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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: S5W-22239

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 March 2019

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will ensure the recent revision of the severe deafness definition by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be reflected in the eligibility for cochlear implants under the NHS.

NHS National Services Scotland's National Services Division is working with the Scottish Health Technologies Group (part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland) and the Scottish Cochlear Implantation Service to assess the potential implications and impact of the recent revision.

NHS National Services Scotland expects this work to be considered by the National Patient, Public and Professional Reference Group (NPPPRG) on 20 August 2019 and reported to the National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC), which is the Governance Group for all National Specialist Services, in September.

The NSSC will be asked to provide a recommendation on the outcome of the assessment for NHS Scotland for consideration by the Board Chief Executives.

Question reference: S5W-22238

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 26 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of figures showing that, in 2018, Scotland’s birth rate fell to its lowest level since records began in 1855, what steps it will take to encourage people across Scotland to have more children.

Deciding when, and if, to have children is largely a matter of personal choice. The Scottish Government is working hard to create a country that is the best place in the world to grow up, through a variety of initiatives aimed at supporting pregnant women, children and families.

The decreasing birth rate is not new but part of an on-going trend. Whilst not unique to Scotland, it reflects broader societal changes, such as an increase in the average age of women and couples starting a family, the average family size has reduced over the past few years and possibly economic uncertainty influencing decisions around starting a family.

Question reference: S5W-22107

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 21 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to halt the advance of ash dieback.

Question reference: S5O-03026

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can confirm that the new accredited specialist endometriosis unit will open in Glasgow in April 2019.

Question reference: S5W-21755

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath in 2020.

Question reference: S5W-21803

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 5 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many households in North Ayrshire were in receipt of mitigation for the so-called bedroom tax in the last year for which figures were available, and how much funding was allocated.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of households in receipt of Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) for mitigation of the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy. Information on the funding allocated to local authorities is available in Table 1 of “Discretionary Housing Payments in Scotland: as at 30 September 2018” published at: https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Social-Welfare/dhp/30Sep2018 .

Question reference: S5T-01516

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent ONS figures showing that 218 avoidable child deaths occurred in Scotland in 2017, what progress has been made implementing a child death review process, and when this will report.

Question reference: S5F-03084

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 February 2019

To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an update on her recent visits to Canada, the United States and France.

Question reference: S5O-02852

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 January 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the Pupil Equity Fund has had on attainment in North Ayrshire.

Question reference: S5W-21070

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 January 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider reintroducing a ban on fishing within three miles of the coast.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a national three-mile-limit on mobile gear fishing.

The Scottish Government takes the enforcement of sustainable fisheries management and protection of the marine environment extremely seriously. It is important that everyone who uses Scotland’s substantial marine resources, and derives benefit from them, does so responsibly.

The Scottish Government is investing £1.5 million in its Inshore Fleet Modernisation Programme. The first phase, being rolled out this year, will see higher risk vessels fitted with appropriate equipment to enable tracking of fishing activity and location, in real time. The remaining under 12 metre fleet will be rolled out in 2020.