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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-15080

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it anticipates the impact will be on NHS Scotland laboratory transformation of the 19.4% reduction in genomics funding, as set out in the draft Budget 2023-24.

Following the 22-23 Emergency Budget Review genomics was allocated a revised budget of £5 million; this provided a £2.6 million increase on 22-21 funding. Therefore, the £5million budget allocation for genomics in 2023-24 represents a sustained investment in genomics.

Through the funding allocated so far in 2022-23, we have established the Scottish Strategic Network for Genomic Medicine and funded a genomics transformation team within NHS National Services Division, led by a Consultant Clinical Scientist and supported by Clinical Leads for rare disease and cancer.

The fiscal position remains challenging; however the development of our transformation plans for the NHS Genetic Laboratories and Genomics Strategy is ongoing.

To support this, the Transformation Team are developing an action plan in response to the NSS Major Services Review of Genetic services . The Strategic Network will be accountable for overseeing the delivery of that plan.

Question reference: S6W-15315

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that doctors working in hospitals are provided with suitable, healthy and affordable food options, in light of a recent British Medical Association (BMA) survey, which found that many junior doctors are experiencing fatigue due to a poor diet at work.

We are working closely with NHS Boards to support a range of local initiatives designed to meet the basic and practical needs of junior doctors, and their teams. This includes access to quiet spaces to support health and wellbeing, the installation of lockers and further support to facilitate out of hours catering.

The Scottish Government is determined to deliver the recommendations of the Expert Working Group’s report on junior doctor wellbeing and have begun introducing further improvements to working conditions. We have met the key recommendation of limiting consecutive days of long shifts, with 100% compliance achieved in December 2022. We will continue to work with NHS Boards and employers to monitor and ensure this continues in the long-term.

In February 2023 we invited Boards to consider the purchase of small hot food appliances for all Doctors in Training in Secondary Care. We encouraged Boards to liaise with their local BMA rep around the specifics of the ask and are currently in the process of allocating budget to cover the purchase of appliances.

Question reference: S6W-15087

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what specific support it is providing to staff employed by the Glasgow Lighthouse Lab who are at risk of redundancy.

Scottish Government Officials have had contact with representatives of the University of Glasgow and met with representatives of UNITE on 10 January to discuss recent developments in respect of the Glasgow Lighthouse Lab which is contracted by the UK Government until March 2023 to undertake processing of PCR tests as part of the COVID-19 Infection Survey (CIS). The CIS is outwith the control of the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government has provided support to affected University of Glasgow staff through its Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) initiative and will continue to provide such support to any impacted staff as may be required.

Question reference: S6W-15140

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) presented at A&E due to an IBD flare-up in 2022.

Question reference: S6W-15060

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of patients there currently are who have (a) been offered and (b) agreed to an interim care placement without the relevant Health and Social Care Partnership having put an interim care plan in place, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-15059

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of interim care placements that are currently beyond their agreed end date, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-15401

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week in January 2023, what steps it has taken to (a) help prevent cervical cancer and (b) ensure that access to treatment is equitable across all areas of Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the awareness of cervical cancer. In doing so we will continue to encourage those eligible to take the HPV vaccination and engage with the national cervical screening programme. We are continuing to take steps towards the World Health Organisation’s targets to eliminate cervical cancer.

The HPV vaccine continues to be offered to all pupils across Scotland via routine immunisation in early secondary school, from S1, through the school-based programme. From 1st January 2023, a one dose schedule was introduced for all those eligible in the programme up to their 25th birthday.

The screening programme in Scotland is routinely offered to anyone with a cervix, between the ages of 25 and 64, every five years.

Treatment for cancer, including cervical cancer, continues to be prioritised within NHS Scotland. We are developing a new 10 year cancer strategy which will launch in Spring 2023, and take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care.

Question reference: S6W-15118

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans will be included in its new cancer strategy to develop a workforce plan for cancer diagnostic and treatment services.

We are considering workforce as one of the key pillars in our new cancer strategy, which we anticipate will be published in spring this year. The cancer strategy will align with the Health and Social Care: National Workforce Strategy, published in 2022.

A public consultation was held early on in the process of developing the new strategy, which included engagement with professionals working in cancer services.

Question reference: S6W-15340

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many post-foundation specialty training post vacancies for junior doctors in NHS Scotland have not been filled in each year since 2018.

Question reference: S6W-15130

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 10 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many children currently living in temporary accommodation have been referred to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

The Scottish Government does not collect this information centrally. However, I can advise that anyone who is a resident in temporary accommodation can be treated as a temporary patient at a General Practice for the first 3 months, maintaining access to healthcare and therefore CAMHS referrals. After this time, they are able to register as a patient. Accommodation type does not affect eligibility to access care.

	Advertised	Filled	Fill Rate	Unfilled
2018	1,125	958	85%	167
2019	1,096	1,015	93%	81
2020	1,062	1,015	96%	47
2021	1,088	1,020	94%	68
2022	1,155	1,073	93%	82