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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: S6O-00446

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued related to the funding of ventilation in schools.

Question reference: S6O-00452

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made towards the R100 commitment to superfast broadband for all.

Question reference: S6O-00449

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support the funding of flood mitigation schemes.

Question reference: S6W-04054

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure that NHS patients in Scotland can access Magnetic Resonance Guided Focused Ultra-Sound (MRgFUS) to treat the condition, essential tremor.

Patients in Scotland with medication-refractory essential tremor can be referred for MRgFUS treatment to the current centre in London which offers this service. These arrangements are managed through robust commissioning arrangements between NHS England and NHS National Services Scotland’s National Services Division (NSD). Referral to the service is dependent upon the patient’s local neurologist considering their eligibility and whether they would benefit from MRgFUS treatment.

In Scotland a partnership between NHS Tayside and University of Dundee is also enabling a small number of eligible patients to receive MRgFUS treatment at a newly developed facility in Dundee. So far 80 patients have been referred for assessment this year, and around 25% of those have been considered as being appropriate for treatment. The National Deep Brain Stimulation Service in Glasgow has been working closely with the facility to ensure that patient selection is appropriate with a view to the best clinical outcomes as well as patient safety.

While evidence continues to be gathered on the effectiveness of the technology, NSD continues to engage with the clinical team in Tayside with a view to the development of an application for national designation in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-04036

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the reported survivability bias in the Cancer Patient Experience Survey to ensure that experiences of patients with a less survivable cancer are captured.

The care experience survey programme, of which the Cancer Patient Experience Survey is part of, is due to be under review shortly to allow for the context of COVID-19.

The Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey is run in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support and is designed to be comparable with Cancer Patient Experience Surveys run in England and Wales. A change in methodology, such as altering the sampling frame, surveying people at different stages of treatment or surveying the relatives of those who have passed away, would result in survey results that are not comparable to the English & Welsh survey results. Such a change would require extensive consultation with stakeholders.

In order to capture the experience of patients with a less survivable cancer we are using tools such as Care Opinion and working with our third sector partners to collate best available evidence.

Question reference: S6W-04096

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support local authorities are receiving to apply for the Woods in and Around Town scheme, and what its position is on whether the available support is sufficient to meet the current demand for access to urban woods that are close to where people live.

Since April 2015 the Scottish Government has provided funding to support the planting of over 1.85 million trees and the creation of more than 925 hectares of new urban woodlands to provide opportunities for people to use and enjoy their local woods.

Around £8 million a year is available to support tree planting and greening projects within the Central Scotland Green Network area.

The Scottish Government continues to work with, and provide funding to a range of partners including local authorities, to support them in responding to demand for better access to unban woods through their expansion and improved management. Examples of this partnership approach include the Clyde Climate Forest and initiatives such as the “Wee Forests” that will play a role in improving people’s health and well-being whilst also delivering on our climate change and biodiversity commitments.

Question reference: S6W-04155

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government on what date the online booking system for COVID-19 booster vaccinations will be open to (a) adult carers, unpaid carers or young carers aged 16 years or over and (b) people aged 16 and over who are a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed.

Question reference: S6W-04141

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that there has been a 44% increase in the number of people paying for private procedures since 2019 and that waiting lists for NHS outpatient appointments have reportedly risen to 400,000 over the first half of 2021, what its position is on whether this represents a move towards a two-tier public/private health service in Scotland based on the ability to pay.

During 2020-21 the percentage of total NHS procedures carried out by non NHS-providers was 0.6%. Non-NHS provider figures relate to NHS patients treated in non-NHS locations such as private hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, care homes, etc.

The impact of addressing the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many health and social care services had to be suspended or reduced in scope and scale. This has affected almost all aspects of NHS Care. As a result, this regrettably means there are many people who are waiting longer for the care they need. Addressing the backlog of care, while continuing to meet the ongoing urgent health and care needs of the country, is a priority for this Government.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to a publicly funded National health service that is accessible to all of the people of Scotland. That is why the First Minster launched the NHS Recovery Plan on the 25 August which sets out our objectives for tackling the Covid-19 related backlogs of care and putting the NHS on a sustainable path for the future. The plan is backed by more than £1 billion of investment over the next five years of which over £400 million will support nine National Treatment Centres (NTC) – the first of which opened at the Golden Jubilee November 2020.

Question reference: S6W-04147

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to the James Hutton Institute in each year since 2011.

Question reference: S6W-04119

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new hydrogen-powered vessel in Orkney will be covered by a collective bargaining agreement.