- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many accredited general dental practitioners have provided routine preventative care in care homes in each of the past five years, and how many unique patients have received such care in each year.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold a central list of accredited general dental practitioners providing preventive advice in care homes. All such advice is included within the overall Public Health statistics, as noted in S6W-40828 on 7 October 2025. The introduction of payment reform in November 2023 precludes comparable figures for each of the last five years; information may be available in previously published Public Health Scotland releases. Public Health Statistics published to end quarter March 2025 provide NHS dental data monitoring report - Quarter ending March 2025 - NHS dental data monitoring report - Publications - Public Health Scotland an overview of the post reform performance across the 2024-25 financial year which indicate that around 12,000 Domiciliary and Recalled Attendance visits were undertaken by dentists in that year.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) legal and (b) propriety advice was sought in advance of the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy’s meeting with the Chief Financial Officer of SSEN Transmission on 17 March 2025 regarding the handling of live or prospective transmission consent applications, and what its policy is on recording such advice.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40778 on 7 October 2025. 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.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what role the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy has at the Had-Fab Ltd transmission contracts award event on 28 August 2025, and which companies were represented at ministerial-level meetings held on the margins of that event.
Answer
I was invited to attend the event at the Had Fab factory to celebrate the awarding of a non-government contract by SSEN to partner companies to manufacture pylons. I gave a short speech followed by the Secretary of State for Scotland, followed by a tour of the workshops in which she spoke to members of the Had Fab workforce before leaving.
The event was also attended by SSEN, Wood Group and Murphy. There were no ministerial level meetings in the margins.
- Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure that migraine is recognised as a serious condition, in the context of welfare applications.
Answer
We recognise the distress and pain that migraines cause in so many people and we take the issue of migraines seriously. We know that migraine attacks can be debilitating and significantly impact a person’s daily life.
The Scottish Government’s Disability Assistance provides financial support to help mitigate the additional costs of being disabled or living with a long-term health condition. We want everyone eligible for disability benefits to access their entitlements.
Social Security Scotland make decisions on applications based on individuals’ level of need, rather than a specific condition or diagnosis.
We have removed anxiety inducing and unreliable private-sector assessments which only offer a snapshot of an individual’s needs. Our person-centred approach ensures that the full impacts of a long-term health condition, including the impacts of migraines, are taken into account when someone applies for a disability benefit.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the agenda, briefing pack, minute and action notes relating to the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy’s meeting with the Chief Financial Officer of SSEN Transmission on 17 March 2025, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The relevant documents will be published shortly and will be available on the Scottish Government website -Publications -gov.scot
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what planning applications were live at the time of the Had-Fab Ltd transmission contracts award event on 28 August 2025 involving Had-Fab Ltd, SSEN Transmission, Murphy, and Wood Transmission and Distribution Ltd, and what information it holds regarding whether any of these companies have indicated an intention to submit further applications in the next 12 months.
Answer
Responsibility for dealing with day-to-day land use planning matters generally rests, in the first instance, at the most local level. The Scottish Government does not hold information on applications which are being or may be considered by planning authorities.
On 28 August 2025, 22 applications from SSEN Transmission to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit were live. We expect further applications to be submitted over the next 12 months.
Planning applications did not form any part of the joint visit by the then UK Secretary of State and Cabinet Secretary to HAD Fab.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what targets it has set for job transitions supported
through the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme for each of the next three
years, and how it will report progress.
Answer
The Passport is one tool in a wider landscape of support for Scotland’s oil and gas workers – which all support the shared outcome of a just transition for this valued and highly skilled workforce. For example, the Passport is complemented by the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (launched in July 2025 as a joint initiative from Scottish and UK Governments) which offers tailored careers advice and funded training for eligible workers looking to build the skills needed for work in Scotland’s sustainable energy sectors.
The Passport is an industry led project, and the Scottish Government does not hold detailed information on operational and reporting matters. For such queries, we recommend directly contacting the lead industry bodies - Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and RenewableUK (RUK).
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the implications of projected oil and gas job losses by the early 2030s on the required scale and pace of delivery of the Energy Skills Passport pilot scheme.
Answer
The Scottish Government is deeply concerned by any planned job losses in the oil and gas sector.
We continue to monitor and consider a range of evidence in relation to Scotland’s energy system. As part of this approach, we review reports on employment from industry, trade unions and other bodies. We have also commissioned and published independent analysis on Scotland’s Energy System and Just Transition. This analysis considers the economic impact of Scotland’s oil and gas industry, including in terms of employment, during the transition to net zero. A partial update of the baseline data underpinning this analysis was published in April 2025.
The Energy Skills Passport is an industry-led tool to support oil and gas workers to identify training pathways into key offshore wind sectors. It is one tool in a wider landscape of support for Scotland’s oil and gas workers. For example, the Passport is complemented by the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (launched in July 2025 as a joint initiative from Scottish and UK Governments) which offers tailored careers advice and funded training for eligible workers looking to build the skills needed for work in Scotland’s sustainable energy sectors.
In the unfortunate event of any employees facing redundancy, the Scottish Government will also always offer and provide support through the Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE). Through providing skills development and employability support, PACE aims to minimise the time individuals affected by redundancy are out of work.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40384 by Ben Macpherson on 23 September 2025, how many graduates took up a placement in NHS Western Isles in (a) 2020-21, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23.
Answer
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects data on the destinations of graduates 15 months after graduation via the Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey is voluntary and hence does not represent the outcomes of all graduates from each year.
The following table now includes NHS Western Isles which was excluded previously due to the rounding policy. The HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey had no responses from graduates who were working for NHS Western Isles.
Scottish NHS Health Board of Clinical Medicine graduates, from Scottish providers, who said they worked in the NHS 15 months after graduating, 2020-21 to 2022-23
NHS Health Board | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
Ayrshire and Arran | 10 | 15 | 15 |
Borders | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 10 | 10 | 5 |
Fife | 5 | 10 | 10 |
Forth Valley | 5 | 15 | 15 |
Grampian | 45 | 35 | 40 |
Greater Glasgow and Clyde | 110 | 110 | 95 |
Highland | 10 | 20 | 15 |
Lanarkshire | 15 | 20 | 20 |
Lothian | 50 | 50 | 55 |
Orkney | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Shetland | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tayside | 30 | 30 | 25 |
Western Isles | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total known and working for NHS Scotland | 305 | 320 | 285 |
Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23
The survey is voluntary and hence does not represent the outcomes of all graduates from each year.
Health Board is estimated from Local Authority of work address.
Only includes graduates flagged as working for the NHS (using HESA variable NHSORG)
Clinical Medicine as defined by HECOS subject classification 100267. Note: this will not include all students completing medical degrees and exclude some specialist courses.
Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5
- Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 September 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 7 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the reported 30 schools for which there is no recorded last condition survey date are recorded as being in "Good" condition in its School Estate Statistics 2025.
Answer
Schools built within the past five years may not yet have had a condition survey and the condition rating is based on the state of the school at the time of completion of the building works.
In situations where schools were built under PPP (Public-Private Partnerships), PFI (Private finance initiative) or similar arrangements which included school maintenance contracts, local authorities report that the buildings are monitored and maintained by a third party.
It is local authorities’ responsibility to ensure schools built under such arrangements continue to be maintained to a sufficiently high standard, given the maintenance contract that will be in place.