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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-08248

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the current average length of waiting time is for patients to receive routine surgical assessments for (a) cataract, (b) knee and (c) hip procedures, broken down by NHS board.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) uses the national waiting times warehouse to collect electronic patient records covering the waits that patients experience waiting for a new outpatient appointment. This data source can be used routinely to identify the specialty of treatment, such as whether the patient was waiting for an appointment in ophthalmology or orthopaedics. However, it is not possible to ascertain whether the appointment involved an assessment of whether the patient is suitable for a particular procedure. This level of information may be held locally by NHS Boards.

Statistics relating to the waits patients experience for new outpatient appointments, at specialty and NHS Board level, are published up to 31 December 2021 and can be found using the following link:

https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/media/11694/newop_feb22.xlsx .

Question reference: S6O-00998

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 April 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the impact of rising energy costs on fuel poverty in the most deprived communities.

Question reference: S6W-07441

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the most recent level of education spending per person in Scotland, and how this compares with (a) England and (b) Wales.

Table 1 below presents the findings of HM Treasury’s analysis of education spending per head across Scotland, England and Wales.

Table 1 - Identifiable education expenditure by country, per head, 2016-17 to 2020-21

	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21
Scotland	£1,531	£1,566	£1,590	£1,695	£1,734
England	£1,295	£1,269	£1,292	£1,316	£1,379
Wales	£1,345	£1,369	£1,365	£1,391	£1,573

Source: Country and regional analysis: 2021 , Table A15, HM Treasury, November 2021

Separately, an independent October 2021 study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies found that in 2021-22 school spending per pupil is expected to total £7,600 per pupil in Scotland (including COVID-related spending), compared to £6,700 in England and £6,600 in Wales.

Question reference: S6W-07306

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 9 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the Shared Outcomes Framework for the work of Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council regarding collaborative projects that contribute to overarching skills outcomes.

The Shared Outcomes Framework is the means by which Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) will monitor and report on collaborative projects that contribute to overarching skills outcomes.

The projects in the framework support the skills actions set in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) and the missions of the Future Skills Action Plan, in particular around the alignment of economic demand with current and future provision. The actions outlined in this framework also contribute to delivery of the outcomes in the National Performance Framework and recognise the findings of the SFC’s review of coherence and sustainability in tertiary education and research.

The Framework defines the collaborative projects that are geared towards the strategic intent of supporting enhanced alignment of provision with economic need, resulting in a more agile and responsive system, including a more balanced

portfolio of provision where the evidence supports this being needed.

The Shared Outcomes Framework has been published today and is available here : https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781804351789

The Shared Outcomes Framework is a live framework that is published here in its first iteration. It has been agreed with and is supported by the Chief Executives and Chairs of SDS and SFC and will form the basis for regular performance monitoring through the Shared Outcomes Assurance Group and through my regular 6 weekly meetings with the senior leaders of both agencies.

This document will be updated as we develop further measures to track the impact of the projects and will continue to evolve as the projects progress, and to align with the delivery and governance structures for the delivery of the NSET.

Question reference: S6F-00873

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2022

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the MND Scotland report, No Time to Lose: Addressing the housing needs of people with MND, which highlights the barriers faced by people with MND in securing adaptations or accessible homes.

Question reference: S6W-06433

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 9 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve the careers information, advice and guidance available to young people.

The Scottish Government recognises and values the importance of careers information advice and guidance. As part of his recommendations for the implementation of the Young Person’s Guarantee Sandy Begbie requested Skills Development Scotland consider how best a career advice service could operate from early years right through until a young person enters employment.

The Review and the Scottish Government’s response to the recommendations have now been finalised. The Review outlines ten recommendations for continuing to improve the delivery of careers advice and guidance. It has been informed by extensive consultation with young people, users and stakeholders.

The Review and the Scottish Government’s response can be found at www.CareerReview.scot .

Question reference: S6O-00678

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how access to further education by students from the most deprived areas has been impacted by COVID-19.

Question reference: S6O-00652

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any concerns over the use of video doorbells in domestic properties.

Question reference: S6O-00504

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-03984

Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2021
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will respond to the Scottish Funding Council’s Review of Coherent Provision and Sustainability.

Our colleges and universities have been vital in our efforts to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. The decades to come will bring further significant change at pace – shifts in automation, digital developments and artificial intelligence, the move to net-zero, changes in the world of work and study, global competition for talent and resources and our future demographic, health and social care needs.

That is why we asked the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to review how it could best fulfil its mission of achieving coherence, quality and sustainability in tertiary education and research. SFC’s report - Coherence and Sustainability: A Review of Tertiary Education and Research - was published at the end of June 2021.

Our full response was published today and is available at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781802015041 . The Scottish Government broadly accept the Review’s recommendations. We recognise that, given the breadth of recommendations, some require a Scottish Government lead, others are for SFC and its Board to consider further, while we expect the sector itself to respond across a number of key areas. In addition, some recommendations will require further development for consultation.

As a government, our ambition is to create the best possible environment for colleges and universities, students and employers to thrive, now and into the future. I look forward to working with them to achieve our ambitions for Scotland’s tertiary education and research system.