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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-29257

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kaukab Stewart on 23 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the Minister for Equalities' speech from the launch of the third New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy and New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy Delivery Plan 2024–2026 on 19 August 2024.

The speaking note used to address attendees at the launch of the third New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy and New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy Delivery Plan 2024 to 2026 on 19 August 2024 can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/new-scots-refugee-integration-strategy-minister-for-equalities/

The actual speech given is likely to have differed to the copy of the speaking note provided.

Question reference: S6W-29923

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support is being given to staff in the NHS who feel burnt out.

Scottish Government funding of over £2.5m has been committed to support the mental health and wellbeing of health and care staff in 2024-25. These resources include a 24/7 compassionate listening service, confidential mental health treatment through the Workforce Specialist Service and access to psychological therapies and interventions.

Prioritising these treatment and therapeutic programmes reflects our commitment to offer care and support to those staff suffering from burnout, stress, anxiety and other conditions. In addition, the National Wellbeing Hub offers a range of self-care wellbeing resources and signposting to relevant mental health and support services.

Question reference: S6W-29784

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the core minimum dataset is transparent and accessible to the public and stakeholders, in order to foster accountability and continuous improvement in rehabilitation services.

The Scottish Government responded to calls for more transparency and accountability by working with Public Health Scotland, who were commissioned to carry out an evaluation of the residential rehabilitation programme, including the establishment of an experimental core minimum dataset.

The core minimum dataset was developed with input from the Monitoring and Evaluation Advisory Group. This includes input from individuals with lived experience of substance use, allowing robust data to be collected to help both the development and outcomes of this work to be more transparent and accountable.

Question reference: S6W-29697

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 09 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken an impact assessment regarding the potential introduction of prescription charges for medicines on the NHS.

Question reference: S6W-29695

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 09 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the article in The Times on 26 August 2024, whether it is considering introducing prescription charges for medicines on the NHS to balance its budget deficit.

There is no plan to re-introduce prescription charges in Scotland. Prescription charges were abolished in April 2011 because Scottish Ministers believed that they were a tax on ill health and a barrier to good health for many people. This was particularly so for those with long-term conditions and those on a low income who in the past faced choices about which medicines they could afford. The introduction of free prescriptions has been fully funded by the Scottish Government, at no cost to NHS budgets.

Question reference: S6W-29696

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 09 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of introducing prescription charges for medicines on the NHS on people with (a) chronic kidney disease and (b) long-term conditions.

Question reference: S6W-29694

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 09 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated administrative cost would be of the potential introduction of prescription charges on the NHS.

Question reference: S6W-29761

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what changes have been made to the National Drugs Mission plan to reflect the extension of the mission to alcohol, and how this has been communicated to (a) NHS boards, (b) local authorities and (c) local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships.

No changes have been made to the National Mission.

The National Mission was established to improve and save lives of people impacted by drugs. However, many service improvements supported by the Mission, such as residential rehabilitation, addressing stigma and improving the workforce, address both alcohol and drug issues. Meaning the work of the National Mission has consistently saved and improved the lives of people impacted by alcohol as well as drugs.

NHS boards, local authorities and local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships are long standing partners in our work on harmful alcohol and drug use and they have recognised that many aspects of the National Mission are bringing benefit to people impacted by both drugs and alcohol.,

Question reference: S6W-29805

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 23 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to expand access to alcohol related brain damage (ARBD) residential rehabilitation services.

The Scottish Government is currently working with representatives from our Residential Rehabilitation Development Working Group to ascertain whether the existing ARBD unit, managed by Penumbra for NHS Lothian, meets the Scottish Government’s definition of a residential rehabilitation service.

We have set out a clear definition of what counts as residential rehabilitation and have used it consistently. We are expecting to receive the appropriate advice on this in due course, after which point we will be able to develop a position on including this type of service under our definition of residential rehabilitation in the future.

Question reference: S6W-29882

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 23 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that two captive-bred wildcats died after their release into Cairngorms National Park.

Although the deaths of the two captive-bred wildcats, who died after their release into Cairngorms National Park, is disappointing, these deaths need to be set in context. They bring the total deaths to date to three from a release of 28 wildcats since last year.

Conditions this year have been more challenging due to poor weather and this year representing a low point in the vole population cycle, which are one of the wildcats’ main prey species.

Some mortality is expected in reintroduction projects (as we would also expect in the wild population), with the current rate at the lower end of what we would anticipate. The survival rate of the wildcats released last year has been much higher than anticipated, and wild births have also increased wildcat numbers in the area.

This is down to the extensive planning and efforts of the Scottish Wildcat Action project and its partners to ensure that released wildcats have the best possible chance of survival following their release. The Saving Wildcats field team closely monitor all of the released wildcats using GPS-radio collars and a network of camera traps, and have been providing them with supplementary food in the weeks immediately after their release.?