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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-29517

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Royal College of Midwives' reported statement that fewer than a third of student midwives due to graduate in 2024 have been offered posts by NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-29475

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether its current strategy to tackle drug-related deaths is failing.

The Scottish Government remains absolutely committed to doing all it can to reduce harm and deaths caused by drugs through our National Mission.

Whilst drug misuse deaths in Scotland have generally been increasing over the last two decades, the latest figures released for 2023 are the second lowest figure seen in 6 years.

Every life lost to drugs is a tragedy. And I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to all those affected.

Although the decrease in deaths back in 2022 was welcomed at the time, we did also made it clear at that time that it should not, in any way, be seen as a signal to be complacent.

On 4th September 2024 we published the third annual report National Mission on Drugs: annual report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)of the National Mission which summarises activity, progress and achievement in the 23-24 financial year.

Key achievements in 2023-24 include

Our progress in receiving legal clearance and establishing the UK’s first Safer Drug Consumption Facility. We are now expecting the Glasgow facility to open in the Autumn.
We are now in the process of establishing drug testing facilities in 3 sites across Scotland. License applications for three drug checking sites, based in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee are currently being assessed by Home Office colleagues and we would hope, once these licenses have been granted, that the sites would be operational by the end of the year.
Monitoring data from Public Health Scotland also indicates that we are on track to meet our commitment of 1,000 people receiving public funding for Residential Rehab, with data, published showing that in the financial year 2023-24 a total of 938 placements were approved.
In 2023-24, for MAT standards National benchmarking report on the implementation of the medication assisted treatment (MAT) standards: Scotland 2023/24 revised 30 July 2024 - National benchmarking report on implementation of the medication assisted treatment (MAT) standards - Publications - Public Health Scotland 1–5, 90% have been assessed as fully implemented, and MAT standards 6-10 showed strong early stage progress.

Despite this progress we have seen increased harms with the increased prevalence of new synthetic substances, such as the synthetic opioids nitazenes. The increased toxicity and potency of such substances are of real concern. As such, we are working closely with Public Health Scotland to step up our response to this threat and continue to support the development of their Rapid Action Drug Alert and Response (RADAR) system.

The Scottish Government will continue to follow the evidence of what works and intensify the delivery of the National Mission over the next 2 years, working closely with our key partners to do that, as well as look at its sustainability beyond the end of this parliamentary term.

Question reference: S6W-29419

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds in relation to the gender pay gap within the hospitality sector.

Estimates of the gender pay gap for full-time employees in the accommodation and food services sector in Scotland are published in Table 2.5 of the Scottish Government’s summary of earnings statistics from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings: Annual survey of hours and earnings: 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The gender pay gap estimates included in Table 2.5 measure the difference between median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) of men and women as a proportion of men's median hourly earnings (excluding overtime).

Question reference: S6W-29464

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards implementing the goals set out in the publication, Transforming Nursing Roles: Advanced Nursing Practice - Phase II.

Since the publication of the 'Transforming Nursing Roles: Advanced Nursing Practice - Phase II' paper in 2021, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) has taken the lead for this work.

The minimum qualification of a PG Dip Advanced Practice is required by NHS Scotland employers for all new Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) and the specific clinical competencies identified for advanced nursing practice in acute, primary care/community, mental health, paediatric acute and neonatal settings are used as the standard for practice. In addition, a final 'sign-off' against these competencies, evidenced by a portfolio is required by most employers.

The introduction of 3.75 hours of non-clinical time per week has been implemented widely and enables ANPs to maintain and progress their knowledge and skills through a variety of continuing professional development activities.

The NES frameworks for clinical supervision were launched in 2023 and 2024 and support the clinical supervision needs of ANPs https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/3580/clinical-supervision.

In addition, the NES Advanced Practice Toolkit was revised in 2023 and provides a repository of relevant resources and weblinks for advanced practice for all professions. https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/63343.

Question reference: S6W-29366

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it can provide to local authorities to help them train community councillors on planning applications in relation to energy infrastructure projects.

Question reference: S6W-29495

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of how many full-time equivalent civil servants there will be in 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-29562

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 12 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide any equalities impact assessments that it carried out in relation to the reductions in spending detailed in its fiscal statement on 3 September 2024.

Question reference: S6O-03744

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its review of the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, following the Auditor General for Scotland’s decision to issue a Section 22 report in relation to the audit of the organisation’s accounts.

Question reference: S6O-03745

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comments by Glasgow Disability Alliance that the Disability Equality Plan lacks the ambition, meaningful actions or commitments needed to improve disabled people's lives.

Question reference: S6O-03747

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent report from the Scottish Health Equity Research Unit, which highlights that "core outcomes related to inequalities and health are not improving significantly and some are getting worse".