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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-07729

Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 March 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Ash Regan on 29 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the strategic priorities and objectives for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service will be set over the next few years.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (Framework) Order 2022 will be laid in Parliament on 31 March 2022. This Order will bring the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2022, which was published on the Scottish Government’s website today, into effect from 26 May 2022.

Following a public consultation, the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2022 sets out the strategic priorities and objectives for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) going forward. The Framework is structured around protecting communities in terms of prevention and response; innovation and modernisation; the impact of climate change; partnership working and the governance and performance arrangements for the Service.

It is now for the SFRS to set out in its next Strategic Plan how it will deliver the priorities identified in the Framework.

Question reference: S6W-07250

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of admissions to general surgery wards were repeat admissions, broken down by NHS board in each of the last five years.

Table 1: General surgery repeat hospital admissions

NHS Board	Number of repeat hospital admissions					Percentage of repeat hospital admissions
	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
National Waiting Times Centre	56	38	49	66	32	2.1%	1.5%	1.5%	2.0%	1.2%
NHS Ayrshire & Arran	3,961	4,002	4,237	3,903	3,458	29.6%	30.6%	30.7%	31.1%	37.2%
NHS Borders	534	477	435	415	359	17.1%	16.9%	14.9%	15.6%	18.9%
NHS Dumfries & Galloway	1,903	1,811	2,158	2,146	1,387	20.3%	20.4%	21.7%	22.4%	20.7%
NHS Fife	1,676	1,656	1,739	1,497	1,267	21.4%	21.9%	22.5%	21.2%	21.1%
NHS Forth Valley	1,400	1,077	1,045	2,001	1,617	21.6%	18.2%	18.0%	26.6%	28.3%
NHS Grampian	3,393	3,367	3,534	3,978	2,447	22.0%	23.2%	22.8%	24.2%	25.0%
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde	14,948	13,318	12,809	12,809	7,652	23.7%	23.8%	22.7%	23.6%	23.4%
NHS Highland	1,595	1,661	2,082	1,972	1,490	18.8%	20.2%	23.0%	22.9%	22.3%
NHS Lanarkshire	7,897	7,397	7,881	7,793	3,451	26.0%	25.3%	25.5%	25.9%	22.3%
NHS Lothian	3,999	4,216	4,441	3,873	3,081	21.5%	22.3%	22.4%	21.5%	22.2%
NHS Orkney	313	285	384	468	361	21.1%	19.9%	23.0%	23.7%	23.6%
NHS Shetland	702	840	867	786	339	28.9%	32.4%	32.4%	33.3%	21.6%
NHS Tayside	1,768	1,518	1,421	1,417	1,129	19.1%	17.5%	17.2%	17.4%	17.9%
NHS Western Isles	430	401	265	416	261	19.1%	19.7%	17.4%	19.2%	19.7%
Non-NHS Provider	4	3	0	1	110	0.7%	0.5%	0.0%	0.1%	6.5%

Source: SMR01, Public Health Scotland

Question reference: S6W-07251

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of admissions to the Scottish Liver Transplant Unit were repeat admissions, in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-07269

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 29 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints have been made regarding the removal of care packages during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data on complaints regarding the removal of care packages is not aggregated centrally – complaints may be made to the Scottish Government, the Care Inspectorate and individual Health and Social Care Partnerships, rather than to a single organisation.

The pandemic continues to present challenges for supported people, the social care workforce, and unpaid carers. We are working closely with Health and Social Care Partnerships to urgently address these pressures. We have made clear our expectation that disruption or removal of care packages should be avoided. Health and Social Care Partnerships have provided assurances that those care packages of most clinical urgency will continue during this difficult period.

Question reference: S6W-07128

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to A Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland: Full Business and Regulatory Impact, published in July 2019, whether it will provide full details of the evidence base it used for its estimates for the number of (a) items in scope, which was estimated at 1.7 billion containers and (b) return points which was estimated at 14,386 manual and 3,021 automatic; whether these estimates were based on a consultants report, and, if so, whether it will publish that report and details of the evidence base used for that report.

Question reference: S6W-07134

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether Audit Scotland has been consulted on (a) any potential risks of the Scottish Government's approach to the proposed Deposit Return Scheme and (b) the reliability of the estimates and figures on which the 2019 and 2021 BRIAs are based, and, if this is the case, whether it can provide the details of the consultation carried out, and, if this is not the case, whether it will consider seeking advice from Audit Scotland on such issues.

Question reference: S6W-07133

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether, during the policy development period and leading up to the publication of the Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland Final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA), published in December 2021, the proposed Deposit Return Scheme was referred for consideration to the Scottish Government Regulatory Review Group, and if this is not the case, what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S6W-07132

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 29 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether allowance has been made in the calculation of the costs of the Deposit Return Scheme for the VAT that will be levied and, if this is the case, whether it can provide the details of how such costs have been incorporated into its calculation, and, if this is not the case, what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

The economic modelling in the amended Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme does not account for any VAT being levied on deposits. That is in line with best practice as set out in HM Treasury’s Green Book ( https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938046/The_Green_Book_2020.pdf ) because VAT is considered to be a transfer payment that does not affect the output or consumption of resources.

Question reference: S6W-07266

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 29 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish Welfare Fund Crisis Grants have been provided by local authorities in each year since their introduction.

Question reference: S6W-07303

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 29 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of children and young people are currently beginning treatment for mental health within 18 weeks of referral, broken down by NHS board.

We have allocated nearly £40m additional funding in 2021-22 to NHS Boards to improve CAMHS from our £120m Recovery and Renewal fund. £4.25m of that allocation is directly focussed on offering treatment to those already on CAMHS waiting lists, with a view to clearing all backlogs by March 2023.

The Scottish Government national standard is that 90% of children and young people should start treatment within 18 weeks of referral and the latest CAMHS publication reporting to quarter ending 31 December 2021 is available on the PHS website at: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-services-camhs-waiting-times/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-services-camhs-waiting-times-quarter-ending-31-december-2021/

Table 1 shows the total number of patients seen for first treatment following referral to CAMH Services broken down by NHS Board and the percentage seen within 18 weeks, 19-35 weeks, 36-52 weeks and 53+ for the latest published data for quarter ending 31 December 2021.

Table 1: Total number of patients seen from referral to treatment and percentage seen within 18 weeks, 19-35 weeks, 36-52 weeks, 53+ weeks by NHS Board

NHS Board	Total patients seen by CAMHS quarter ending Dec-21	Percentage seen by CAMHS within 18 weeks quarter ending Dec-21	Percentage seen by CAMHS within 19-35 weeks quarter ending Dec-21	Percentage seen by CAMHS within 36-52 weeks quarter ending Dec-21	Percentage seen by CAMHS 53+ weeks quarter ending Dec-21
NHS Scotland	4,544	70.3	10.4	12.5	6.8
NHS Ayrshire & Arran	350	93.7	6.0	-	0.3
NHS Borders	70	67.1	17.1	7.1	8.6
NHS Dumfries & Galloway	133	47.4	45.1	7.5	-
NHS Fife	363	71.9	18.2	6.3	3.6
NHS Forth Valley	111	57.7	7.2	5.4	29.7
NHS Grampian	372	95.2	4.6	0.3	-
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde	1,561	57.7	10.6	28.6	3.1
NHS Highland	232	75.0	8.6	4.7	11.6
NHS Lanarkshire	239	69.5	10.0	8.4	12.1
NHS Lothian	726	65.2	9.5	5.2	20.1
NHS Tayside	329	93.0	3.3	1.8	1.8
NHS Island Boards	58	100.0	-	-	-

Source: PHS CAMHS database

NHS Island Boards comprise of NHS Shetland and NHS Western Isles.

NHS Orkney are unable to submit data since October 2020 due to data quality and extraction issues.

NHS Lothian submission from December 2021 does not include Children and Young people who are waiting for or began a Neurodevelopmental assessment and do not meet the CAMHS Mental Health Specification Criteria.