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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: S6F-02538

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 November 2023

To ask the First Minister what immediate action the Scottish Government is taking to address the reported crisis in social care, in light of the letter from the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland stating that the social care pay uplift is insufficient.

Question reference: S6W-22313

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 20 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it anticipates breast cancer screening will be reintroduced for women aged 75 and over, following a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as committed to by the former First Minister on 24 November 2022.

As noted in S6W-19908 on 31 July 2023, the age ranges for breast screening are based on recommendations from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group which informs decisions taken across the UK on screening programmes. There is no clear evidence that the benefits of screening this age group outweigh the potential harms.

Since October 2022, women aged 71-74, and those over 75 with a history of breast cancer, have been able to self-refer for a screening appointment. Due to the challenges around programme capacity and wait times as a result of the pandemic, self-referrals for those over 75 without a history of breast cancer remain paused. This ensures those between 50 and 70 and for whom screening has clear benefits are prioritised. The most recent statistics show that breast screening uptake has increased across Scotland which is the most important factor when maximising cancer detection and effectiveness of the screening programme.

Considerable work has been undertaken to improve programme capacity, including extending screening hours, using additional mobile units, and optimising appointment allocation. The scale of the challenge facing the screening programme since the pandemic means it has taken time for this work to have a significant impact. However, considerable progress has been made, and the scope to extend self-referrals to all those over 75 remains under active review. Both Parliament and NHS Inform will be updated when any decision is made to lift the current pause.

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-22243

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Short Life Working Group report arising from the Fatal Accident Inquiry recommendations following the fire at Cameron House Hotel, and in relation to the commitment to establish an expert working group to consider mandating automatic fire suppression systems where historic buildings are being converted into hotels, whether it will confirm (a) the membership of the group and (b) when the group’s (i) terms of reference and (ii) remit will be in place, and when it expects the group to report.

Question reference: S6W-22245

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Short Life Working Group report arising from the Fatal Accident Inquiry recommendations following the fire at Cameron House Hotel, when it will carry out its commitment to “amend the Section 34 letter to Local Authority Chief Executives under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 (Section 34 - Reports and Information - Notification of Application for Building Warrant - Section 2 - Fire) to require that a verifier must notify the Scottish Government where future conversions of historic buildings are to be used as hotel accommodation”.

The Section 34 letter to Local Authority Chief Executives under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 (Section 34 - Reports and Information - Notification of Application for Building Warrant - Section 2 - Fire) to require that a verifier must notify the Scottish Government where future conversions of historic buildings are to be used as hotel accommodation has been sent to all Local Authority Chief Executives and copied to Building Standards Managers on 31 October 2023.

Question reference: S6W-22244

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Short Life Working Group report arising from the Fatal Accident Inquiry recommendations following the fire at Cameron House Hotel, when it will amend the guidance in the technical handbooks to promote the use of automatic fire suppression systems for historic building conversions to hotels.

Question reference: S6W-22246

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Short Life Working Group report arising from the Fatal Accident Inquiry recommendations following the fire at Cameron House Hotel, when the first workshop will be held with partners, including industry, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Local Authority Building Standards Scotland/The Building Standards Hub, and Historic Environment Scotland, to promote key fire safety messages around the dangers of historic construction techniques, materials, and fire spread in hidden voids.

Question reference: S6W-22499

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the scoring methodology and underpinning detail used in identifying which neonatal services should be retained.

The Options Appraisal Report , published on 25 July 2023 describes the process undertaken to determine the three final Neonatal Intensive Care Units, and the feasibility analysis and testing that followed the conclusion of that process. Annex A of the Report includes the criteria and weighting used for the Options Appraisal Process. Annexes C and D of the report outline the data that supported the Options Appraisal process.

Further detail on the methodology and the scoring of individual units can be found as part of the following Freedom of Information request:

Information relating to Options Appraisal Report: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-22492

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the reports into the pilot schemes for neonatal service changes in NHS (a) Ayrshire and Arran and (b) Fife.

Question reference: S6W-22493

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish any paper on the potential implications of losing intensive care status in neonatal units.

The Best Start recommendation to move to a model of three intensive care units in Scotland was based on evidence that this will improve outcomes for the smallest and sickest babies.

The Framework for Practice ‘Criteria to Define Levels of Neonatal Care including Repatriation within NHS Scotland’, published on 25 July 2023 describes the care that can be provided at each level of neonatal care. It outlines that Local Neonatal Units can continue to care for babies requiring short periods of intensive care in accordance with agreed pathways.

In addition the British Association of Perinatal Medicine published ‘ Optimal Arrangements for Neonatal Intensive Care Units in the UK’ in 2021, which provides a framework for practice for neonatal care. This sets out the optimal arrangements for neonatal intensive care to provide the lowest mortality and morbidity, and the best baby and parent experience.

Question reference: S6W-22498

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 13 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it considered regarding the potential consequences of separating a mother from their newborn in connection with the proposed location of neonatal intensive care units.

The Best Start emphasises parents as key partners in caring for their baby and aims to keep mothers and babies, and families together as much as possible in the crucial early weeks, with services designed around them.

The new model of care aims to minimise the separation of families, and to support parents with babies in neonatal care. We have a number of measures already in place to support families:

Providing accommodation for parents to stay on or near neonatal units;
Roll out of the Young Patients Family Fund (formerly the Neonatal Expenses Fund) to support families with the costs of travel, accommodation and food whilst their baby is in neonatal care;
and
Repatriating babies to their local neonatal units as soon as clinically possible.

Under the new model of care mothers in suspected extreme pre-term labour are transferred before they give birth (in-utero) to maternity units in the hospitals that have neonatal intensive care units. Experience from the Early Implementer Boards indicates that this will happen in the vast majority of cases. On occasion when it is not possible to transfer mothers before they give birth, the baby will be stabilised and transferred to a NICU by the specialist neonatal transport service ScotSTAR, and the mother will be transferred to the maternity unit in the same hospital as her baby.