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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-19242

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that NHS staff do not have to pay for parking at NHS facilities.

Question reference: S6W-19012

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many GPs in Scotland are able to assess seafarers for an (a) ENG1 and b) ML5 medical certificate, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-17431

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS Ayrshire and Arran has consulted with the Scottish Health Council on any proposed service changes, and, if so, what changes were proposed, and when.

It is for Healthcare Improvement Scotland's Community Engagement Team (HIS-CE) (formerly the Scottish Health Council) to answer questions on what proposed service changes NHS Boards have consulted them about.

The Scottish Government would expect that all health boards, including NHS Ayrshire & Arran, follow the national Planning with People guidance, which includes the need to engage with HIS-CET when considering service change.

The guidance is available at the following: https://www.gov.scot/publications/planning-people-community-engagement-participation-guidance/

Question reference: S6W-19055

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it last spoke with NHS (a) Lanarkshire and (b) Forth Valley regarding fracture liaison services.

Question reference: S6W-17430

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS Ayrshire and Arran has consulted with it on any proposed service changes, and, if so, what changes were proposed, and when.

NHS Ayrshire & Arran engaged with the Scottish Government in late February about their interim arrangements for transferring the three Intensive Care Unit beds from University Hospital Ayr to University Hospital Crosshouse.

The Board has also engaged with the Scottish Government in recent years about their proposals to retain interim changes (made during the pandemic) to the model for delivery of local systemic anti-cancer therapies (including chemotherapy). The Board launched a formal consultation on the proposals which ran from 13 February to 19 May 2023 and the details can be accessed at: https://jointheconversation-nhsaaa.co.uk/sact-public-consultation-2 .

Question reference: S6W-19160

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the replacement for the Scottish Capital Investment Manual process will be in place.

Question reference: S6W-19206

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support it plans to put in place in light of a recent joint report by the University of Bristol and Cystic Fibrosis Trust, which found that the additional cost of living for people with cystic fibrosis is over £6,500 a year.

The Scottish Government recognises the pressure on household budgets which is why we have allocated almost £3bn to support policies which tackle poverty and to protect people as far as possible during the ongoing cost of living crisis. Ministers have committed to publishing an Immediate Priorities Plan to combat the effects the crisis continues to have on disabled people’s lives. A short life working group has been established to ascertain and agree the contents of the Immediate Priorities Plan with a view of publication this summer. The Scottish Government also supports the calls for a social tariff mechanism that would provide a much needed safety net for vulnerable consumers.

Question reference: S6W-19196

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17985 by Neil Gray on 25 May 2023, for what reason it provided a link to a webpage that has not been updated in the three months that the question sought information on, and whether it will provide the information requested regarding which (a) companies and (b) industry bodies from the energy sector the new Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy has met with since taking on this ministerial role.

I have met with a range of stakeholders in the energy industry since taking on this ministerial role. As the Scottish Ministerial Code states, information on Ministerial engagements is routinely published online three months in arrears from the end of that month. Therefore, at the time of writing the current list, which provides details of engagements up to the end of February 2023, is up to date. It is anticipated that a list of engagements undertaken in March 2023 will be published shortly, with engagements held in April and May subsequently issued in line with the Ministerial commitment as described above. Once published the information can be found at: Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Question reference: S6W-18939

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 23 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent NatureScot report that states that the proportion of natural features in favourable condition on protected sites has fallen from 80.4% in 2016 to 76.4% in March 2023.

The statistics are disappointing, and we are working with NatureScot to identify the contributing factors. Key to progress will be tackling negative pressures in areas surrounding protected sites including the proliferation of invasive non-native species and overgrazing. Only through collaborative working at a landscape scale will negative pressures on protected areas be effectively tackled and biodiversity restored.

Later this year we will publish Scotland’s new Biodiversity Strategy. This will set out our vision to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2030 and restore and regenerate biodiversity by 2045. The delivery plan will include a range of actions in support of this vision including actions to drive landscape change and actions to expand, connect and improve our protected areas.

Question reference: S6W-18959

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many new public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations have opened in Scotland in each of the last 12 months, and how many there now are in total.

Since 2011, the Scottish Government has invested over £65m to develop the ChargePlace Scotland network of publicly available charge points, which is now the fifth largest network in the UK with over 2500 charge points.

A total of 299 charge points were commissioned on to the ChargePlace Scotland network between June 2022 and May 2023.

Month	June 2022	July 2022	Aug 2022	Sept 2022	Oct 2022	Nov 2022	Dec 2022	Jan 2023	Feb 2023	Mar 2023	Apr 2023	May 2023
Total	36	37	50	35	26	12	13	7	15	9	46	13

The Scottish Government does not routinely collate data on electric vehicle charge points added to other public charging networks.

Zap-Map publishes monthly statistics including the total number of public charging devices across the UK and has historically underrepresented CPS data. The Scottish Government understands that Zap-Map resolved this issue in January 2023 and subsequent Zap-Map data sets included the correct number of CPS public charge points.

On 20 June 2023 the Scottish Government’s vision for the future of Scotland’s electric vehicle charging network was published. This new vision places people and businesses first and outlines the accessible, affordable and reliable public network required for the future.

Our vision emphasises the need to attract greater private investment to deliver infrastructure at scale and pace across the whole of Scotland, as the public sector cannot deliver the network of the future. That’s why our Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund aims to draw in £60 million of public and private investment to double the size of the public charging network to 6,000 charge points by 2026, including areas of the network where private investment may be less viable.