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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-08569

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Coeliac Awareness Week, which ran from 9 to 15 May 2022, whether it will consider supporting the development of a coeliac training programme for primary care physicians and other allied healthcare professionals to improve current understanding of the disease and support its prompt diagnosis.

Question reference: S6W-08976

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has acted on the recommendations of the Information Commissioner’s Office, following the reprimand issued on 25 February 2022.

Following receipt of the reprimand letter, the Scottish Government and NHS National Services Scotland immediately began addressing the recommendations set out by the ICO. Action was taken against every recommendation and the Permanent Secretary wrote to the ICO on behalf of both organisations on 28 March, inviting the ICO to review the improvements made.

The ICO Director of Regulatory Assurance has now concluded that no further investigation or action from the ICO is required following the ICO investigation of the NHS Scotland Covid Status app and the resultant actions taken by the Scottish Government and NHS National Services Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with the ICO to ensure we uphold information rights and data privacy of individuals.

Question reference: S6W-08650

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of businesses and projects which have received money from the Scottish National Investment Bank, since it was established, specifically with the aim of helping Scotland meet its net zero targets.

Since the Scottish National Investment Bank opened for business in November 2020 it has committed £206.9 million in 16 investments in line with its strategic missions.

Details of the each of the Bank’s investments, including the alignment to missions, are published on the Bank’s ‘Our Portfolio’ page: https://www.thebank.scot/our-portfolio/ .

Many of these investments support our net zero targets and some meet more than one mission.

Question reference: S6W-08591

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to update the labelling requirement for honey products to prevent honey fraud.

There is currently no formal plan to review the labelling requirements within the Honey Regulations (Scotland) 2015. However, as the body with policy responsibility for these regulations, Food Standards Scotland continues to monitor the effectiveness and suitability of the legislation through communication with its stakeholders, such as Local Authorities, businesses and consumers, as well as discussions with other Scottish and UK Government departments.

It should be noted that FSS and the wider Scottish Government have a responsibility to conduct a formal post-implementation review within 10 years of the respective regulations coming into force. With regard to the Honey Regulations this is due to be factored into business planning at a point up to and including 2025.

While there is no evidence that any honey on sale in Scotland or in the UK is unsafe, it is a product that is frequently described as being at risk of fraud.

The volume of blended product required for the honey market and the availability of plausible adulterants (such as sugar syrup), in addition to the price premium associated with higher value honey products, mean that it is a realistic possibility that adulterated or misrepresented honey is present within world honey supplies.

Consumers or businesses who have concerns or suspicions around the authenticity and/or the mis-labelling of honey can report the circumstances to the Scottish Food Crime Hotline in partnership with Crimestoppers at 0800 028 7926, which is a free and anonymous service. They can also speak directly to trained staff at the Scottish Food Crime and Incidents Unit at Food Standards Scotland to discuss their concerns in the strictest of confidence via the foodcrime@fss.scot.

Question reference: S6W-07301

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06487 by Kevin Stewart on 28 February 2022, which seven NHS boards are receiving enhanced support, and which NHS boards it anticipates will receive enhanced support over the next 6 to 12 months.

NHS Borders, Fife, Forth Valley, Highland, Lanarkshire, Lothian and Tayside have all been receiving enhanced support to meet the waiting times standard and eliminate long waits by end March 2023.

We will shortly be writing out to all Boards to inform them about our programme of support for the next 6-12 months, including those which will be offered additional support.

From our £120 million Mental Health Recovery and Renewal fund, we have allocated around £40 million to NHS Boards to improve CAMHS. £4.25m of that allocation is directly focussed on offering treatment to those already on their CAMHS waiting lists.

We have also provided an additional £9m to NHS Boards in 2021/22 to address waiting lists for Psychological Therapies with further investment being planned for 2022-23.

Question reference: S6W-08567

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will assess the role of incentive schemes to support primary care physicians to encourage (a) earlier diagnostics for coeliac disease to be prescribed, and (b) the examination of any person who may have been misdiagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome.

Question reference: S6W-08350

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of no ScotRail services calling at Lockerbie Station, what steps it is taking to ensure that passengers seeking to travel to and from Lockerbie have access to the same promotions and incentives to travel by rail as other passengers across the country.

Question reference: S6T-00750

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to protect communities from off-market land sales by so-called green lairds.

Question reference: S6T-00745

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans it has in place should train drivers reject the latest pay offer, in light of the reported hundreds of cancellations at the weekend.

Question reference: S6F-01183

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2022

To ask the First Minister what her position is on whether Scotland’s Census 2022 has been a credible exercise.