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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: S5W-11826

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that brain tumours are diagnosed early.

To support GPs to refer and diagnose suspected cancers earlier, we published updated Scottish Cancer Referral in 2014. The aim of these updated guidelines is to facilitate appropriate referral between primary and secondary care for patients whom a GP suspects may have cancer. The updated guidelines should help GPs, the wider primary care team, clinicians and carers to identify those patients who are most likely to have cancer and who therefore require urgent assessment by a specialist.

Question reference: S5W-11827

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that patients with less survivable cancers are able to access clinical trials.

The Scottish Government invests around £40 million annually in the NHS through NHS Research Scotland to meet the additional costs of hosting research, including clinical trials. Of this around £10 million per annum supports the cost of cancer research (including research into rare tumours) carried out in the NHS. This figure is not routinely broken down into tumour type.

This infrastructure investment includes the NRS Cancer Research Network. The role of the network is to support the recruitment of patients into clinical research across all cancer types, including less survivable cancers.

The Scottish Government is a funding partner, along with the other devolved nations and Cancer Research UK, in the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre Network (ECMC). The ECMC Network comprises 18 centres across the UK (including in Edinburgh and Glasgow), both adult and paediatric, that support pioneering early stage clinical trials and translation of scientific discoveries into new treatments for patients, including those with less survivable cancers.

As part of the Precision Medicine Ecosystem investment announced by the First Minister in February 2016, funding of £700,000 has been committed to “Precision Panc”, a research project that uses state of the art techniques to better characterise Pancreatic Cancer, allowing patients to be recruited to clinical trials efficiently and quickly. In March 2017 Cancer Research UK announced an investment of £10 million to support Precision Panc. This investment will allow the molecular profiling of patients’ tumours (to be carried out at the University of Glasgow). The researchers will use the molecular profile of each individual cancer to offer patients and their doctor a menu of trials that might benefit them. Three clinical trials planned as part of this initiative will recruit a total of 658 patients in 20 UK centres – with the scope to add more trials in the future.

Question reference: S5W-11869

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of investment funding for the HALO project in Kilmarnock from the UK and Scottish governments.

The Scottish Government announced on 30 August 2017 that we will invest up to £5.3m in the HALO regeneration project in Kilmarnock.

The Scottish Government will provide up to £3.5 million to support the first phase of the project, subject to completion of due diligence, with further investment of
£1.8 million being provided from the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP).

The UK Government announced on 8 August 2017 that they will provide £3.5m, although it is understood that this is subject to their own due diligence processes.

Question reference: S5T-00706

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the health secretary's comment in June that the country's "stillbirth rates and neonatal death rates continue to decline", what its response is to the recent report by the National Records of Scotland, which suggests an increase in the rate in 2016.

Question reference: S5W-11077

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 20 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to (a) increase physical activity levels and (b) ensure that the opportunity to be active is available to all.

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing rates of physical activity. The Active Scotland Outcomes Framework sets out our ambitions for a more active Scotland, and is underpinned by a commitment to equality.

There are now more and better opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to participate in sport and physical activity right across Scotland with 179 community sport hubs up and running. Over the last five years there has been an increase in community sport hubs members from 16,163 to 149,803 and a growth in hubs from 57 to 179. Clubs with six or more years’ experience as part of a CSH have seen a membership boost of 47 per cent. sportscotland is on course to reach the target of 200 hubs by 2020.

In addition, opportunities through Active Schools are helping our children and young people to be more physically active and providing great fun in the process. The number of visits to Active Schools sessions has grown by 52 per cent over the last five years, with 6.8 million visits in 2016-17, compared to 4.3 million in 2011-12. All 32 local authorities in Scotland are engaged in Active Schools and the network of Active Schools managers and coordinators are committed to understanding and meeting the specific needs of children and young people who may experience barriers to participation.

Question reference: S5W-11072

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the volume of traffic to and from the port, what its position is on dualling the A77 between Cairnryan and Ayr.

Question reference: S5W-11075

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what investment it plans as part of the wider Ayrshire Growth Deal.

As I have consistently stated and made clear to the three Ayrshire Council leaders when I have met them in recent months, I am fully committed to finding ways to support regional economies to thrive in Scotland. Together with Scottish Futures Trust and my officials, the Ayrshires are continuing to refine and prioritise their proposals for an Ayrshire Growth Deal. We will continue to explore their proposals in detail in the coming months and build on the work and strong partnership the Ayrshires have already established. I and the 3 Ayrshire Councils, have also made it clear that we would also welcome a commitment from the United Kingdom Government to support the Ayrshires Growth Deal aspirations.

Question reference: S5W-11076

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 20 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10422 by Aileen Campbell on 28 August 2017, what the timetable is for the consultation on obesity; what stakeholders and interested parties it will approach, and by what date it will publish the final strategy.

The consultation on proposals for a new diet and obesity strategy will take place in Autumn 2017. It will run for a period of at least 12 weeks. I would encourage everyone with an interest in this issue to submit their views to the consultation, including existing stakeholders and all other private and public institutions with a close interest in this matter. We will also be running a number of events for stakeholder groups where we expect full and wide participation.

We will publish our final Diet and Obesity Strategy by Summer 2018.

Question reference: S5W-11078

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when work on the Maybole bypass will begin; whether it will be dualled road, and what its position is on developing a cycle track alongside it.

The current programme anticipates award of the main construction contract for the A77 Maybole Bypass in autumn 2018. Ground investigation works are anticipated to start later this year. Procurement of both contracts has commenced. The bypass will not be dualled, although increased overtaking opportunities will be provided on the new road in each direction.

The 5km scheme is considered to take the heavy traffic flow out of Maybole High Street, making for a safer environment for cyclists through Maybole. A footway/cycleway will be created to divert pedestrians and cyclists from the A77 into Maybole.

Question reference: S5W-11074

Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that peak time demand leads to static traffic on the road, what its position is on upgrading the Bellfield interchange at the A77.

Proposals to upgrade the Bellfield Interchange by installing traffic lights were considered, however they were rejected on the basis that if priority was given to traffic leaving the A77, this would result in longer queues on the other roads, which would have a negative impact on the local road network.

The East Ayrshire Local Development Plan was adopted on 3 April 2017 and includes actions for the Planning Authority (East Ayrshire Council) to progress studies to understand the impact of development on Bellfield Interchange over the coming years. I look forward to seeing this work progress through consultation with Transport Scotland and other relevant stakeholders.

Transport Scotland is programmed to install two vehicle activated signs in September on the southbound carriageway of the A77 to warn drivers of possible queuing traffic.