Seòmar agus comataidhean

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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 48973 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-19276

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review, which completed its final report in September 2022.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19494 on 28 June 2023 which confirmed that the Scottish Government response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review was published on Wednesday 28 June. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Question reference: S6W-19272

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people aged 19 or under were prescribed antidepressant medication in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people are able to access the right support for their mental health without stigma, including medication where this is the most appropriate intervention.

Prescribing is a clinical decision to be taken by clinicians based on their assessment of the best interests of the patient and following the relevant clinical guidelines.

Public Health Scotland report the total number of children and young people aged 19 or under who were prescribed antidepressant medication in calendar years 2021 and 2022 as follows:

Calendar Year	Number of Patients
2021	19,723
2022	20,195

Source: Public Health Scotland

PHS have provided the following data notes in relation to the figures collated:

1. Data taken from the Prescribing Information System (PIS), which holds information on all prescriptions prescribed in Scotland and dispensed in the community.

2. Patient age is calculated as at 30 th June for each year of data. For example, 30 th June 2021 is used for the 2021 data.

3. Excludes items dispensed in Scotland but prescribed in England/Wales/Northern Ireland.

4. Data is a unique patient count, and each patient is only counted once.

5. Data are based on British National Formulary (BNF) March 2015 section 4.3.

6. Data are based on BNF Hierarchy and not clinical usage.

7. It should be noted that antidepressant drugs are used for indications other than depression (e.g. migraine, chronic pain, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and a range of other conditions). Therefore, the statistics on these drugs do not relate solely to prescribing for depression

Question reference: S6W-19248

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what additional electricity grid capacity will be needed to meet its target of banning the sale of (a) pure-combustion vehicles from 2030 and (b) plug-in and full hybrid vehicles from 2035.

Independent work commissioned by Transport Scotland on the renewable energy requirements projected to be needed for the entire transport sector as it decarbonises between now and 2045 are set out in the Zero Emission Energy for Transport Forecasts: National Demand Forecasts for Electricity and Hydrogen report published on 26th May last year. The findings of this report show that the amount of electricity (and hydrogen) Scotland’s transport system is expected to need is well within the levels of what the energy sector is expected to generate.

It is important to highlight that electricity network companies are investing to ensure that our infrastructure can support our transition to net zero. Both Scottish electricity Distribution Network Operators have worked closely with the Scottish Government and other stakeholders to ensure that their business plans reflect the scale and pace of deployment necessary to meet Scotland’s net zero and interim targets.

Question reference: S6W-19271

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of children in NHS Tayside who were referred for mental health treatment in 2022 started treatment within the 18-week target.

Question reference: S6W-19241

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 3 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to increase funding for skills related to retrofitting, in light of its announced policy to ban gas boilers in all new building developments, and, if so, whether it can provide details.

Ensuring that we have a suitably qualified workforce in place will be imperative for delivering a smooth rollout of energy efficiency and zero emission heating measures which will support us to achieve our net zero ambitions.

We currently offer support to the sector through a number of schemes which includes the Low Carbon Skills Grant which is available to heating and plumbing apprentices to undertake heat pump training as part of their qualification.

To further ensure the quality of works carried out we also provide funding to assist Scottish SMEs installing heat pumps in achieving MCS certification for the first time through the MCS Certification Fund.

We will continue to keep our offers of support under review to ensure that they are aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands.

Question reference: S6W-19378

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 3 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many Ukrainian refugees, who initially settled in Scotland after 24 February 2022, have relocated to England.

Under the current constitutional arrangements in the United Kingdom the application process for all immigration routes is fully reserved to the UK Government and is dealt with by the Home Office. If a displaced person from Ukraine has been issued a visa, including under the Scottish Super Sponsor Scheme, they are free to travel anywhere within the UK or to leave and re-enter the UK when they wish, as long as they are meeting the conditions within their visa. The cross border geographical movement, within the UK, which includes that between Scotland and England is not monitored and the data requested is therefore not available.

Question reference: S6W-19293

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18612 by Fiona Hyslop on 16 June 2023, when it expects the findings from the free bus travel pilot to be collated and analysed, following its planned conclusion in July, and whether it plans to publish the findings from the pilot once finalised.

I am committed to finding a way to meet the Programme for Government pledge to consider how best to provide free bus travel for people seeking asylum in Scotland. A short-term pilot led by the Refugee Survival Trust and third sector partners in Glasgow commenced on Monday 30 January and will run until July. A report will be produced by the Refugee Survival Trust and included in consideration of the Scottish Government's next steps towards meeting our commitment.

Question reference: S6W-19281

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its new mental health strategy.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy has now been published and is available here:

Strategy - https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805259275

Executive Summary - https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805259282

Easy Read - https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805259299

Having reviewed our progress on the accompanying Delivery Plan and Workforce Action Plan, we now intend to carry out further engagement over the summer period to develop these further. We now intend to publish these supporting documents in the Autumn.

Question reference: S6W-19445

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 3 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment by the Minister for Energy and the Environment, during the members’ business debate on motion S6M-09174 on 22 June 2023, that "the contributions have also highlighted some of the challenges to the threshold that has been suggested, which might have unintended consequences", what it believes these unintended consequences to be, and on what evidence it is basing this view.

The comment I made during the members’ business debate on motion S6M-09174 on 22 June 2023, was in reference to contributions to the Scottish Government consultation Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation.

An analysis report of responses to the consultation has now been published and is available to view at: Landreform in a Net Zero nation: consultation analysis . In particular, section 2 of the analysis report (Criteria for large-scale holdings) and section 11 (Assessing impact) consider responses to the proposed threshold, and any potential unintended consequences of the policy. In addition to this analysis report, where permission was granted by respondents, consultation responses have been published in full .

Question reference: S6W-19518

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 3 July 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether all employees of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service have been directed to receive training on trauma-informed justice, and what information it holds on how many employees have received this training to date.