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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-15496

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address any lower uptake of the HPV vaccination in areas of deprivation in comparison with more affluent areas.

On 1 January 2023, a one dose schedule was introduced in Scotland for all those eligible in the HPV vaccination programme up to their 25th birthday. We envisage that this programme change will increase the amount of people completing their vaccination schedule as it will remove the requirement to be recalled to receive a second dose.

We have outlined to Health Boards that some of the resource freed up due to the reduction in vaccination sessions due to the change to a one dose schedule should be re-directed to interventions that strengthen programme delivery, increase coverage rates and reduce inequalities.

Additionally, we have developed a dashboard which allows us to interrogate deprivation data further which will allow us to work with PHS and Health Boards to support these groups and encourage HPV vaccination and wider vaccination services.

Question reference: S6W-15507

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the latest data showing the retention rate of (a) nurses and (b) doctors in the NHS.

The information requested on providing the latest data showing the retention rate of (a) nurses and (b) doctors in the NHS is not centrally available.

Information on vacancies by the three main staff groups, can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence

The turnover rate for all staff across NHS Scotland in 2021/22 was 8.1%.

Question reference: S6W-15033

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the recommendations in Project Neptune that it is taking forward for public consultation.

Question reference: S6W-15084

Asked by: Roz McCall, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that, as outlined in The Promise, children from care experienced backgrounds are not excluded from school.

The Scottish Government is committed to keeping The Promise and improving the outcomes of care experienced children and young people in education. To achieve this we continue to work with partners, including Education Scotland, COSLA and ADES.

Our national guidance, Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2 , is clear that exclusion should be used as a measure of last resort. The guidance includes particular considerations regarding the exclusion of care experienced young people.

Engagement activity includes with the Scottish Advisory Group for Relationships and Behaviour in Schools (SAGRABIS), to consider exclusion in the context of promoting positive relationships and behaviour in schools.

Question reference: S6W-15178

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is currently taking to tackle waste crime.

The Scottish Government’s Serious & Organised Crime Taskforce (SOCTF) has identified environmental crime and in particular Serious Organised Criminal Gangs (SOCG) activity in waste crime as a priority area and supports the broad network of Scottish and UK regulators in working collaboratively to act against waste criminals.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is also a partner in the Joint Unit for Waste Crime set up by the UK Government in 2020, which aspires to reduce the impact of SOCG activity across the UK, on the environment and the economy, by targeting the criminal groups and activities posing the greatest risk, including those operating cross border.

We are working with other UK governments and regulators to implement a UK-wide mandatory digital waste tracking service. Implementation of this service will help SEPA to track regulatory compliance and tackle illegal waste exports and fly-tipping.

Alongside this, the Scottish Government is also currently developing a new National Litter and Flytipping Strategy, which will help to tackle and minimise the instances of flytipping in Scotland. Our consultation proposals set out a range of proposed measures, including strengthening enforcement to deter flytipping behaviour.

Question reference: S6W-15149

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) counterfeit cigarettes and (b) kilograms of illegal tobacco have been seized by Police Scotland in each year since 2013.

Question reference: S6W-15176

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the UK Government’s announcement on waste crime as part of its Environmental Improvement Plan 2023, regarding any potential impact in Scotland, and whether it will consider adopting similar measures.

We have already implemented some measures, such as tightening waste exemptions, and are undertaking work to consider further measures similar to those mentioned in the UK Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan 2023.

In addition, where the necessary powers to tackle opportunities for waste crime are reserved, we are working with UK Government to ensure the interests of Scotland are fully considered. This includes in the development of a ban on exporting plastic waste to non-OECD countries.

Question reference: S6W-15123

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of NHS staff pay awards on the hospice sector.

Question reference: S6W-15177

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates waste crime has cost the public purse in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-15032

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Minister for Transport’s reported commitment on this issue, what steps it has taken to ensure that its private sector consultant, Ernst and Young, meets with trade unions organising Scotland’s ferry workers to discuss Project Neptune.