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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-36034

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it offers to local authorities to ensure that disabled, older and infirmed people are supported, when required, to park their vehicles in local authority car parks without incurring a penalty charge notice, and when any such guidance was last reviewed.

Question reference: S6W-36033

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed the approach of local authorities to issuing parking fines, and what its position is on whether any local authority has introduced policies in relation to penalty charge notices specifically to make a profit and not to respond to illegal or inappropriate parking.

Question reference: S6W-36031

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will legislate to ensure that all local authorities observe a "10-minute parking grace period" in their car parks, similar to that implemented in England.

Question reference: S6W-36032

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what instructions it expects local authorities to provide to parking attendants regarding the issuing of penalty charge notices in situations where a car is not displaying a ticket but the driver states that they were collecting a prepaid voucher from a machine and that this is the only reason why it was not affixed to the vehicle.

Question reference: S6W-35594

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 31 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any plans to allow people who received Zostavax when they became eligible for a shingles vaccination in recent years, before it was replaced by Shingrix, to receive a further inoculation with Shingrix, in light of reports that it provides a greater level of protection and for a longer duration.

Question reference: S6F-03762

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2025

To ask the First Minister whether he will join HM The King and other world leaders in commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz extermination camp and offer his reflections on the theme of this year's Holocaust Memorial Day, "For a Better Future".

Question reference: S6W-33230

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether any of the finance that has been announced for the Bright Start Breakfasts initiative will be allocated to not-for-profit organisations that operate breakfast clubs within schools, and, if so, whether this will include organisations that are not currently in receipt of public funding to support such activities.

Question reference: S6W-33254

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what preparations it made to alert people aged 50 to 64, who are not included in a defined risk group, that they would not be eligible for the 2024-25 seasonal flu immunisation programme, to enable them to take up the option of paying for a vaccine at a local pharmacy while stocks were widely available, and what plans it has to review these preparations to inform the communication strategy for the programme in 2025-26.

Changes to the eligibility for flu vaccination were communicated via campaign materials produced by Public Health Scotland (PHS) that can be seen on NHS Inform and social media, as well as being advertised across health and community settings. The Health and Social Care sector were alerted to changes in eligibility via the Chief Medical Officer’s annual flu letter. I wrote to MSPs on 12 September 2024 to outline the changes to eligibility for flu and COVID-19 vaccination this winter, and the reason for those changes.

The Scottish Government is unaware of any shortages in vaccine availability. While NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) Procurement were made aware of some Community Pharmacies seemingly having issues securing flu vaccine stocks for private vaccination clinics, our national programme supplier confirmed that stock of the vaccine suitable for those under 65 years of age is available for purchase by pharmacies. Information has been shared with Community Pharmacy Scotland so they can signpost pharmacies to where they can purchase further supplies, so that they can meet any demand from citizens seeking vaccination.

PHS ran a targeted campaign, with multiple assets and toolkits that have been promoted widely across the health and social care system and the third sector, ensuring those who were eligible to come forward were notified. The campaign focussed especially on certain groups where uptake is lower.

The Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme (SVIP), led by PHS, will review the winter vaccination campaign. As part of this we will consider the impact of the communications strategy and what we can improve for next season.

Question reference: S6W-33229

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide more information on what specific formula and criteria will be used to determine the allocation of Bright Start Breakfasts funding across Scotland to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Question reference: S6W-33253

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government on what clinical basis the decision was reached to not include people aged 50 to 64, unless they are included in a defined risk group, in the 2024-25 seasonal flu immunisation programme.

The Scottish Government’s decision-making for the flu vaccination programmes is guided by the expert clinical advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI typically advises flu vaccination for all those aged 65 years and over, and all those aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical at risk group.

Scotland expanded its flu programme as part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to help reduce pressure on the NHS in unprecedented times. In winter 2020-21 we expanded it to those aged 55 years and over and then to those aged 50 years and over in 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24.

As we move beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, from winter 2024-25 we have reverted to the standard JCVI-advised groups and those aged 50-64 years are no longer included in the national flu programme. This is in line with the approach taken by other UK nations. The only nation currently offering the flu vaccine to the 50-64 years group is Northern Ireland, who announced their decision to expand their programme on 15 January 2025. They took the same approach in January 2024. The position for winter 2024-25 in England and Wales is currently the same as in Scotland.

I wrote to MSPs on 12 September 2024 to outline the changes to eligibility for flu and COVID-19 vaccination this winter, and the reason for those changes.

We have not received data or clinical advice to support any expansion of the programme to those aged 50-64 years, or other groups. Over the festive period, flu cases and hospital admissions due to flu peaked above typical levels for wintertime. These are now showing notable signs of decline in the latest two weeks ending 5 and 12 January 2025. Flu-related hospital admissions in Scotland decreased by 46.6% from 1,077 in week ending 5 January to 575 in week ending 12 January. Laboratory-confirmed flu case numbers have declined for a second week, by 40.6% from 1,906 in week ending 5 January to 1,133 in week ending 12 January. PHS surveillance stats can be found here - PHS Vaccination Surveillance.