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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-12620

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are to increase the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary school teacher training places delivered by (a) the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and (b) Moray College UHI.

Consideration of the number of training places for primary and secondary school teacher training places for all initial teacher education institutions, including UHI, is discussed in partnership with local authorities, universities and other educational stakeholders through the Teacher Workforce Planning Advisory Group, as part of the annual teacher workforce planning exercise.

The Teacher Workforce Planning Advisory Group will meet in mid-December to consider its advice to Ministers on initial teacher education places for 2018-19.

The target intake in PGDE primary at UHI was increased from 80 in 2016-17 to 84 in 2017-18 - they met 79. The target intake in PGDE secondary was increased from 18 in 2016-17 to 25 in 2017-18. This target was met.

Question reference: S5W-12617

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the roll-out of defibrillators carried by Police Scotland vehicles; whether it will provide the results of the recent trial, and what the next steps are.

Question reference: S5W-12613

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for the Scottish Scenic Routes initiative; how many scenic routes have been established so far; what their impact has been, and how many more are planned.

The pilot Scottish Scenic Routes projects have delivered eight permanent installations and one mobile installation.

These have been built in the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, the Cairngorms National Park and on land managed by Scottish Canals near Laggan.

The final installation as part of this pilot phase was opened earlier this year in the Cairngorms National Park. This forms part of a ‘Snow Roads Scenic Route’ comprising three newly designed viewpoints which the Cairngorms National Park Authority and its partners have developed to enhance visitors’ experience of the Scottish landscape and to provide an opportunity to involve young architects. The Snow Roads project recently won two awards in the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning 2017, in the ‘Place’ and ‘Peoples’ Choice’ Award categories.

No decision has been taken on the future of the Scottish Scenic Routes initiative.

Question reference: S5W-12607

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to placing an obligation on medical school graduates to work in the NHS in Scotland for a period of time.

The Scottish Government is taking a number of actions that will contribute towards a more sustainable medical workforce. One of these, Scotland’s first Graduate Entry Medicine programme (ScotGEM) will commence in autumn 2018 and includes a ‘return of service’ bursary of £4,000 per year. The optional grant, worth £16,000 over the 4 year course, will be payable to students in exchange for a year of service in the NHS in Scotland for each £4,000 claimed.

ScotGEM will have a focus on careers in primary care and remote and rural working, offering students the opportunity to experience how rewarding working in these settings is.

Question reference: S5W-12615

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how the roll-out of community-based defibrillators is supported, and what financial support it has provided for this.

An aim of the Scottish Government's Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Strategy is to put in place effective arrangements to ensure that Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) are mapped, maintained and accessible to the public.

The promotion and registration of public access defibrillators is supported by the Scottish Ambulance Service’s (SAS) community resilience team which provides training to local communities wishing to place a public access defibrillator. The Service does not provide any financial support to communities that express an interest in placing a public access defibrillator, however the SAS can signpost funding opportunities such as charitable grants.

The Scottish Government appreciates the contribution communities, voluntary organisations and businesses make by purchasing defibrillators. In the main, the purchase of Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) is through fundraising in the community, from charitable sources or business resources. The Scottish Government does not routinely provide such funding.

Further information can be found here: OHCA - A Strategy for Scotland; http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0047/00474154.pdf and OHCA - A Strategy for Scotland Review; http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00510496.pdf

Question reference: S5W-12609

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS consultants in each of the last five years were classed as (a) generalist and (b) specialist, also expressed as a percentage of the total number of consultants in each year.

Question reference: S5W-12619

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what support is provided to families that have a sudden bereavement as a result of an accident.

A sudden bereavement will have a wide range of practical, social and emotional consequences, short and long term, for those affected, including families. Information of assistance to people in such circumstances has been brought together on the NHS Inform website and can be found at https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/death-and-bereavement/practical-advice-after-a-death

It also signposts people to additional sources of support.

Question reference: S5W-12608

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the amount of lottery funding allocated to sports facilities in each of the last five years, including the percentage change year-on-year (a) nationally and (b) broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S5W-12618

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many emergency vehicles carry defibrillators, broken down by service and also given as a percentage of all emergency vehicles for each service.

Question reference: S5O-01503

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for Moray, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Skills Development Scotland regarding reported skills shortages, such as a shortage of chefs, in the hospitality sector.