- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many food businesses were inspected by an environmental health officer or food safety officer in each calendar year from 2020 to date.
Answer
Food businesses inspected by an Environmental Health Officer or Food Safety Officer.
2020 – 9,041
2021 – 9,674
2022 – 20,745
2023 – 20,409
2024 – 19,466
2025* – 6,722
*01-01-25 to 12-05-25
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 19 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to those impacted by the potential closure of the Notre Dame Centre in Glasgow.
Answer
While the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, it is for Health and Social Care Partnerships to ensure that support services are in place to provide people with the appropriate support in the right place and at the right time. Decisions on how best to deliver services to local communities, are ultimately for local partners to make.
We continue to protect and prioritise additional investment into social care, despite an extremely challenging Budget settlement. This includes almost £2.2 billion for social care and integration – exceeding our commitment to increase funding by 25% by almost £350 million.
We would encourage all partners to work together to find solutions that put the needs of local people and those impacted by the decision, particularly those who are most vulnerable, at the centre.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what communication it has had with local authorities regarding its review of the guidance on mothballing, and whether it has advised any local authorities to pause any mothballing proposals until they receive updated guidance from it.
Answer
Statutory responsibility for decisions about the learning estate, including mothballing, rest with local authorities. The Scottish Government issues guidance to support local authorities’ implementation of their statutory responsibilities.
As the First Minister stated on 24 April, we are reviewing current guidance on the mothballing of schools and nurseries to provide greater clarity on whether it is an appropriate action to take. Scottish Government officials have regular engagement with local authorities and their representative bodies on a range of issues, including mothballing, and Ministers are considering a range of local government and stakeholder views on mothballing through the review process.
We will update Parliament further on this work in due course. While the review is underway, the existing guidance on mothballing (which is included in the Statutory Guidance on the Schools Consultation (Scotland) Act 200) remains in place.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the outcome of its review of the guidance on mothballing.
Answer
Statutory responsibility for decisions about the learning estate, including mothballing, rest with local authorities. The Scottish Government issues guidance to support local authorities’ implementation of their statutory responsibilities.
As the First Minister stated on 24 April, we are reviewing current guidance on the mothballing of schools and nurseries to provide greater clarity on whether it is an appropriate action to take. Scottish Government officials have regular engagement with local authorities and their representative bodies on a range of issues, including mothballing, and Ministers are considering a range of local government and stakeholder views on mothballing through the review process.
We will update Parliament further on this work in due course. While the review is underway, the existing guidance on mothballing (which is included in the Statutory Guidance on the Schools Consultation (Scotland) Act 200) remains in place.
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the letter from the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health to Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael MP on 14 April 2025, which states that a pathway for the diagnosis and management of postural tachycardia syndrome has been withdrawn pending a review, when it expects the review process to conclude.
Answer
This is a matter for NHS National Services Scotland, which established the national Long Covid Strategic Network and requested that Health Improvement Scotland perform the evidence review.
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to any patients from island communities that have been diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome.
Answer
This is a matter for NHS Boards, which the Scottish Government expects to provide high quality, person-centred care and support for everyone, including people with postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS). Support is often provided via primary care, with referral to secondary care if necessary to rule out other causes of symptoms or provide management advice.
PoTS UK is a charity which provides information about managing and living with PoTS. This includes information and advice on self-management, mental health support and medication guidance. Their full resources can be found here: Managing PoTS - PoTS UK. Additionally, STARS (the Heart Rhythm Alliance) provide information on PoTS and resources for patients, which can be found here: Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) – STARS – UK (heartrhythmalliance.org).
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients living in island communities have been diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome in the last five years.
Answer
This is a matter for NHS Boards. The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its ongoing review of the guidance on mothballing.
Answer
Statutory responsibility for decisions about the learning estate, including mothballing, rest with local authorities. The Scottish Government issues guidance to support local authorities’ implementation of their statutory responsibilities.
As the First Minister stated on 24 April, we are reviewing current guidance on the mothballing of schools and nurseries to provide greater clarity on whether it is an appropriate action to take. Scottish Government officials have regular engagement with local authorities and their representative bodies on a range of issues, including mothballing, and Ministers are considering a range of local government and stakeholder views on mothballing through the review process.
We will update Parliament further on this work in due course. While the review is underway, the existing guidance on mothballing (which is included in the Statutory Guidance on the Schools Consultation (Scotland) Act 200) remains in place.
- Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 19 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it had with women’s rights groups in relation to the For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers case.
Answer
No meetings were held with organisations or stakeholders to discuss the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers prior to the Supreme Court judgment as it is not appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on live legal proceedings.
Following the Supreme Court ruling on 16th April, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice spoke with Scottish Women’s Aid, Rape Crisis Scotland and Engender on 17 April and the Women’s Rights Network on 22 April to discuss the judgment. The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice also offered a meeting to For Women Scotland on 17 April, but they declined the invite. Subsequently, a new invite has issued and both organisations are in discussion regards a date to meet.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 16 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-36135 by Kate Forbes on 10 April 2025, whether it will approach the UK Government and BAE Systems regarding becoming a partner in the Type 26 Norway frigate campaign, in light of the potential industrial opportunity it presents for Scotland.
Answer
Public sources of information indicate that BAE Systems is among the contenders to supply new frigates for the Royal Norwegian Navy. No discussions have taken place between BAE Systems, the UK Government and the Scottish Government on partnership in the Type 26 Norway frigate campaign. However, given the potential industrial and employment opportunities for Scotland are significant, officials from the UK and Scottish Governments have held constructive informal discussions around how the bid might be best supported.
