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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-37608

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Programme for Government 2025-26 announcement of 20,000 additional orthopaedic, ophthalmology and general surgery procedures is in addition to the announcement of 30,000 procedures contained within the NHS Operational Improvement Plan, which was published in March 2025.

Our previous 2024-25 Programme for Government, published in September 2024, committed to delivering around 20,000 extra orthopaedic, ophthalmology and general surgery procedures annually in our new National Treatment Centres.

The most recent Programme for Government 2025-26, published in May 2025, has a further commitment of delivering more surgical procedures in our network of National Treatment Centres – to over 30,000 planned procedures, up from 20,000 in 2024-25. This commitment is also outlined in our NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan published in March 2025.

These commitments are specifically focused on optimising the use of our network of National Treatment Centres (NTCs) located across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-37619

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting people to become electric vehicle charger (a) installers and (b) maintenance staff.

Transport Scotland is supporting colleges across Scotland to build capability and capacity to train people in the skills required for EV charge point installation, repair and maintenance. This has involved training college lecturers to deliver qualifications and providing the necessary equipment to support delivery to industry.

As a result, the number of colleges offering an EV charge point qualification increased from two to 12 in 2024-25. In 2025-26 a further eight colleges, particularly in rural areas, will be supported to develop the same capability, and we will increase the amount of shared equipment available to colleges. We will be funding a number of places for qualified electricians to undertake EV charge point training through the college network, helping to encourage uptake. In 2025-26, we will also focus on developing courses and building college capability in high-voltage installations, such as those required for rapid or heavy-duty vehicle charge points.

Investing in Scotland's colleges to deliver the required training will help more people become qualified in EV charge point installation, repair and maintenance.

Question reference: S6W-37781

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to expand the deployment of solar panels across the NHS Scotland estate.

The NHS Scotland Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy 2022-2026 includes a target to deliver a 75% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from its buildings compared to a 1990 baseline by 2030 and net-zero emissions from its estate by 2040. To support this, the Scottish Government is working with NHS Scotland Health Boards to implement a range of energy efficiency and decarbonisation measures, including onsite and offsite renewable energy systems such as solar panels.

The current funding approach for NHS Scotland decarbonisation involves leveraging both public capital and private investment as funding options for renewable energy schemes and to consider partnerships with suppliers through Power Purchase Agreements. Capital funding from the Scottish Government may also be made available for onsite arrays, although NHS Boards are expected to consider renewable energy and energy efficiency measures as part of their planning.

Question reference: S6W-37713

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of delayed cataract surgery on patient wellbeing, including risks of falls, injuries and social isolation, particularly among older patients.

Question reference: S6W-37733

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many delayed discharge incidents from hospital were attributable to a lack of available social care packages, in each of the last five years, also broken down by NHS board.

A delayed discharge occurs when a hospital patient who is clinically ready for discharge from inpatient hospital care continues to occupy a hospital bed beyond the date they are ready for discharge. Information held nationally on delayed discharges can identify the number of people aged 18 and over who were delayed in their discharge from hospital.

People delayed due to a lack of available social care packages can be identified using Delay Reason code 25D – “Awaiting completion of arrangements - in order to live in their own home – awaiting social care support (non-availability of services)”.

Figures from Financial Year 2020-21 to 2024-25 (inclusive) are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Number of people delayed due to Awaiting completion of arrangements in order to live in their own home, awaiting social care support (non-availability of services) in the financial Years 2020-21 to 2024-25 by Health Board.

Health Board	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25
NHS Ayrshire & Arran	1,112	1,530	1,460	1,660	1,652
NHS Borders	173	213	190	178	211
NHS Dumfries & Galloway	148	338	453	512	498
NHS Fife	350	745	471	128	281
NHS Forth Valley	583	761	777	428	451
NHS Grampian	289	383	374	356	391
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde	684	1,331	1,622	1,552	1,123
NHS Highland	396	387	406	424	505
NHS Lanarkshire	2,485	2,258	2,539	2,584	2,424
NHS Lothian	1,568	2,044	2,159	2,167	2,226
NHS Orkney	16	26	34	24	37
NHS Shetland	8	37	47	46	61
NHS Tayside	531	786	942	738	750
NHS Western Isles	78	85	68	55	88
Scotland	8,416	10,892	11,507	10,814	10,671

1.The data relate to individuals aged 18 years and over, in the delayed discharges data collection, who were clinically ready for discharge from hospital and experienced a delay reason recorded as due to awaiting completion of arrangements in order to live in their own home, awaiting social care support (non-availability of services).

2.If an individual was delayed in multiple financial years, they will be counted in each financial year they were delayed.

3.The total for Scotland in a year may not match the sum of the people delayed in each Health Board in a year. This is due to some people experienced delays in more than one Health Board during a financial year. A person would count once in each health board they were delayed in and at Scotland level, a person will only be counted once in the financial year.

4.Further information on Delayed Discharges can be found on the Public Health Scotland (PHS) website:

https://publichealthscotland.scot/healthcare-system/secondary-care/delayed-discharges/overview/

Source: Public Health Scotland

Ref IR2025-00417

Question reference: S6W-37715

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the longest recorded waiting time has been for a cataract operation in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) uses the national waiting times datamart to collect electronic patient records covering the waits that patients experience waiting for treatment as an inpatient or day-case under the Treatment Time Guarantee.

This data source can be used routinely to identify the specialty of treatment. However, although the records are designed to collect coded information on the procedure that is planned for the patient, this information is often either incomplete, lacking in essential detail and/or its accuracy cannot be assured. In addition, the procedure(s) that was planned may not always reflect the procedure actually performed after the patient was admitted for treatment. The latter is not captured through the national datamart. Consequently, PHS is not currently able to report accurately on waiting times to this level of detail.

Question reference: S6W-37717

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 28 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients (a) are currently waiting for cataract surgery and (b) have been on a waiting list for cataract surgery in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6T-02550

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether its current investment in youth work is sufficient, in light of reports of an increase in youth violence and the loss of local youth services in recent years.

Question reference: S6T-02545

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that violence against teachers in schools in Aberdeen has risen by 25% in the last year.

Question reference: S6F-04139

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2025

To ask the First Minister, in light of it being almost five years since the Scottish Government committed to spending £60 million to renew every play park in Scotland and of reports that less than half of the funding has been spent, what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that children do not miss out on renewed facilities.