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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-13747

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government on what date Transport Scotland will confirm the 2023 ferry fare rates for CalMac.

Question reference: S6W-13744

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments by Cllr Uisdean Robertson that the ferries division of Transport Scotland should be relocated to an islands base, rather than being based in Edinburgh, in light of reports of delays to the publication of CalMac’s 2023 summer sailing timetable and its 2023 ferry fares.

The delays to the publication of the timetable and confirmation of fare levels were not related in any way to the geographical location of Transport Scotland staff.

The delay was wholly due to the necessary detailed consideration and discussions required at all levels of Government in order to find a way to mitigate the impact on ferry fares of an unprecedented level of CPI of 9.1%.

The Scottish Government is acutely aware of the particular challenges faced by our island communities, where the ongoing cost of living impacts are arguably more challenging than in any other part of the country. Additionally, Ministers are mindful of the disruption on the ferry network in recent times - particularly in relation to the Clyde and Hebrides network.

I was pleased to announce last week a six month fares freeze, it is the right thing for our island communities and I hope it will go some way to encouraging tourism this summer as island businesses continue to recover from the pandemic .

Question reference: S6W-13623

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christine Grahame on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consider allowing members of the public to request to have a loved one's 100th birthday recognised through a greetings card sent on behalf of the Scottish Parliament in situations where the recipient's contribution to Scottish public life is considered significant.

Question reference: S6W-13622

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Christine Grahame on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consider sending greetings cards on behalf of the Scottish Parliament to residents of Scotland who are due to celebrate their 100th birthday.

Question reference: S6W-13444

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the delivery of the commitment made in the Health and social care: integrated workforce plan to "design and oversee work to obtain a national picture of workforce planning capacity, methodology and capability in Local Authorities/ Health and Social Care Partnerships for planning social care services".

The Scottish Government has engaged directly with representatives from NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) to consider workforce planning capacity and capability across services. We remain committed to building a culture of continuous learning and improvement in workforce planning, including through the guidance we developed to support the development of health board and HSCP three-year workforce plans. We have been exploring, with stakeholders, formal qualification and accreditation opportunities, we continue to take forward these discussions with partners in further and higher education, alongside the provision of in-house training.

Question reference: S6W-13589

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has developed an engagement programme across the health and social care workforce to inform a set of shared values.

As part of Leading to Change, the National Leadership Development Programme, we have been running a series of engagement events for the health, social work and social care sectors to promote compassionate and inclusive leadership at all levels and create an open and welcoming culture that will enable people to thrive.

Details of the events can be found here: Events | Leading to Change | Leadership Development | NHS Scotland

An update on the National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care will be published later this year.

Question reference: S6W-14008

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to meet emergency repair work at fishing harbours since July 2019.

Question reference: S6W-13813

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what safety and maintenance checks are required for community-based defibrillators.

Question reference: S6W-13844

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the amount of foreign investment in Scottish universities.

Question reference: S6W-13898

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the National Advisory Committee for Chronic Pain has specifically considered veterans issues as part of its work to improve chronic pain management in Scotland.

We recognise the impact that chronic pain can have on people’s quality of life, including those with health problems arising as a result of their service to their country. The Scottish Veterans Commissioner (SVC) report ‘Veterans’ Health and Wellbeing ( www.gov.scot ) contained a recommendation that the National Advisory Committee for Chronic Pain (NACCP) consider support for Veterans as part of their work.

As detailed in the Scottish Government’s Support for the Veterans and the Armed Forces Community report published in November 2020, in line with this recommendation, the Scottish Government provided funding for the Pain Association Scotland to deliver a project to develop bespoke chronic pain self-management support for Veterans which received excellent feedback from participants. Outputs from this work included the development of a standardised Veterans referral form for healthcare practitioners seeking to support these patients.

The Scottish Government set out a refreshed approach to improving care and support for people with chronic pain in the Framework for Pain Management Service Delivery – Implementation Plan , published in July 2022. The Plan sets out a number of specific actions that are intended to improve care and support for people with chronic pain across Scotland, irrespective of underlying clinical cause or background. As we deliver the Plan we will identify opportunities to improve pain management support for groups facing inequalities, including Veterans, to ensure they can access the right care, at the right time, in the right place.