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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: S6O-00577

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage uptake of science subjects by secondary school pupils.

Question reference: S6W-04141

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that there has been a 44% increase in the number of people paying for private procedures since 2019 and that waiting lists for NHS outpatient appointments have reportedly risen to 400,000 over the first half of 2021, what its position is on whether this represents a move towards a two-tier public/private health service in Scotland based on the ability to pay.

During 2020-21 the percentage of total NHS procedures carried out by non NHS-providers was 0.6%. Non-NHS provider figures relate to NHS patients treated in non-NHS locations such as private hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, care homes, etc.

The impact of addressing the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many health and social care services had to be suspended or reduced in scope and scale. This has affected almost all aspects of NHS Care. As a result, this regrettably means there are many people who are waiting longer for the care they need. Addressing the backlog of care, while continuing to meet the ongoing urgent health and care needs of the country, is a priority for this Government.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to a publicly funded National health service that is accessible to all of the people of Scotland. That is why the First Minster launched the NHS Recovery Plan on the 25 August which sets out our objectives for tackling the Covid-19 related backlogs of care and putting the NHS on a sustainable path for the future. The plan is backed by more than £1 billion of investment over the next five years of which over £400 million will support nine National Treatment Centres (NTC) – the first of which opened at the Golden Jubilee November 2020.

Question reference: S6O-00378

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake a cross-government COVID-19 strategic review into the impact of the pandemic on frontline public services.

Question reference: S6W-03571

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what the estimated cost has been of establishing Social Security Scotland, and what the estimated (a) staff and running cost and (b) budget for the provision of social security payments is for (i) the current financial year and (ii) each of the next four years.

The Programme Business Case, published in February 2020, provides future forecasted operating costs for Social Security Scotland. The link to the Business Case can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/social-security-programme-business-case-executive-summary/documents/

The 2021-22 Autumn Budget Revision, published on 27 September 2021, set out the financial position for Social Security in the current year. The Social Security budget line captures staff and running costs, and Social Security Assistance covers benefits expenditure. The document can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/2021-22-autumn-budget-revision-budget-scotland-act/

The 2022-23 Scottish Budget, which is set to be announced on 9 December 2021, will set out what the Scottish Government will invest in Social Security over the next financial year. The 2021 Medium Term Financial Strategy will be published alongside the new Budget and will focus on the fiscal position within the Parliamentary term.

Question reference: S6W-03785

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 October 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 29 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made to date on each of the key actions in the Women's Health Plan.

Since the publication of the Women’s Health Plan on 20 th August 2021, there has been progress towards the implementation of some of the short term actions within the Plan. For example, a menopause platform on NHS Inform was launched in October 2021. This is the first phase of work to establish a women’s health platform on the NHS Inform website. A network for menopause specialists in Scotland has also been established and meets regularly.

As noted in the Women’s Health Plan, an update will be published annually to detail progress made towards the implementation of the actions included within the Plan. It is also planned to produce an implementation report in 2024 - 25 to describe progress made in the time since August 2021, analyse the impact of the Plan and consider lessons learned.

Question reference: S6W-02560

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering a vaccine booster programme for the whole population, in light of findings in a recent study of people who are double-vaccinated, showing a decrease in protection from COVID-19 after six months.

People who received their vaccination during the early stages of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme started to receive booster injections from 20 September. This follows advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) which advised that the booster dose can be given alongside the flu jab and should be offered no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course.

Frontline health and social care workers were able to book their appointment online at NHS Inform from 20 September. Residents in care homes for older people were also being offered both flu and COVID-19 boosters from this date. Adults aged 70 years and over and adults aged 16 and over who are on the highest risk list (previously known as the shielding list) are being contacted, either by letter or by their GP.

All those aged 16 to 49 years with underlying health conditions, adult carers, unpaid and young carers, adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals and all adults over 50 will be able to book online soon.

As most younger adults will only receive their second COVID-19 vaccine dose in late summer, the benefits of booster vaccination in this group will be considered by the JCVI at a later time when more information is available.

Question reference: S6O-00241

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it supports veterans, and what official statistics it records to monitor this.

Question reference: S6W-02662

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that NHS Forth Valley has the lowest figure in Scotland, at below 60%, for the proportion of people attending A&E who are seen within four hours, and what action it will take to investigate the reasons for this.

The COVID pandemic has inevitably affected A&E attendance and the pressure is being felt across the UK. Our NHS staff have faced unprecedented pressures over recent weeks as they work tirelessly and consistently to respond to the pandemic whilst continuing to provide vital treatment and optimal patient care. We are in daily contact with every Board, including NHS Forth Valley, and are monitoring the situation closely.

The significant pressures currently presenting in Health Boards, including NHS Forth Valley, are primarily as a result of reduced capacity due to infection control, staffing pressures as a result of self-isolation and annual leave, and an increase in attendances to A&E by those who are much sicker and require higher levels of care.

In July, NHS Forth Valley received their share of the additional £12 million in funding for Boards to support non-COVID emergency care by increasing staffing resource, recruitment is underway.

We are in daily contact with NHS Forth Valley and continue to support improvement work with the Board and the Health & Social Care Partnerships to minimise delays for patients no matter where they are in the system.

Question reference: S6W-02672

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it collects statistics on the destinations of school leavers from private or fee-paying schools; what the reasons are for its position on this matter, and, if it does not collect such statistics, what its position is on the validity of its data on the inequality gap in education.

The Scottish Government does not collect statistics on private or fee-paying schools, including on the destinations of their leavers. Scottish Government statistical collections focus on publicly funded and Grant Aided schools for which it provides funding.

In the National Improvement Framework and Improvement Plan, we set out our approach to measuring the poverty related attainment gap with 11 key measures identified to assess progress. We have plans to formally review the 11 NIF measures with partners to ensure they are comprehensive, as we recognise that national data needs to provide an accurate understanding of the wide range of learners’ achievement. Local authorities and school leaders are also able to use local knowledge and data to ensure support is targeted towards the children and young people who require it most.

Question reference: S6W-02326

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 13 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent to date on infrastructure for electric vehicles, and how much it plans to spend in the next five years.

The Scottish Government continues to support investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, both for plug-in battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Across a range of programmes, we have invested £90 million in infrastructure related to battery electric vehicles and over £12 million in hydrogen electric transport projects.

Investment in public charging infrastructure has enabled the development of the ChargePlace Scotland network, now one of the largest in the UK. Investment has also included schemes to support installation of business and domestic electric car chargers, infrastructure to enable decarbonisation of light and heavy vehicles in the public sector, and decarbonisation of buses used for public transport.

The Scottish Government has also committed £50 million towards the Scottish Zero-Emission Bus Challenge Fund, (ScotZEB) which is currently open for bids until 04 November 2021. This £50 million is allocated to both vehicles and infrastructure on a whole-project basis.

Future funding programmes have yet to be determined but the Scottish Government Infrastructure Investment Plan published in February 2021 committed to £120m investment for net zero electric buses and £287m from the Future Transport Fund to support a range of low and zero carbon transport initiatives between 21-22 and
‎ 25-26.

Please note that the answer above reflects spending across distinct Scottish Government programmes for which we are able to determine spend. Investment will also occur across portfolios as part of business as usual activity.