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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-32358

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care last met the (a) chair, (b) chief executive and (c) board of NHS Grampian.

Both Ministers and Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with senior representatives of all NHS Boards, including NHS Grampian.

The Scottish Government has been working very closely with NHS Grampian in relation to the recent pressures on local services. I attended a meeting with the Board leadership team, including the Chair and Interim Chief Executive, and local elected representatives on 29 November 2024 to discuss the Board’s operational resilience plan and cover the actions underway to resume business as usual at the earliest opportunity.

Question reference: S6W-32355

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many hospitals still use a paper patient note system.

The Scottish Government does not request this information from hospitals regarding their individual systems and therefore does not hold it.

Although the Scottish Government sets the regulatory guidelines as to how long health records should be retained, and when they should be destroyed, the responsibility for the overall conduct and management of patient records sits with NHS Boards directly. Therefore, to obtain information regarding the format of individual hospital records, the member should request it via the individual NHS Boards.

Question reference: S6W-32142

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 December 2024

It is not possible to provide information on the number of patients who were newly diagnosed with COPD following an emergency admission.

Figures presented in Table 1 provide the number of emergency inpatient hospital stays associated with a main diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by year.

Table 1

Year of admission	2021	2022	2023
Number of emergency inpatient stays	12,345	13,260	14,083
Number of distinct individuals	8,362	9,257	9,954

Source: Public Health Scotland SMR01

Question reference: S6W-32123

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to conclude its review of the use of ultra-high frequency electronic identification in livestock.

Question reference: S6W-32137

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any alterations to out-of-hours contact services for non-departmental public bodies, and what information has been provided to ministers regarding any such alterations.

Scottish Government is aware the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency is considering amendments around its call centre service to align with plans for wider organisational transformation. SEPA has not raised any emerging risk, or issue with significant implications for its operation or governance with regards to changes to the 24-hour call centre.

Scottish Government is not aware of any other proposal to alter out-of-hours contact services, nor has information been provided to Ministers from any other public body.

Ministers would not routinely be informed of changes to contact services as this would be an operational matter for the body concerned, based on evaluation of the service, customer demand/experience and evolving automation of communication channels such as the use of bots and Artificial Intelligence.

Question reference: S6W-32320

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many court sittings were cancelled due to a lack of resources at Aberdeen courts in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-32321

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases were handled by Aberdeen courts in each of the last five years, broken down by court type.

Question reference: S6W-32210

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, following the publication of the Heat in Buildings: progress report 2024, what action it is taking to strengthen the sources and quality of data on the number of (a) domestic and (b) non-domestic properties operating with zero emissions heating, including heat pumps, heat networks and electric heating.

Our progress report highlighted gaps in data that made reporting on some areas challenging, particularly heat networks and non-domestic properties.

Future reporting of heat network data will be improved through the introduction of a new GB-wide heat network authorisation and consumer protection regime. Ofgem have recently published Heat networks regulation: authorisation and regulatory oversight consultation which provides details on the registration and monitoring.

On non-domestic properties specifically, we continue to work with the Energy Saving Trust to improve reporting through further development of the Non-Domestic Analytics database. The database aims to provide a comprehensive resource on the non-domestic building stock in Scotland.

The data presented on domestic properties are comprehensive, being based on the Scottish Household Condition Survey (designated as Accredited Official Statistics). We will, however, continue to look for improvements in future reporting where possible.

Question reference: S6W-32229

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20143 by Mairi McAllan on 15 August 2023, whether it anticipates any further delays to the implementation of fisheries management measures for both offshore and inshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Priority Marine Features.

Fisheries management measures for offshore MPAs were subject to public consultation, which ran from 19 August to 14 October 2024. The responses are currently being analysed, and final measures will be implemented in 2025.

Ensuring that we develop evidence-based and effective fisheries management measures for the large number of inshore sites is a complex and challenging process. Fisheries management measures for inshore MPAs and Priority Marine Features (PMFs) are currently going through a Sustainability Appraisal, and other statutory impact assessments are being undertaken in preparation for the inshore consultation. The consultation will be undertaken in line with the commitment in the current Programme for Government. Final fisheries management measures will then be implemented as soon as possible once the consultation responses have been analysed and a final decision on the measures taken.

Question reference: S6W-32208

Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the timeline is for carrying out the Scottish Climate Survey, which aims to assess public awareness and understanding of the heat transition, and by what date this will be published.