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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: S6W-27729

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any restrictions on what any monies received from Low Emission Zone fines can be spent on, and, if so, what these are.

Any monies received from penalty charges in respect of a LEZ scheme can be applied by a local authority only for the purposes of facilitating the achievement of the scheme’s objectives, and thus support at least air quality and/or climate change emission reduction activities, and/or the operational running costs of the scheme. The specifics of how these monies are spent is a matter for the local authority.

Question reference: S6W-27685

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost was of the transfer of operations of ScotRail services from Abellio to public ownership.

Question reference: S6W-27706

Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the announcement that Right There has ended its contract with the City of Edinburgh Council, and what assessment it has made of the potential impact on homelessness services within Edinburgh as a result of this decision.

The City of Edinburgh Council is responsible for commissioning homelessness services in its area and assessing the impact of decisions on service provision. The Scottish Government cannot intervene in those decisions. The council has provided assurance that all three supported temporary accommodation facilities will remain operational and disruption to existing residents and staff will be minimised.

Question reference: S6W-27598

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to comments by the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to the Public Audit Committee that the entire prison estate may shortly reach maximum capacity and present significant risk of potential disorder.

In my statement to Parliament on 16 May, I set out that there is now a critical risk to the continued safe and effective operation of the prison estate, and that urgent action is needed.

If the legal test for use of emergency release is satisfied when section 11 of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 comes into force on 26 May, then I intend to bring forward a proposal for Parliament’s consideration for the emergency release of prisoners.

This is not a decision I have taken lightly. But we must ensure the safety and wellbeing of Scottish Prison Service staff and those people in their care, and that our prisons continue to function effectively to accommodate those who pose the greatest risk of harm.

Members will have the opportunity to scrutinise and debate the approach and, in this instance, we will not release a single prisoner without Parliament’s consent.

I also intend to carry out a short consultative exercise over the summer, and to return after recess with a proposal for a Bill for Parliament’s consideration to change how long-term prisoners are released and managed.

Finally, I intend to bring forward secondary legislation to amend the eligibility criteria for use of Home Detention Curfew (HDC), increasing the period of time individuals can spend on release under licence conditions. These regulations will be subject to scrutiny under the affirmative procedure.

Question reference: S6W-27567

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) guidance and (b) policies are in place to safeguard against any unpaid individuals being deployed to perform duties and roles that would normally be undertaken by NHS employees.

NHS Boards have a responsibility for ensuring they have the right workforce in place at all times to provide safe and high quality patient care.

There is a long history of volunteer services in NHS Scotland, and we are thankful to those who chose to volunteer. Volunteer services are not however there to replace the core workforce, and we expect all NHS Boards to have policies and procedures in place to ensure that volunteers are used appropriately, and only specifically for volunteering services. Volunteers are subject to the same safety checks as NHS staff, including PVG and Disclosure.

Question reference: S6W-27489

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are currently using (a) insulin pumps, (b) continuous or flash glucose monitors and (c) hybrid closed loop systems, broken down by NHS board area.

Not all the information requested is held centrally.

Some information on the percentage of people using glucose monitors and other diabetes technologies can be found in the Scottish Diabetes Survey, which provides an annual summary of key issues and trends in diabetes care and treatment in Scotland. The Survey provides annual data going back to 2004 and can be found here: https://www.diabetesinscotland.org.uk/publications/#survey-docs.

The next iteration of the Survey, covering data for 2023, will be published later this year.

Question reference: S6W-27485

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recently published SIGN guidance on Optimising glycaemic control in people with type 1 diabetes, what actions it will take to ensure similar access is made available for patients with type 2 diabetes.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people with diabetes to receive the best care, treatment and support. Clinical indications for technology required to optimise diabetes control are very different for people with type 2 diabetes compared to those with type 1 diabetes.

At present, clinical guidelines indicate that technology is required in only a select cohort of individuals with type 2 diabetes and we are monitoring provision of this via prescribing data.

Question reference: S6W-27491

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many people currently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes have made requests to their NHS board to access hybrid closed loop systems, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6T-02009

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to build resilience to flooding, in light of reports that heavy rain and flooding caused drivers to be stranded on the Edinburgh City Bypass for hours.

Question reference: S6T-02015

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on plans to review the New Build Heat Standard.