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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-30532

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has examined the reasons for the steady decrease in the funds held for colleges in arm's-length foundations over the last decade, from £99 million in 2014 when they were first established to an estimated £9 million by the end of 2024.

Question reference: S6W-30809

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many seven-day emergency readmissions there have been in each year since 2016, broken down by NHS board.

Table 1 provides information on the number of emergency readmissions within 7 days of a prior hospital discharge. The data are broken down by financial year (2016-17 to 2023-24) and NHS board of residence, in Scotland.

Table 1: Emergency Readmissions within 7 days of a prior hospital discharge by NHS Board, Scotland 2016-17 to 2023-24

NHS Board	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24
NHS Ayrshire and Arran	5,058	5,470	5,506	5,233	3,947	4,501	3,970	4,435
NHS Borders	1,269	1,233	1,242	1,174	815	834	1,299	1,531
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	1,454	1,560	1,593	1,654	1,241	1,367	1,480	1,595
NHS Fife	3,915	4,744	4,716	4,547	3,467	4,310	4,493	5,181
NHS Forth Valley	2,524	2,576	2,529	4,254	3,270	3,588	3,558	3,514
NHS Grampian	4,766	5,031	5,045	5,661	4,236	4,719	4,974	5,349
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde	13,518	11,469	11,723	12,078	8,858	9,927	9,857	10,477
NHS Highland	2,735	3,423	3,894	3,779	2,877	3,474	3,820	4,005
NHS Lanarkshire	8,011	7,858	8,234	8,565	5,826	7,378	8,178	7,953
NHS Lothian	8,191	8,317	8,726	9,551	8,012	7,842	6,795	7,822
NHS Orkney	145	153	193	174	150	171	175	138
NHS Shetland	147	162	181	183	154	134	148	176
NHS Tayside	3,835	3,704	3,588	3,986	3,241	3,923	4,583	5,332
NHS Western Isles	307	321	332	392	251	264	304	265
NHS Scotland	55,875	56,021	57,502	61,231	46,345	52,432	53,634	57,773

Source: Public Health Scotland (SMR01)

Question reference: S6W-30722

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that the National Good Food Nation Plan effectively addresses (a) child obesity and (b) diet-related health inequalities.

The first national Good Food Nation Plan represents a fresh approach to food policy and it embeds long-term strategic transformation into decision making at both the national and local levels. The consultation draft of the national Plan set out the six overarching Good Food Nation Outcomes to achieve our ambitions for Scotland’s food system. Draft Outcomes 1 and 3 set out the high-level aspirations in relation to health and diet related inequalities:

Outcome 1 - Everyone in Scotland eats well with reliable access to safe, nutritious, affordable, sustainable, and age and culturally appropriate food.

Outcome 3 - Scotland’s food system encourages a physically and mentally healthy population, leading to a reduction in diet-related conditions.

These Outcomes will be updated and refined based on the consultation responses received before the draft Plan is laid before Parliament in 2025.

Scottish Ministers will need to have regard to the national Good Food Nation Plan when carrying out specified functions in relation to food ensuring a clear, consistent and coherent approach to food policy across policy areas and ministerial portfolios. This approach ensures connections are made between policy areas so that complex issues such as child obesity and diet-related inequalities will be considered in the context of wider food system challenges. As part of this joined up approach the Ministerial Working Group on Food supports cross-Government work to drive progress across portfolios on issues relating to food policy.

Question reference: S6W-30715

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what specific interventions it is planning to address the reported higher consumption of sugary soft drinks among children from deprived areas.

As reported in the Scottish Health Survey Supporting documents - The Scottish Health Survey 2022 – volume 1: main report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) there has already been a significant decline in children’s consumption of non-diet soft drinks once a day or more, from 38% in 2008-2009 to 16% in 2017-2018, and to 5% in 2021-2022.

The Scottish Government recognises that there is much that still needs to be done to further reduce children’s sugary soft drinks consumption, especially in low-income areas. We continue to support the UK Government’s Soft Drink Industry Levy, recognising the positive impact this has made in reducing sugary soft drinks consumption and incentivising industry reformulation.

The Scottish Government is delivering a range of initiatives to further improve the access and affordability of healthier food and drink options, helping children, especially those in deprived areas, to develop healthier nutritional habits that will last them a lifetime. This includes continued support of the Healthy Living Programme, the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations and the Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme(SMHSS) Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme - Maternal and child health - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-30717

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being taken to improve the early identification of childhood obesity.

Effective approaches to preventing childhood obesity are focused on population-level measures, and therefore it is important that we can track progress on child healthy weight across our communities.

The universal health visiting pathway includes growth assessment of all children at several points across early childhood and supports interventions that promote healthy growth.

Public Health Scotland and Scottish Directors of Public Health established a short life working group, including expertise from local boards and PHS, to consider the Primary 1 BMI surveillance https://publichealthscotland.scot/population-health/early-years-and-young-people/child-health-data-and-intelligence/child-weight-and-growth/routine-health-review/ model and to catalyse work to improve P1 measurement data usability and coverage.

Robust data is really important not only to exhibit the effectiveness of our policies but to inform continuous improvement. We welcome Public Health Scotland and the wider public health system’s continued support on the range of data that underpins our policies.

Question reference: S6W-30634

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what stakeholder engagement it has undertaken to progress the delivery of the proposed National Register of Ancient Woodlands.

NatureScot and Scottish Forestry are currently putting together a project plan to build on the existing Ancient Woodland Inventory to develop the new National Register of Ancient Woodlands. This will help us to determine how best work with land managers and other interested parties in delivering and maintaining the Register. We are committed to working with a broad range of stakeholders in taking this work forward.

Question reference: S6W-30633

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the timescales for the delivery of the proposed National Register of Ancient Woodlands.

NatureScot and Scottish Forestry are currently putting together a project plan to build on the existing Ancient Woodland Inventory to develop the new National Register of Ancient Woodlands. Until this plan is complete, it is not possible to provide an indicative timescale for completion. The new National Register of Ancient Woodlands will be an important element of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and Delivery plan, which will be published shortly.

Question reference: S6T-02170

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 November 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of any potential implications for accessibility, equality and safety for passengers and the public, whether it will permit the reduction in opening hours of ticket offices by ScotRail.

Question reference: S6T-02168

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any increased risk to public safety resulting from industrial action by the Scottish Police Federation.

Question reference: S6F-03507

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2024

To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to end the reported increase in families in the Central Belt living in temporary accommodation, in light of reports of almost 2,000 children in Glasgow living in unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation in 2024 and more than 4,600 households in Edinburgh projected to be living in temporary accommodation by 2040.