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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-27588

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been diagnosed with myeloma through the Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Service.

The recently published University of Strathclyde evaluation report showed that 3% of cancers diagnosed through the Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDS) were myeloma.

The Scottish Government doesn’t hold data on exact numbers, however a national RCDS data-set has been created with Public Health Scotland (PHS) and submission of this data from relevant Health Boards will commence in summer 2024.

Question reference: S6W-27587

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to reduce the number of people with myeloma diagnosed through an emergency route.

We know that the earlier cancer is diagnosed the easier it is to treat and so a number of Detect Cancer Earlier (DCE) programme initiatives are currently supporting Primary Care referral.

The Scottish Referral Guidelines (SRG) for Suspected Cancer were developed to support primary care clinicians to identify those with symptoms suspicious of cancer and identify those who require urgent assessment by a specialist. A clinical refresh of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer is underway to help ensure the right person is on the right pathway at the right time.

In addition to this work, a new primary care cancer education platform funded by Scottish Government – Gateway C – was launched on 30 April in NHS Scotland, supported by NHS Education for Scotland (NES). Gateway C provides innovative, and tailored information to support earlier cancer diagnosis efforts and enable effective decision-making. This free online platform has a number of available courses, including myeloma, and is accessible to all primary care clinicians to help support rapid referral for those who require it most.

Question reference: S6W-27200

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS boards have been advised of their individual financial settlements for 2024-25, and, if so, when they received this funding.

Question reference: S6O-03418

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of Historic Environment Scotland properties remain partially closed subject to safety checks.

Question reference: S6O-03331

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the reopening of Historic Environment Scotland sites.

Question reference: S6O-03322

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to promote and improve rail services in Dumfries and Galloway.

Question reference: S6W-26207

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve equity of access to Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services, particularly in Scotland's more remote and rural NHS boards.

Officials met with every Health Board’s Cancer Management Team in Scotland, including the Island Boards, in March 2024 to discuss their plans for establishing a Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Service (RCDS). The commitment remains, as reflected in Scotland’s Cancer Strategy, to achieve population coverage of an RCDS for eligible patients by Spring 2026.

The recent University of Strathclyde evaluation report https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/88280/7/Maguire-etal-2024-Final-report-of-the-evaluation-of-rapid-cancer-diagnostic-services.pdf showed that a virtual model is well accepted by patients and will be considered by Boards in the North of Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-26206

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) NHS Scotland and (b) the relevant NHS boards regarding the provision of recurrent funding for (i) existing and (ii) future Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services.

Question reference: S6W-26205

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to allowing potential cancer patients to self-refer to Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services.

At present, no consideration has been given for patients to self-refer to a Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Service. The focus remains on working towards population based coverage to an RCDS for eligible patients by Spring 2026. While we will continue to monitor emerging evidence from UK and international counterparts who have established similar Rapid Diagnostic Centre models, primary care currently play an integral role at the point of referral for RCDS patients. As well as undertaking key initial tests to support triage in secondary care, patients are informed of the process ahead so they can make informed decisions about their care.

Question reference: S6W-26204

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on how many patients have been diagnosed with a blood cancer through Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services.

The recently published University of Strathclyde evaluation report https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/88280/7/Maguire-etal-2024-Final-report-of-the-evaluation-of-rapid-cancer-diagnostic-services.pdf showed that 13.5% of cancers diagnosed through the Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDS) were blood cancers.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on exact numbers but work is underway with Public Health Scotland to create a national RCDS data-set.