- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of parents who experienced a (a) pregnancy loss, (b) stillbirth and (c) neonatal death in NHS (i) Highland, (ii) Western Isles, (iii) Orkney, (iv) Shetland, (v) Western Isles and (vi) Grampian have requested bereavement support in each year since 2021.
Answer
This information is not held centrally. You may wish to contact NHS Highland, NHS Western Isles, NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland and NHS Grampian who may be able to provide this information.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 14 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to boost the cancer workforce, and whether haematology professionals are included in any such plans.
Answer
The Scottish Government undertakes annual reviews of the number of specialty training places needed in order to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need. Since 2014, the Scottish Government has funded the creation of hundreds of additional specialty training places in Scotland across multiple different specialties, including in specific cancer specialities and haematology.
These specialty training places have been created in response to recommendations made by a stakeholder group which includes NHS Education for Scotland, the British Medical Association, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, and various Health Board representatives including regional workforce planners.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 14 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-39106 by Ivan McKee on 8 July 2025, for what reason it chose to develop its own mobile app rather than co-opt the UK Government's mobile app for devolved public services.
Answer
The UK Government App is available for all UK residents including those in Scotland providing access to information on GOV.UK. The Scottish Government App will focus on offering services provided by Scottish Government and Scottish public sector organisations to the residents of Scotland.
A collaborative relationship has been established with the UK Government App team to support mutual learning and the reuse of knowledge where this is beneficial in terms of functionality, efficiency, and speed of delivery.
- Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 14 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid to polling companies in each of the last five years, and which topics were polls held on.
Answer
The amount paid to polling companies in each of the last five years for which data is available is set out in the following table. Spend information for 2024-25 is currently not held and will be available later this year. Data on which topics the polls were held could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Fiscal Year | Spend |
2023-24 | £5,276,556.17 |
2022-23 | £5,797,878.06 |
2021-22 | £5,069,934.86 |
2020-21 | £2,354,527.40 |
2019-20 | £5,232,885.48 |
- Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 14 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the level of joint working between local authorities.
Answer
There is a strong tradition of partnership working between local authorities, particularly through Regional Economic Partnerships. This partnership is a key way that services can be delivered more efficiently, and opportunities can be scaled. This is exemplified by the Northeast Regional Economic Partnership, involving Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council, who are delivering the Northeast Investment Zone in partnership with both the Scottish and UK Governments.
Regional Economic Partnerships are delivered via bespoke regional arrangements, and many other examples of joint working are on a case-by-case basis, so formal monitoring of the “level” of joint working would not be possible.
However, the Scottish Government has committed in the Programme for Government to working with local authorities and other key partners, to identify how to strengthen these partnership arrangements. This work is not yet complete, and it would not be possible to comment on outcomes at this time.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 14 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of bankruptcy were declared in the past five
years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) publishes the number of bankruptcies by local authority area in the Annual Scottish Statutory Debt Solutions statistics publication. The latest available data for the April 2023 – March 2024 are available here: Scottish Statutory Debt Solution Statistics 2023-24: Comprehensive Excel Tables | Accountant in Bankruptcy the number of bankruptcies by local authority are on the sheet labelled Table_la_2a.
The 2024-25 publication is due for release on the 27 August 2025 where these figures will be updated.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has issued any policy or guidance to (a) publicly owned companies and (b) ScotRail regarding the outsourcing of functions.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39434 on 11 August 2025. 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.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS staff have been assigned to support parents who have experienced a (a) pregnancy loss, (b) stillbirth and (c) neonatal death in NHS (i) Highland, (ii) Western Isles, (iii) Orkney, (iv) Shetland, (v) Western Isles and (vi) Grampian in each year since 2021.
Answer
This information is not held centrally. You may wish to contact NHS Highland, NHS Western Isles, NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland and NHS Grampian who may be able to provide this information.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 13 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to incorporate awareness of chronic illnesses in the school curriculum.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people receive a broad, inclusive, and supportive education that meets their individual needs. Within Curriculum for Excellence, health and wellbeing is a key area of learning and a shared responsibility across the school community.
While the Experiences and Outcomes within Health and Wellbeing and Science currently do not refer explicitly to chronic illnesses, they do provide a framework for exploring the impact of health and wellbeing on learning, resilience, and quality of life. Schools are encouraged to tailor this learning to reflect the needs and experiences of their learners, including increasing awareness and understanding of long-term health conditions where appropriate.
Support for children and young people living with chronic illness is addressed through wider inclusive practices, including the Additional Support for Learning framework and Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). These policies ensure that individual health needs can be considered through personalised support planning and whole-school approaches to wellbeing.
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 13 August 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what data it collects on the number of homes granted planning permission outside of any statistics that are published.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not collect any data on the number of homes granted planning permission outside of any statistics that are published, reflecting an open and transparent approach.
Planning authorities monitor information on past housing completions and future programming of new homes through the Housing Land Audit (HLA) process. The Scottish Government uses this existing, publicly available information for the number of homes granted planning permission.