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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-08162

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 22 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of the NHS Workforce Strategy, what level of additional staffing it considers will be needed by Scotland’s genetic laboratories in future years to ensure that patients can benefit from advances in precision treatments, and what steps it is taking to recruit and retain laboratory staff with the necessary skills to undertake, report and advise multi-disciplinary oncology teams on genetic test findings.

The Genetic Laboratory Major Service review considered the workforce requirements for our future genomics capabilities in NHS Scotland. A link to the report is available here:https://www.nss.nhs.scot/specialist-healthcare/specialist-services/genetic-and-molecular-pathology-laboratories/

In line with the recommendations from the Major Service Review, the NSD Transformation Team will consider the workforce planning requirements to implement the recommendations from the report in developing the action plan.

Over the coming months we will be expanding the membership of our Scottish Genomics Leadership Group(SGLG) and relevant work stream to include a wider pool of stakeholders than those currently on the SGLG. This expanded structure will consider the recommendations from the Major Service Review as well as considerations for further genomics expansion.

One of the workstreams will lead on workforce planning and will be done in partnership with relevant Trade Union representatives.

Question reference: S6W-08056

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been prosecuted for elder abuse in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-08386

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance documents, other materials or training teachers and other SEEMiS users should be familiar with before using the system.

Question reference: S6W-08210

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what direct consultation was undertaken with the staff affected in relation to the decision to put in place a recruitment freeze in its health and social care directorate.

Question reference: S6W-08209

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the recruitment freeze in its health and social care directorate (a) was put in place and (b) will come to an end.

Question reference: S6W-08011

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07097 by Lorna Slater on 23 March 2022, and in light of the reported announcement by the UK Government and Northern Ireland Assembly not to include glass in their proposed Deposit Return Schemes, what its position is on whether a consistent approach should be taken across the UK, whether it has had any engagement with industry on this matter and, if this is not the case, whether it will consider doing so.

We remain committed to the inclusion of glass in our ambitious Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in view of the significant environmental benefits. Although the ambition of other nations’ schemes is a matter for their governments, we welcome the Welsh Government’s decision to follow our example and include glass in their scheme. We will work with all the other UK administrations to ensure interoperability of our schemes where this can be done without losing the ambition of our own.

Question reference: S6W-08012

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07097 by Lorna Slater on 23 March 2022 and in light of the reported announcement by the UK Government and Northern Ireland Assembly not to include glass in their proposed Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), what consideration it has given to any potential impact of including glass in its DRS on compliance with the UK Internal Market Act 2020 in the event that it results in higher costs (a) associated with three labelling regimes and (b) for businesses under the scheme in Scotland, including if any have to cease doing business in Scotland as a result.

Question reference: S6W-08080

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider establishing a national student homelessness duty as part of its planned student accommodation strategy.

Question reference: S6W-08010

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the proposed Deposit Return Scheme, what discussions it has had with Circularity Scotland on whether the company is planning to raise the producer fee in respect of glass from the level previously indicated.

Question reference: S6W-08300

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what recent actions it has taken to promote public awareness of Lyme disease, including its prevention and symptoms.

The Scottish Government is committed to continuing its work on raising awareness of Lyme disease and ticks.

The public awareness sub-group, established following roundtable events in April and June 2021, includes a wide range of representatives, from organisations including Visit Scotland, the Lyme Resource Centre, and Ramblers Scotland. The group has met several times and has most recently developed key messages for the Community Pharmacy Public Health Messaging Poster Campaign which will run for a 4 week period from 30 May 2022.

In addition, the Scottish Government will continue to use its own platforms to highlight the need to be tick aware and to set out the signs and symptoms of possible infection.

The Group is considering further options for short- and long-term strategies to implement messaging around Lyme disease, including the use of appropriate signage for visitors to parks and other recreational areas, together with messaging for the wider public. All materials produced, or campaigns undertaken will be designed around the key messages of; identification, how to protect yourself, and safe removal of ticks, as well as signs and symptoms of possible Lyme disease infection and where to seek treatment.