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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-22093

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 2 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what range of benefits or grants are available to assist people with sight loss to live independently at home, including aids, equipment and adaptations.

An individual with sight loss may receive Child and Adult Disability Payment to help mitigate the costs they incur as a result of a disability or long term condition. This means individuals can use it to pay for things such as care, access to community resources, transport, social activities, and any other goods or services of their choosing, including aids or equipment.

Additionally, grant funding is available from Local Authorities, to homeowners and private tenants who require significant changes to the structure of their home. When adaptations are identified as necessary, grant funding will be provided to cover between 80% to 100% of the total costs. Where adaptations are not covered by 100% grant funding, local authorities have a duty to provide assistance to the individual. This can be given in the form of advice, guidance or practical help.

Question reference: S6O-02694

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the ability of children living in temporary accommodation to access health services, in particular in relation to current levels of treatment from mental health services.

Question reference: S6W-21569

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 31 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recommendation 4 in the report, Fit for the Future: developing a post-school learning system to fuel economic transformation, which states that the Scottish Government should “establish a clear template for regional skills planning”, including the need to “recognise the central role of providers, particularly the huge potential of colleges in planning for and addressing skills needs in their regions”, what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding (a) their role in regional skills planning and (b) any action they have already taken on the matter since the report’s publication.

The Scottish Government is developing the approach for implementing the priorities set out in the Purpose and Principles for Post-School Education, Research and Skills, which addresses some of the recommendations by James Withers, including on national and regional skills planning.

As I stated in my opening remarks in the debate about Scotland’s skills system on 25 th October, I am keen to engage widely on the approach to implementing change as we narrow in on the potential routes to reform.

Local Authorities, colleges and employers, alongside other partners, have an important role in regional skills planning and I will engage with them in the coming weeks to gather their views and discuss this matter.

Question reference: S6W-22091

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many hospital pharmacists have been employed in each NHS board area in each year since 1999.

Information on how many hospital pharmacists have been employed in each NHS board area in each year since 2012, can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot .

Data is not held from before 2012. The following figures include all pharmacists working in any territorial board, in Acute, Mental Health, or in a Community Hospital setting. It excludes ‘central staff’ since some of these were employed in primary care, but includes Golden Jubilee National Hospital and National Waiting Times Centre staff. Figures provided are head count.

NHS Board	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Ayrshire & Arran	61	66	70	66	78	65	74	70	67	67	86
Borders	14	12	11	14	14	12	15	15	14	15	16
Dumfries & Galloway	18	17	19	20	20	18	23	24	27	18	23
Fife	29	24	30	35	36	52	43	42	49	52	53
Forth Valley	37		36	36	38	42	42	42	38	35	45
Grampian	74	77	70	87	84	85	90	84	88	95	87
Greater Glasgow & Clyde	203	296	245	236	236	238	241	222	233	239	236
Highland	49		53	47	46	43	45	46	44	41	46
Lanarkshire	82	83	82	82	87	90	95	100	98	97	91
Lothian	137	152	162	151	159	163	175	146	167	172	171
Orkney		2	2	2	3	3	3	2	3	4	4
Shetland		3	2	1	3	3	3	3	4	3	3
Tayside	70	69	67	71	69	68	78	68	68	76	70
Western Isles	3	66	4	4	3	4	5	4	4	4	5
GJNH / National Waiting Times Centre	11	9	12	13	16	17	17	19	19	20	19
National total	788	810	865	865	892	903	949	887	923	938	955

Question reference: S6W-22088

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the eligibility criteria for the Young Patients Family Fund.

Question reference: S6W-22087

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many families have accessed support through the Young Patients Family Fund since it was established.

The Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) has been available since July 2021. We ask NHS Boards to report on the number of young inpatients (and therefore families) who benefit from the Fund.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16109 on 3 April 2023 in relation to families supported through YPFF in 2021-22.

Since YPFF was established in 2021 NHS Boards reported that 6887 families were supported through YPFF.

Question reference: S6W-22092

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work is being undertaken to increase laboratory blood testing capacity.

Diagnostic laboratories are located within all 14 NHS territorial health boards and in one special health board - NHS Golden Jubilee. National Services Scotland also host the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) which carries out testing on all blood donations received.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the capacity of laboratory blood testing within individual NHS Boards. This information will be held at Board level and should be considered as part of local service planning, to ensure capacity sufficiently meets demands.

Question reference: S6W-22089

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many people it estimates are not currently registered with a GP, broken down by NHS board area.

Question reference: S6W-21571

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 20 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21181 by Tom Arthur on 19 September 2023, what information it holds on how much remains to be paid by local authorities in relation to any equal pay settlement claims, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S6W-21177

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 20 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates would have been raised by a social responsibility levy in each year since the introduction of minimum unit pricing, and whether it plans to introduce a social responsibility levy.

While the Scottish Government keeps legislation under review, we have no current plans to introduce a social responsibility levy.

There are no available estimates on the amount of funds that could be raised on the section 14 provision contained within The Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010, as this provision has not been enacted.

Scottish Ministers would be required to consult on the draft regulations relating to the social responsibility levy if this provision was to be enacted in the future.