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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-24514

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress NHS Scotland is making with the digitisation of all patient medical records.

The Digitisation of records is an operational responsibility of individual Health Boards and GP practices. At a national level, and building on the existing use of electronic patient record systems, we are focussed on allowing medical records to be stored, linked, and shared securely. This will support our ambition set out in the 2021 Digital Health & Care Strategy to make the right information available to all appropriate staff, when and where it is needed.

To achieve this, most Health Boards have a Clinical Portal. This system works across organisational, regional, and national boundaries to provide a timely transfer of information. The key developments to improve the sharing of information within Health Boards and GP Practices is the GPIT Programme, the National Digital Platform, TRAK Care and Clinical Portal.

HEPMA ( Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration ) is a system that can also replace paper prescribing and medication administration systems within hospitals. It has already been successfully implemented in thirteen Health boards across Scotland with the remainder to commence in 2024. We are also developing the Digital Prescribing and Dispensing Pathways (DPDP) programme which is on track to replace the current paper prescription in Scotland with a digital approach by the end of this Parliamentary term in 2026.

Question reference: S6W-24516

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with Scotland’s Improvement Districts regarding the possible introduction of a non-domestic rates public health supplement on retailers prior to the announcement in the 2024-25 Budget.

Question reference: S6W-24497

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the proposed introduction of a non-domestic rates public health supplement on retailers, as set out in its Budget for 2024-25, how much revenue it expects to generate from such a levy.

Question reference: S6W-24496

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the proposed introduction of a non-domestic rates public health supplement on retailers, as set out in its Budget for 2024-25, for how long such a levy would apply.

Question reference: S6W-24522

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government’s Industrial Energy Transformation Fund opening for applications on 29 January 2024 to support industrial sites in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to decarbonise, when it will open the next phase of the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund to support Scottish businesses to decarbonise.

During 2020, Scottish Ministers announced their intention to administer a separate fund to the UK Government's Industrial Energy Transformation Fund and that more funds would be available for Scottish Industries than received as Barnett consequentials. We are in the process of concluding the due diligence process for SIETF applications and in the coming weeks intend to announce a further set of projects. Following this, we will engage with industrial representatives regarding potential proposals for future decarbonisation initiatives, including the possibility of a next phase for SIETF.

Question reference: S6W-24503

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the possible introduction of a non-domestic rates public health supplement on retailers as set out in the 2024-25 Budget, whether the receipts from any new levy would be ring-fenced or hypothecated, and, if so, for what purpose.

Question reference: S6W-24461

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether its plans for Employment Injury Assistance include (a) accepting or (b) rejecting the recommendations, as they apply in Scotland, in the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council report, Review and Update of the Prescription for Prescribed Disease D1 (Pneumoconiosis).

The Scottish Government is committed to undertaking a public consultation on Employment Injury Assistance (EIA) shortly. As set out in the response to S6W-24459 on 23 January 2023 we continue to engage with UK Government on their response to IIAC’s report. 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 .

Question reference: S6W-24458

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people in Scotland (a) are currently in receipt of and (b) have made an application since 1 April 2020 for, Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit in relation to a diagnosis of the prescribed disease, pneumoconiosis, and, of these, how many would not receive this benefit as new applicants in the event that the recommendations in the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council report, Review and Update of the Prescription for Prescribed Disease D1 (Pneumoconiosis), are implemented by the UK Government.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) is currently being delivered by the UK Government in Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government through an agency agreement. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) do not publish data on total IIDB awards for specific prescribed diseases. According to DWP data, between 1 April 2020 and 1 April 2023, 363 people made an application for IIDB in relation to pneumoconiosis in Scotland. There were 306 awards processed for pneumoconiosis in Scotland in this time period.

The Scottish Government cannot comment on how many people would be impacted if these recommendations were accepted by the UK Government at this stage. We continue to work with the DWP to understand the implications of any future changes to legislation.

Question reference: S6W-24460

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will be required to accept any amendments, as they apply in Scotland, to the Social Security (Industrial Injuries) (Prescribed Diseases) Regulations 1985, in accordance with the report, Industrial Injuries Scheme Benefits in Scotland: Agency Agreement, in the event that the UK Government accepts the recommendations in the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council report, Review and Update of the Prescription for Prescribed Disease D1 (Pneumoconiosis), and whether this will require the Scottish Ministers to lay a Scottish statutory instrument in order to do so.

The Industrial Injuries Scheme (IIS) continues to be delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) though an agency agreement. The agreement requires alignment between the way in which IIS is delivered in Scotland and its delivery in the rest of the UK and therefore any changes to the UK legislation to be reflected in relevant Scottish legislation. This would typically require a Scottish statutory instrument.

Question reference: S6W-24459

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is, regarding the impact in Scotland, to the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council report, Review and Update of the Prescription for Prescribed Disease D1 (Pneumoconiosis), and what the potential implications are for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit applicants in Scotland.