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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-23274

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the upper limit of 25 pupils is used in determining the level of class size in composite classes in primary school.

Question reference: S5O-03299

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the level of new social housing building in Dumfries and Galloway.

Question reference: S5W-22708

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government under what circumstances people with mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS), who are considered to be high-risk as they might experience airway complications before, during or after a procedure, could be recommended for a bone marrow transplant operation.

Question reference: S5W-22706

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 14 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what processes are followed ahead of a bone marrow transplant for people with mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) to ensure that there is sufficient expertise and experience available to guarantee patient safety.

Normal governance mechanisms are in place to ensure that that treatments are planned by a multi-disciplinary team who are accredited specialists and who undergo regular revalidation.

The recommendation of any medical intervention is based on risk versus benefit considerations. These risks being those actual and immediate ones and those anticipated by the anticipated progression of the underlying condition leading to complications (including limited treatment options, increased complication rates and including worsening health compromise, disability and /or further limitation of life expectancy). Benefits from successful treatment have to be viewed within the context that all treatments (or having no treatment) carries inherent risks as described and that successful treatment (partial or complete) are expected to have short and long term benefits for the individual patient. The process of consent for treatment is a culmination of a process that seeks to address the risk / benefits described above. Accepting that there is a range in the way that any individual patient will be affected by an underlying condition, the nature of MPS is such that their management and any treatment offered has to be individualised. Bone marrow transplant (BMT) is offered on the basis of these risk / benefit assessments in the context of the utility of BMT compared with other treatment options and all treatments have limitations and therefore fluctuating risk / benefits.

Question reference: S5W-22705

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 14 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the mortality rate is for people with mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS), and which NHS boards routinely provide this information when consulting patients regarding bone marrow transplant procedures.

Question reference: S5W-22707

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 14 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards automatically put in place an airway management plan for people with mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) when they are admitted to hospital.

Question reference: S5W-22709

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 9 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what protocols are in place to ensure that the correct procedures are followed when treating people with mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) who are at risk of allergic reactions, including those who have recorded an antibody build up during enzyme replacement therapy.

Question reference: S5W-22807

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 8 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it decided to set up its recently-established ferry industry advisory group; how the group’s (a) policy remit, (b) role and (c) membership differs from that of the Expert Ferry Group, and what action it is taking to ensure that trade unions will be represented on it.

The decision to change the name of the group from the ‘Expert Ferry Group’ to the ‘Ferry Industry Advisory Group’ was taken in order to better reflect the remit and role of the group.

There is no change to the remit or function of the Group and after consideration it has been decided, for the time being, to continue with the current membership.

The Transport Scotland website will be updated in due course and the membership, terms of reference and minutes of meetings will be published.

The Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands separately meets with the STUC, and all the key unions with an interest in ferry services on a regular basis to discuss a range of relevant matters relating to the ferry services supported by the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S5W-22750

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 8 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in updating the vessel replacement and deployment plan for the (a) Clyde and Hebrides and (b) Northern Isle ferry fleet, and by what date this will be published.

The Vessel Replacement and Deployment Plan (VRDP) annual report is currently being drafted.

Updated growth forecasts for Clyde and Hebrides routes have been produced, based on 2017 and 2018 carryings.

The report will also take into account the findings now emerging from the Outer Hebrides, Mallaig & Armadale, and Craignure STAGs.

A draft report will be circulated to key stakeholders at the end of May and will be available for discussion at the next meetings of the regional Ferry Stakeholder Groups in June 2019.

We aim to publish the final report by the end of August 2019.

Question reference: S5W-22704

Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many bone marrow transplants for people with mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) in each of the last 10 years have led to significant complications (a) during and (b) after the procedure, broken down by NHS board.

Based on data provided to the Information Services Division of NHS Scotland, less than 5 patients in Scotland with mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) who received a bone marrow transplant had a reported diagnosis of bone-marrow transplant rejection between April 2006 and March 2018. It is not possible to break the information down further because the small number of patients carries the risk that in doing so individuals are identified. Data is held by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde which hosts the designated paediatric Stem Cell Transplantation Unit and is also recognised as the lead paediatric centre for Inherited Metabolic Disorders (IMD) in Scotland.