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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: S6W-11062

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 3 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has sought legal advice in relation to the so-called Tinker Experiment.

Question reference: S6W-11054

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what recommendations listed in the Equality and Human Rights Commission report, Housing and Disabled People: Scotland’s Hidden Crisis, which was published in May 2018, have been taken forward.

The recommendations for the Scottish Government included within the Equality and Human Rights Commission report, Housing and Disabled People: Scotland’s Hidden Crisis are being taken forward as part of the implementation of our Housing to 2040 strategy published in 2021. The specific recommendations regarding Relevant Adjustments to Common Parts (Disabled Persons) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 and guidance to local authorities on setting targets for wheelchair accessible housing were completed in advance of the publication of Housing to 2040.

Question reference: S6W-11064

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 3 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, following the reported cancellation of a planned trip by the First Minister to the UN General Assembly taking place from 20 to 26 September 2022 in New York, whether another minister is attending in the First Minister’s place, and, if so, which minister.

Question reference: S6W-10752

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 3 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many social workers have been employed in the Forth Valley region in each of the last 10 years.

The information requested by Mr Kerr, MSP, is publicly available on the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) website. Last month, the SSSC published official statistics in the ‘ Scottish Social Service Sector: Report on 2021 Workforce Data’ report. This Report contains official statistics dating back to 2012. As well as this report, the SSSC will publish more detailed tables in late 2022, providing a breakdown of the number of people working in all sub-sectors in individual local authority areas.

Question reference: S6W-10797

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether an assessment has been made of the uptake of spring/summer COVID-19 boosters amongst those resident in the most deprived areas compared with the most affluent areas in Scotland, and, if such an assessment have been made, whether it will confirm the percentage uptake in each of these areas.

Public Health Scotland publish figures on the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile. The PHS report shows how uptake in the most deprived areas compares with the least deprived areas. The latest figures were published in May 2022 ( https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/13184/22-05-11-covid19-publication_report.pdf ). The next publication is planned for later this year. This publication will contain uptake data by SIMD for COVID-19 autumn/winter 2022 vaccinations only; there will not be analysis on spring/summer COVID-19 boosters specifically.

Question reference: S6W-09602

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03209 by Humza Yousaf on 15 November 2021, whether it will provide an update on how many nurses have (a) joined and (b) left the NHS in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-11037

Asked by: Jamie Halcro Johnston, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 3 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will no longer seek to put measures in place to double the amount of land used for organic farming by 2026, and, if so, what the reason is for its decision on this matter.

The commitment to the 2021-22 Programme for Government ambition to double the amount of land used for organic farming by 2026 is still firmly in place, alongside our commitment to establish a new Organic Food and Farming Action Plan by the end of this parliamentary session. We will extend the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme up to the end of the period of stability in 2024, which will continue to underpin the ambition for organic farming.

Question reference: S6W-10990

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when a national lung cancer screening programme will be rolled out.

Question reference: S6W-10989

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 3 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommendations on lung cancer screening and what action it is taking to implement these recommendations.

The Scottish Government is aware that the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) now recommend that the four UK countries should move toward the implementation of a targeted screening programme for lung cancer in adults aged 55-74 with a history of smoking.

The Scottish Government welcomes this recommendation, though notes that the UK NSC also acknowledges the significant complexities that must be worked through ahead of implementation. Scotland will play an active part in that work. The Scottish Government will also follow the advice of the National Screening Oversight (NSO) and Scottish Screening Committee (SSC) who will consider how the recommendation can best be taken forward in Scotland.

In the meantime, we have agreed to fund a one year extension of the University of Edinburgh’s feasibility study, LungScot, into targeted lung health checks for high risk individuals. This will help to inform future approaches.

Question reference: S6W-10978

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 3 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many new claims for Adult Disability Payment it estimates will be received during the first six months of operation by Social Security Scotland.

Adult Disability Payment opened for new applications across Scotland on 29 August 2022, following successful pilots that began in March.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission is responsible for forecasting spending on Adult Disability Payment and publishes estimates on the number of people expected to receive Adult Disability Payment in each financial year. In their May 2022 forecast, the Scottish Fiscal Commission estimated that there would be 34,000 recipients of Adult Disability Payment in 2022-23 in Scotland. This would include successful new claims and cases transferred from Personal Independence Payment and Working Age Disability Living Allowance. They attached a high degree of uncertainty to their estimates and they have indicated they will revise the assumptions as more data becomes available.

The Commission does not forecast the number of new claims per month for Adult Disability Payment. However, internal Scottish Government analysis estimates that approximately 44,000 new claims for Adult Disability Payment will be received by the end of February 2023.