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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-08287

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 17 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its employment policy is for determining the length of notice period for civil servants.

The resignation notice periods for civil servants in Scottish Government Core Directorates is as follows:

Senior Civil Servants - 3 months, as set by the Civil Service Management Code
Special Advisers - 5 weeks, as set by contract and stipulated by Cabinet Office
Scottish Government delegated grades:
Band C - 3 months
All other staff - 1 month

The notice periods for delegated grades have been in place for many years, and pre-date the delegation of terms and conditions of employment to civil service employers.

Question reference: S6W-08284

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 17 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many civil servants in Scotland have employment contracts with a notice period of (a) between three and six, (b) six and (c) more than six months.

Question reference: S6W-08409

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many publicly managed properties there are available for NHS clinical staff to use as homes; how much revenue is generated from these, and what the value is of the property portfolio, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-08410

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS Ayrshire and Arran is seeking properties for the purpose of housing doctors.

Question reference: S6W-08407

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 17 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports British Sign Language (BSL) in schools, colleges and universities for people who (a) need an interpreter to assist their learning, (b) may wish to become BSL interpreters and (c) may wish to learn BSL.

We are committed to supporting children, young people and students who use British Sign Language (BSL) at all stages of their learning.

Education authorities have duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils, including BSL users. The Scottish Government provides funding of £150,000 to the Scottish Sensory Centre to support training for staff working with children and young people with sensory impairments, including BSL users.

All colleges and universities in Scotland have published BSL plans (accessible in BSL and English) setting out how students who use BSL are supported. Students attending college or university are also eligible to apply for additional financial support to help with any additional costs which arise as a result of a disability or additional learning need. This can include support towards the cost of BSL interpreters to assist their learning.

BSL is currently taught as a second additional language in schools as part of the 1+2 languages policy. This means it can be taught from P5 at the latest up to the end of S3. Learning does not need to be continuous during this time. The uptake of schools teaching BSL has increased steadily, and SQA awards are designed for both hearing and deaf learners to develop their language skills.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) is working with the University of Edinburgh on the development of an undergraduate degree in Primary Education and BSL. This would lead to graduates qualifying as primary teachers with enhanced BSL skills. GTCS is also considering further action to remove barriers that make it difficult for BSL users to become registered teachers, including reviewing registration rules.

The ’BSL Interpreting in Scotland: Landscape review’, commissioned by the Scottish Government in relation to Actions 7, 8, and 9 of the British Sign Language National Plan 2017 - 2023, was published in February 2020 with 13 recommendations. The recommendations include reference to improvements and development of vocational and academic pathways for interpreter training and BSL qualifications, and development of this work is currently being considered.

We have also committed to providing additional funding to enable local authorities to offer free British Sign Language tuition for deaf children from the age of five, and work to implement that commitment is underway, in consultation with stakeholders.

Question reference: S6W-08397

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many volunteer first responders have been available to support the Scottish Ambulance Service in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-08402

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the investment made to deliver a national mechanical thrombectomy service, whether NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has established its internal 24/7 thrombolysis delivery pathways sufficiently in order to provide a basis for thrombectomy in the west of Scotland.

Within NHS GG&C, acute stroke thrombolysis is already available on a 24/7 basis. This is currently based at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), with patients transferred for thrombolysis where appropriate. Work is ongoing to establish a telemedicine thrombolysis model to provide 24/7 thrombolysis at other sites.

The Scottish Government recognises that thrombectomy procedures can significantly improve outcomes and quality of life for some people who have suffered an ischaemic stroke by avoiding or reducing the level of disability. We are committed to introducing a high quality and clinically safe thrombectomy service in Scotland and are making important progress against this commitment. In NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the thrombectomy service is currently in the test of change phase, and has provided thrombectomies to 13 patients since October 2021.

Question reference: S6W-08403

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 17 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on arranging a meeting with Hourglass to discuss funding for its elder abuse helpline, in light of the commitment by the First Minister on 24 March 2022 to do so.

Question reference: S6T-00722

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its reaction is to the reported awarding of almost £1 million compensation from Police Scotland to an ex-officer following an employment tribunal ruling of victimisation.

Question reference: S6T-00713

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the anticipated delivery date of the ferries under construction at Ferguson Marine, in light of recent reports that the number of faults in the two vessels has risen.