Scottish Government funded Epilepsy Scotland to work with NHS Lothian in piloting mental health screening and intervention for people with epilepsy.

We are working hard to improve support for those whose mental health is affected by long term physical health conditions, such as epilepsy, and in 2023 published a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy jointly with COSLA, which incorporates a focus on wellbeing and prevention.

One of the Strategy’s priorities is that “People with mental health conditions, including those with co-existing health conditions, experience improved quality and length of life, free from stigma and discrimination.”

Our Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults has been a key development on prevention and early intervention in recent years, addressing a number of mental health and wellbeing concerns. It has a focus on at risk groups including those with a long-term health condition or disability.

Question reference: S6W-30262

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the privacy and human rights implications of live facial recognition technology.

Technological advances in biometrics have brought huge benefits to police and other justice agencies in detecting, preventing and prosecuting crime.

With regard to live facial recognition technology, the Scottish Government is aware that concerns have been raised about privacy and inaccurate results for the faces of people from racialised minorities. That is why it is important that in adopting new technology, it is done in a way that secures public confidence. Any deployment of new technologies should be lawful, effective, proportionate and compliant with the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).

The use of live facial recognition technology is an operational matter for Police Scotland, under the scrutiny of the Scottish Police Authority. Police Scotland must also abide by the relevant laws; the ECHR; and the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner’s statutory code of practice.

Question reference: S6W-30261

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 8 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to protect the public's right to privacy, in light of Police Scotland's reported decision to use live facial recognition surveillance technology for the first time.

The use of live facial recognition technology is an operational matter for Police Scotland, under the scrutiny of the Scottish Police Authority. Police Scotland must also abide by the relevant laws; the European Convention on Human Rights; and the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner’s statutory code of practice.

The Scottish Government recognises that assurances are required in order to secure public trust and support for any future use of new technology by Police Scotland, including live facial recognition.

We stand ready to work with Police Scotland, the SPA, the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner and others to develop an approach to the use of facial recognition technology which is lawful, effective, proportionate and rights-based.

Question reference: S6F-03447

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6W-29274

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 26 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in each NHS board area are currently on a waiting list for (a) a kidney and (ii) any other organ transplant.

As at 31 July 2024, the numbers of people active on the waiting list for a kidney transplant by NHS Board are:

Kidney Transplant Waiting List

NHS Board
Ayrshire & Arran	45
Borders	10
Dumfries and Galloway	12
Fife	35
Forth Valley	43
Grampian	36
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	125
Highland	17
Lanarkshire	75
Lothian	72
Orkney	<5
Shetland	<5
Tayside	33
Western Isles	0

As at 31 July 2024, the numbers of people waiting for any other organ transplant by NHS Board are:

NHS Board	Heart	Lung	Liver	Pancreas	Bowel
Ayrshire & Arran	<5	<5	5	5	0
Borders	0	0	0	0	0
Dumfries and Galloway	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5
Fife	<5	<5	<5	<5	0
Forth Valley	0	<5	<5	5	0
Grampian	0	<5	6	6	0
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	6	7	12	17	<5
Highland	0	<5	<5	<5	0
Lanarkshire	5	<5	<5	<5	0
Lothian	<5	5	10	<5	0
Orkney	0	0	0	0	0
Shetland	0	0	0	0	0
Tayside	<5	<5	<5	<5	0
Western Isles	0	0	0	0	0

To note:

If an NHS Board has less than 5 people waiting on an organ transplant the figure has been presented as <5.

Question reference: S6W-28975

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 20 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether any companies on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights database of companies involved in certain activities relating to settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory will be prevented from securing public contracts in Scotland.

The Scottish Government expects companies which are awarded public contracts to maintain high standards of business and professional conduct. Public procurement legislation, implementing the UK’s international obligations in this field, provides that companies may be excluded from bidding for contracts in certain circumstances, including where they have engaged in grave professional misconduct which renders their integrity questionable.

The exploitation of assets in illegal settlements could be regarded as constituting grave professional misconduct for the purposes of procurement law, but a decision to exclude a company from a competition must be taken on a case-by-case basis by the public body awarding the contract in question, in full consideration of all of the evidence available to them at that point in time. Decisions must be proportionate and are subject to challenge in the courts.

Scottish Ministers have no power to require that any company is excluded from all competitions.