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 43013 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-03334

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 13 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the police officer base operational level was in the Forth Valley region on 16 August 2021.

Question reference: S6W-03336

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 13 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it takes to address police officer base operational levels when they are below what is considered safe, and how routinely each step has been deployed in the last 12 months.

Question reference: S6W-03337

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 13 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when police officer base operational levels in C Division were last reviewed.

Question reference: S6W-03486

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 13 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the average number of hours per week that convicted prisoners spend on purposeful activity (a) across the prison estate and (b) in each penal establishment has been in each year since 2016-17, also broken down by those on (i) short sentences, (ii) long sentences and (iii) remand.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The average number of hours per week that convicted prisoners spend on purposeful activity a) across the prison estate and (b) in each penal establishment in each year since 2016-17 is as follows: -

Year	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22 ‎ (Apr to Aug 21)
Average Purposeful Activity hours per week	22	21	20	19	14	17

Per Establishment	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22 ‎ (Apr to Aug 21)
Barlinnie	16	16	14	12	10	10
Cornton Vale	22	21	19	20	20	28
Dumfries	19	19	18	15	8	10
Edinburgh	14	12	12	13	9	11
Glenochil	20	18	17	16	11	11
Grampian	31	28	25	25	19	16
Greenock	20	22	20	22	19	22
Inverness	27	27	25	25	24	26
Low Moss	27	24	23	22	16	16
Open Estate	23	22	22	21	20	23
Perth	21	21	18	14	9	12
Polmont	20	20	21	18	14	21
Shotts	22	22	25	25	9	10

Unfortunately, the SPS does not record the information relating to sentence length for reporting or recording purposes, and are therefore unable to break down purposeful activity hours by (i) short sentences, (ii) long sentences and (iii) remand.

Question reference: S6W-03475

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 12 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to findings from the charity, Cats Protection, which suggests that 29% of owned cats in Scotland are not microchipped, and what measures it is taking to encourage owners to microchip their cats to help reunite lost animals and identify those that have been stolen.

The Scottish Government Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats recommends that all cat owners should consider neutering and microchipping their pets as the best way of being reunited with them should they be separated.

The findings of the Cats Protection’s survey suggest that the owners of around 71% of cats have accepted that recommendation and voluntarily microchipped their pets.

The Scottish Government does not currently consider that microchipping should be made compulsory for cats but is aware of the Defra call for evidence and recent public consultation on the microchipping of cats. We will give full consideration to the results of this consultation when they are available.

Question reference: S6W-02752

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures from Public Health Scotland suggesting that the average number of primary contacts for COVID-19 cases has reduced from six in the week beginning 20 June 2021 to 1.5 in the week beginning 29 August.

Figures published by Public Health Scotland about average numbers of close contacts are based on completed Test and Protect interviews and completed online tracing form data, where index cases identify their close contacts.

As of 19 September Test and Protect has been successful in reaching over 1 million unique contacts.

We have introduced a range of measures, including increased use of digital and SMS communications and shortened call scripts for index case interviews, to ensure the contact tracing system continues to trace the contacts of people with Coronavirus and ensure they are given the right public health advice as quickly as possible, even when case numbers rise substantially. All decisions in relation to operational delivery of the contact tracing system have made in line with public health advice, including the continued prioritisation of higher risk cases. A combination of these changes is likely to have affected the average number of close contacts reported per case.

Test and Protect relies on members of the public to report all of their close contacts, to enable public health advice to be issued to those that may have been exposed to the virus. The Scottish Government strongly encourages everyone to engage with Test and Protect when contacted and fully disclose all contacts whether contacted by phone or digitally.

Question reference: S6W-02971

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to make specific commitments on the cancer services workforce in the forthcoming National Workforce Strategy.

We are currently working in consultation with partners and stakeholders to agree the scope and content of the National Workforce Strategy. The Strategy will be designed around objectives which support remobilisation, recovery and renewal of Health and Social Care Services. It will articulate a holistic, long-term health and social care workforce vision, alongside our strategic priorities for workforce growth, recruitment, retention, training and development.

The National Cancer Recovery Group (NCRG) are currently carrying out an exercise to identify workforce requirements, looking specifically at roles related to cancer. We will pay close attention to this work, in the development of the National Workforce Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-02915

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to ensure that people's COVID-19 vaccination records are accurate and display the appropriate information.

The Scottish Government and National Services Scotland are working to ensure that COVID-19 records, in terms of vaccinations show complete accuracy.

This will be assisted by the digital application to record the COVID-19 vaccine, which will be available from 1 October.

Any suspected errors in a person’s COVID-19 vaccination record should be reported to the vaccinations status helpline on 0808 196 8565. The helpline can only resolve issues in relation to vaccinations administered in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-02962

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many reports have been made each month by (a) NHS and (b) social care staff to the Whistleblowing Alert and Advice Line.

The Scottish Government contract with the whistleblowing charity Protect, who provided the Whistleblowing Alert and Advice Line, ended on 31 October 2020. The final report is available to view on: https://www.gov.scot/collections/nhs-confidential-advice-and-information-line/

The Whistleblowing Standards and Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO) for NHS Scotland launched on 1 April 2021. The INWO offers a mechanism for external review of how a Health Board, primary care or independent provider handles a whistleblowing case. Included in this service is a confidential advice and information line which has been in operation since 1 November 2020. This provides support and advice to staff and managers on the application of the Whistleblowing Standards and mechanisms in place to support whistleblowing and whistleblowers. As the INWO operates independently, the Scottish Government do not hold information on the number of cases reported through this service.

Question reference: S6W-02957

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been paid out in compensation by each NHS board in each year since 1999.

Regarding payments made under the NHS Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme (CNORIS), I refer the member to the answers to questions S5W-01770 on 24 August 2016 and S5W-32423 on 30 October 2020 . 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 .

Regarding compensation payments made outwith the CNORIS scheme, the information requested is not collected or held centrally by the Scottish Government and would require to be obtained from Health Boards.