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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.

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Question reference: S6W-19021

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18315 by Shona Robison on 7 June 2023, when it anticipates that inspection surveys will (a) begin and (b) finish.

Scottish Government has recently appointed an external professional advisor to provide guidance on the scope of building condition surveys required for Scottish Government buildings. It anticipates receiving details of the scope within approximately 8-10 weeks, surveys will be instructed immediately thereafter and in line with Scottish Government Procurement guidelines. The time to complete the surveys will be dependent on the scope provided, number of buildings and procurement guidance.

Question reference: S6W-19135

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided for dementia research in each year since 2007.

The following table provides a breakdown of CSO funding in dementia research through project/fellowship funding and the annual funding provided to the NRS Dementia and Neuroprogressive Disease research network. Project and fellowship funding is allocated to the year in which the funding commitment was made. Data was extracted from the CSO database and covers research on Alzheimer’s Disease, other cause dementia and studies on cognitive ageing / decline. CSO’s research project funding panels were paused during 2020 due to COVID-19 related pressures but have since reopened.

Breakdown :

Year	Project / fellowship funding	NRS Network	Total
2022-23	£592,437	£566,000	£1,158,437
2021-22	£260,978	£527,000	£787,978
2020-21	£62,461	£506,000	£568,461
2019-20	£123,394	£506,000	£629,394
2018-19	£543,351	£506,000	£1,049,351
2017-18	£595,219	£496,000	£1,091,219
2016-17	£25,876	£491,000	£516,876
2015-16	£59,834	£486,000	£545,834
2014-15	£136,950	£486,000	£622,950
2013-14	£443,424	£481,000	£924,424
2012-13	£224,536	£481,000	£705,536
2011-12	£183,011	£475,754	£658,765
2010-11	£48,085	£395,661	£443,746
2009-10	£44,134	£340,330	£384,464
2008-09	0	£170,455	£170,455
2007-08	£156,248	N/A	£156,248

Question reference: S6W-19019

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that every deaf child has the opportunity to access a specialist Auditory Verbal programme, as part of its commitment to deliver equal opportunities for every child.

NHS Health Boards and local authorities are responsible for the provision of, and funding for, services for deaf children. This includes the provision of specific therapeutic approaches.

The Scottish Government funds the Scottish Sensory Centre and CALL Scotland to provide advice and training to school staff on support, including the use of assistive technology, for children and young people with specific communication and sensory needs.

Question reference: S6W-19020

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what body or organisation has jurisdiction over the funding for the provision of services for deaf children, including for access to Auditory Verbal therapy.

NHS Health Boards and local authorities are responsible for the provision of, and funding for, services for deaf children. This includes the provision of specific therapeutic approaches.

The Scottish Government also funds the Scottish Sensory Centre and CALL Scotland to provide advice and training to school staff on support, including the use of assistive technology, for children and young people with specific communication and sensory needs.

Question reference: S6W-19023

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 22 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18306 by Patrick Harvie on 7 June 2023, whether it (a) has provided and (b) plans to provide financial support to local authorities to undertake inspections of buildings for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

The Scottish Government has not provided financial support to local authorities to undertake inspections of buildings for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. It is the responsibility of building owners to undertake such inspections. The Health & Safety Executive is the UK-wide regulator for health and safety in workplaces. This legislation is not devolved to the Scottish Government. The HSE, instructed by the UK Government, are developing a research methodology to assist with identification, assessment and remediation of RAAC and we will consider any recommendations appropriately.

Question reference: S6W-18794

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in its Care in the Digital Age: Delivery Plan 2022-23, whether it has put in place the Community Health Index (CHI).

The Community Health Index (CHI) has been in place since the 1970s. We are in the process of modernising and upgrading the system that runs the CHI, which acts as the master patient index for the whole of the NHS. As such, the new CHI system requires careful implementation to safely and seamlessly join up hundreds of data flows. It is now in limited use for some elements of health data. The new system is expected to be fully operational in Autumn 2023.

Question reference: S6W-18779

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in its Care in the Digital Age: Delivery Plan 2022-23, whether the ability for local services to offer to their patients new nationally-consistent pathways for at-home monitoring of a greater range of long term conditions such as COPD, heart failure and asthma exists.

Further pathways for prostate cancer, asthma, heart failure and pulmonary disease are in development. A National Procurement exercise, concluded in September 2021, resulted in a 5-year contract awarded to Inhealthcare Ltd (IHC) for a national asynchronous communication platform. The purpose of this contract is to enable a significant expansion of remote health pathways within Board areas and to support the provision of equitable access to these services for all NHS Boards.

Question reference: S6W-18796

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in its Care in the Digital Age: Delivery Plan 2022-23, what infrastructure has been put in place to support the delivery of the Scottish Vaccination Immunisation Programme.

The digital infrastructure requirements for the Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme (SVIP) are currently being explored in conjunction with our partners Public Health Scotland (PHS) and National Services Scotland (NSS). A report and roadmap will be considered with our partners in summer 2023 and will ensure all potential options are fully scoped and costed. This will enable the recommendation of preferred solutions for a future vaccination and immunisation system which meets the needs of the people of Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-18744

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 21 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration was given to the needs of blind or partially sighted people during the creation of the Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-18332

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 21 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it has done to expand on its AI CivTech Challenge on ethical and explainable AI in the public sector.

The CivTech challenge on ethical and explainable AI has directly lead to the recent launch of the Scottish AI Register.

The AI Register, developed in collaboration with Finnish start-up Saidot, as part of the challenge was launched in March 2023. It makes transparent the development and use of AI in the public sector, and offers the public a simple and effective platform to have a say in how AI is used to make decisions and deliver public services.