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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-30773

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 18 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 12 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether reform to the NHS dental payment system in 2023 has meant it is not possible to compile data in a way that allows for examination of longer term trends.

Question reference: S6F-03526

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6W-30681

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 8 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many live homeless applications there were in each local authority area on Christmas Day 2023, and how many (a) adults and (b) children these related to.

The following table gives the number of live homeless applications at December 25th 2023 for each local authority, along with the number of adults and children these applications refer to.

	Live cases at 25 December 2023	Number of adults	Number of children
All	30,557	35,361	17,002
Aberdeen City	707	763	306
Aberdeenshire	219	255	133
Angus	730	820	232
Argyll & Bute	371	434	166
Clackmannanshire	318	361	173
Dumfries & Galloway	540	606	217
Dundee City	813	885	320
East Ayrshire	387	414	188
East Dunbartonshire	359	398	216
East Lothian	842	928	266
East Renfrewshire	507	657	361
Edinburgh	6,815	8,276	4,099
Eilean Siar	107	126	54
Falkirk	1,161	1,288	548
Fife	1,847	2,036	686
Glasgow City	5,800	6,920	3,988
Highland	772	860	359
Inverclyde	195	201	63
Midlothian	727	804	515
Moray	198	214	65
North Ayrshire	459	532	185
North Lanarkshire	874	972	461
Orkney	192	233	125
Perth & Kinross	141	156	39
Renfrewshire	353	392	89
Scottish Borders	425	533	272
Shetland	94	105	17
South Ayrshire	449	478	216
South Lanarkshire	1,650	1,900	1,282
Stirling	563	649	355
West Dunbartonshire	481	520	224
West Lothian	1,461	1,645	782

Question reference: S6W-30442

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 5 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to (a) Epilepsy Scotland, (b) Epilepsy Connections, (c) Quarriers' non-clinical and non-residential care services, (d) Cerebral Palsy Scotland, (e) MS Society Scotland, (f) Parkinson's UK and (g) MND Scotland in each year since 2019.

The following funding has been given to the identified charities, both directly and indirectly:

a) Epilepsy Scotland

YEAR	Direct SG Funding	Funding via Intersectional Partners	Total Funding
Jan-Mar 2019	£8,000.00	£0	£8,000.00
2019 - 2020	£0	£0	£0
2020 - 2021	£42,453.27	£2,000	£44,453.27
2021 - 2022	£16,960.40	£9,990.00	£26,950.40
2022 - 2023	£46,902.92	£10,000.00	£56,902.92
2023 - 2024	£25,923.00	£99,917.00	£125,840.00
2024 - 2025	£0	£92,971.00	£92,971.00
Total since January 2019			£355,117.59

(b) Epilepsy Connections

YEAR	Direct SG Funding	Funding via Intersectional Partners	Total Funding
Jan-Mar 2019	£0	£0	£0
2019 - 2020	£0	£0	£0
2020 - 2021	£0	£0	£0
2021 - 2022	£9,987.00	£4,222.00	£14,209.00
2022 - 2023	£0	£0	£0
2023 - 2024	£0	£0	£0
2024 - 2025	£0	£0	£0
Total since January 2019			£14,209.00

YEAR	Direct SG Funding	Funding via Intersectional Partners	Total Funding
Jan-Mar 2019	£0	£9,000.00*	£9,000.00
2019 - 2020	£6,152.25	£59,452.00	£65,604.25
2020 - 2021	£22,914.76	£113,774.00	£136,688.76
2021 - 2022	£163,214.43	£214,483.00	£377,697.43
2022 - 2023	£130,939.57	£268,007.00	£398,946.57
2023 - 2024	£10,909.20	£297,102.00	£308,011.20
2024 - 2025	£23,203.00	£138,929.00	£162,132.00
Total since January 2019			£1,458,080.21

*a quarter of an annual payment of £36,000.00 in 2018-2019

(d) Cerebral Palsy Scotland

YEAR	Direct SG Funding	Funding via Intersectional Partners	Total Funding
Jan-Mar 2019	£0	£12,500.00*	£12,500.00
2019 - 2020	£11,938.50	£50,000.00	£61,938.50
2020 - 2021	£37,106.50	£120,308.00	£157,414.50
2021 - 2022	£59,558.50	£50,000.00	£109,558.50
2022 - 2023	£48,270.50	£52,500.00	£100,770.50
2023 - 2024	£43,460.00	£62,490.00	£105,950.00
2024 - 2025	£2,640.00	£39,375.00	£42,015.00
Total since January 2019			£590,147.00

*a quarter of an annual payment of £50,000.00 in 2018-2019

(e) MS Society Scotland

YEAR	Direct SG Funding	Funding via Intersectional Partners	Total Funding
Jan-Mar 2019	£0	£0	£0
2019 - 2020	£0	£0	£0
2020 - 2021	£68,123.00	£0	£68,123.00
2021 - 2022	£66,513.33	£0	£66,513.33
2022 - 2023	£33,256.67	£0	£33,256.67
2023 - 2024	£20,702.00	£0	£20,702.00
2024 - 2025	£20,702.00	£0	£20,702.00
Total since January 2019			£209,297.00

(f) Parkinson's UK

YEAR	Direct SG Funding	Funding via Intersectional Partners	Total Funding
Jan-Mar 2019	£0	£0	£0
2019 - 2020	£75,000.00	£0	£75,000.00
2020 - 2021	£26,983.00	£0	£26,983.00
2021 - 2022	£93,402.00	£0	£93,402.00
2022 - 2023	£60,124.00	£0	£60,124.00
2023 - 2024	£31,175.00	£0	£31,175.00
2024 - 2025	£0	£0	£0
Total since January 2019			£286,684.00

(g) MND Scotland

YEAR	Direct SG Funding	Funding via Intersectional Partners	Total Funding
Jan-Mar 2019	£0	£0	£0
2019 - 2020	£11,698.29	£0	£11,698.29
2020 - 2021	£0	£0	£0
2021 - 2022	£55,545.01	£0	£55,545.01
2022 - 2023	£0	£0	£0
2023 - 2024	£27,950.90	£0	£27,950.90
2024 - 2025	£0	£0	£0
Total since January 2019			£95,194.20

Question reference: S6W-30686

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards completing the partial electrification of the Fife Circle, in light of its final completion being due by December 2025.

As reported in the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26, Major capital projects progress update (December 2023), I can advise that a refresh of the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan is underway. Timescales for this project will be updated in the light of current affordability constraints as part of the wider programme and the rolling stock procurement exercise.

Meanwhile, progress with development work for this project continues and I am pleased to confirm that a contract to provide a new electrification Feeder Station at Thornton has been placed with National Grid PLC.

Question reference: S6W-30863

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided in each of the last five years for research projects aimed at developing a more reliable prostate cancer screening test.

The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office supports open competitive grant and fellowship schemes for applied health research in Scotland across a wide remit that is inclusive of consideration of applications for research relating to prostate cancer. Applications submitted to these schemes are assessed through independent expert peer-review with funding recommendations made by independent expert committees. While projects on prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment have been awarded funding in the course of these schemes, in the period from 2019 to date, no funding awards have been made for research specifically relating to prostate cancer screening test development.

Question reference: S6W-30600

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the reasoning was for Transport Scotland's reported decision not to allow West Lothian Council to apply section 75 funding obligations in relation to a new railway station for Winchburgh in 2012.

West Lothian Council (WLC) is the Planning Authority, who granted the planning permission in principle for the Winchburgh development in April 2012.

As a statutory consultee, Transport Scotland, acting on behalf of Scottish Ministers, provided a response prior to this decision which included reasonings for why it did not support the provision of a station, at that time.

The content of the Section 75 Agreement and Decision Notice was decided upon by WLC.

Transport Scotland does not have the powers to prevent WLC applying Section 75 developer obligations.

Question reference: S6W-30599

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it being approved in principle 12 years ago, for what reason there is reportedly still no completed design specification, business plan or agreed promoter to progress the Winchburgh railway station project.

The station proposal is a developer led proposal with planning permission in principle granted by the Planning Authority, in this case West Lothian Council. It is for Winchburgh Developments Limited to progress the above items.

Transport Scotland, utilising its considerable experience of rail infrastructure construction, is currently supporting West Lothian Council and Winchburgh Developments Limited as they look towards identifying a lead promoter, or promoters, and the development of both the station design and business case process.

Question reference: S6W-30597

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can guarantee that no funds will be diverted from other transport projects in order to pay for Winchburgh railway station.

Question reference: S6W-30598

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its reasoning was for investing £116 million in the Levenmouth Rail Link while not investing in Winchburgh railway station.

The two schemes are not related.

The decision by the then Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity to progress the Levenmouth Rail Link was based on the findings of the Levenmouth Sustainable Transport Study.

The study was undertaken in line with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) and provided robust evidence of a Strategic Business Case (SBC) for the Rail Link. The SBC provided the initial stage of the business case for the Rail Link in accordance with Transport Scotland's guidance on the development of business cases, which then progressed through the subsequent stages of the business case process.

The Winchburgh station proposal is developer led. It is for Winchburgh Developments Limited to progress the required business case.