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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: S6F-01518

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2022

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-01519

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2022

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-11637

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons has it reportedly allowed mesh survivors to be referred to the same doctors that first denied their experiences with mesh.

The Scottish Government designated the Complex Pelvic Mesh Removal Service in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC). This service assesses needs and, where appropriate and subject to shared decision making and informed consent, performs mesh removal surgery.

The Scottish Government fully understands that women feel that they have been let down by clinicians in the past. When establishing the service, NHS GGC has kept this in mind and, as such, there are a number of consultants, including one who has joined the service from NHS England. This gives women choice over who is involved in their care. All patients who are being considered for surgery are reviewed by a multi-disciplinary team that includes mental health, physiotherapy and pain management specialists. The service also employs specialist nurses who help direct women through the service and help to ensure that they are comfortable and reassured during their visit.

More information is available online: National Complex Mesh Surgical Service Webpage .

Question reference: S6W-11639

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many women have requested that they want to have mesh surgery carried out by (a) Dr Veronikis and (b) Professor Hashim.

Question reference: S6W-11638

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the first NHS Scotland patients were, or are expected to be, sent to the USA for mesh removal treatment by Dr Veronikis.

Question reference: S6W-11719

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 14 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has set a decarbonisation target for the (a) passenger ferry and (b) maritime freight sector.

The Scottish Government is committed to the decarbonisation of the transport sector in a sustainable way to deliver a just transition. Our Climate Change Plan includes a commitment that by 2032, 30 per cent of Scottish Government owned ferries will be low emission.

With regards to the wider shipping and maritime sectors, we are committed to working with the UK Government and other governments to support decarbonisation proposals at a UK level and those globally significant proposals originating from the International Maritime Organisation such as the potential to introduce a global levy on marine fuel to fund research into cleaner technologies and fuels.

Question reference: S6W-11793

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 14 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide updated figures on how many young people to date have received a free bus pass through the Young Persons’ (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, broken down by local authority, based on the latest information available.

The following table shows the number of cardholders under the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme as of the end of the day on 31 October 2022, broken down to local authority level.

This data is supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO). NECPO support the 32 local authorities by assisting with the integration of various national and local public services on the National Entitlement Card (NEC) and are the joint controller with local authorities of this data. The table includes travel products collected from the Transport Scot Pass Collect mobile application.

Aberdeen City	23,643
Aberdeenshire	26,246
Angus Council	7,753
Argyll & Bute	6,030
City of Edinburgh	66,618
Clackmanmanshire	3,038
Comhairie nan Eilean Siar	1,537
Dumfries and Galloway	9,322
Dundee City	18,782
East Ayrshire	14,987
East Dunbartonshire	9,315
East Lothian	12,066
East Renfrewshire	9,582
Falkirk	10,085
Fife	46,845
Glasgow City	57,582
Highland	15,636
Inverclyde	11,016
Midlothian	9,370
Moray	7,590
North Ayrshire	16,893
North Lanarkshire	31,800
Orkney Islands	1,437
Perth & Kinross	12,967
Renfrewshire	18,577
Scottish Borders	9,664
Shetland Islands	2,597
South Ayrshire	7,262
South Lanarkshire	32,094
Stirling	7,435
West Dunbartonshire	10,057
West Lothian	17,405
Total	535,231

Question reference: S6W-11633

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS Scotland patients have been referred to the designated providers in (a) Bristol and (b) the USA for mesh removal surgery.

A number of women have been assessed at the specialist service in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and have subsequently requested onward referral to the independent providers. It is the responsibility of the patient’s local Health Board to make that referral and, in a number of cases, this has already occurred whilst, in others, preparations for referral are ongoing.

Neither the Scottish Government nor NHS National Services Scotland are able to confirm specifically when any patient will travel to the USA or Bristol for treatment, as the scheduling of surgery is dependent on clinical review by the provider and their subsequent acceptance of the case in question.

In light of the small number of patients referred, it would not be appropriate to disclose exact numbers due to the potential risk to patient confidentiality.

Question reference: S6W-11482

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10866 by Humza Yousaf on 4 October 2022, whether it will clarify when National Cancer Medicines Advisory Group (NCMAG)-recommended cancer medicines will cease to be available to NHS boards, and when cancer services will have been deemed to be recovered following the impact of COVID-19 on waiting times.

I refer the member to the answer to S6W-11396 on 1 November 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Cancer services do not sit in silo, they cross-cut numerous specialties and teams which have been greatly affected by the pandemic, including diagnostics. While those referred as an urgent suspicion of cancer (USC) continue to be prioritised and more patients were treated on a 62-day pathway in the latest published quarter (Q2 2022) compared to pre-COVID, clearly recovery will take time. This is why we published our NHS Recovery Plan in August 2021. It reinforces our commitment to continue to invest in cancer pathways - £10 million was released to Boards in August 2022 – and our ambition to maintain the 31-day standard and achieve the 62-day standard on a sustainable basis.

Our National Cancer Plan set out to recover and redesign cancer services, with 68 individual actions across the patient pathway to improve patients’ experience of care, and roll-out innovative treatments. The plan adopts a ‘Once for Scotland’ approach to cancer services and ensures that access to care and treatment is equitable across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-11632

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 October 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what formal referral pathways are in place for women seeking mesh removal surgery.

The Complex Pelvic Mesh Service provided by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC) offers holistic care for women experiencing mesh complications. There are a number of consultants operating in the service allowing women a choice over who is involved in their care. Complementing this, and to allow women more choice, individuals can also opt to be referred to NHS England services for surgery, or can choose to travel to Spire Hospital in Bristol, or to Dr Veronikis in the USA.

Any woman seeking referral to the mesh service in Glasgow, NHS England, Spire Hospital or Dr Veronikis should initially discuss her case with clinicians within her own Health Board. If considered appropriate at that stage, she will then be referred to the specialist service in NHS GGC for consideration by a full multi-disciplinary team (MDT). If, after careful consideration by both the MDT and the patient, it is agreed that surgery is appropriate, she will then be given the option of receiving treatment through the Glasgow centre, or referral to an NHS England Specialist Centre, the Spire in Bristol, or Dr Veronikis, depending on her wishes.

Regardless of the treatment option chosen, initial assessment in the specialist service in Glasgow is extremely important as it ensures that the patient receives the proper consideration of a full MDT, and will receive care that is fully integrated with any pre- and post-operative care provided locally.