Chamber and committees

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

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 307 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-15844

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing a minimum standard or an implementation strategy for basic facilities across all NHS boards, to provide all doctors with places and time to rest and sleep, access to nutritious food and drink, and the tools needed to do their job, as recommended in the General Medical Council report, Caring for doctors Caring for patients, published in November 2019.

Question reference: S6W-15843

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comments in the Expert Working Group report, 48-hour maximum working week (without averaging) for Junior Doctors in Scotland, that there is neither a consistent set of standards, nor an implementation strategy, across all NHS boards to establish such uniform standards to facilitate the spread of best practice in relation to staff wellbeing and combating fatigue.

Question reference: S6W-15840

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings of a survey by the Medical and Dental Defence Union Scotland (MDDUS) that one third of junior doctors cannot access nutritious food at work and say that this contributes to burnout, whether it plans to introduce standards in NHS Scotland similar to NHS England's National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink.

Question reference: S6W-15841

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13011 by Humza Yousaf on 21 December 2022, whether it will directly address whether it plans to provide support to facilitate the provision of nutritious food at NHS workplaces.

NHS employers should take steps to ensure that wherever possible staff have access to nutritious food, out of hours catering and rest spaces.

In March 2023 we confirmed funding to Health Boards for the purchase of small hot food appliances for all hospital Doctors in Training.

In 2021, the Scottish Government made £12 million available to the NHS workforce, including funding for practical support such as access to hot food and drinks.

New ‘EnergyPods’ were introduced at Victoria Hospital in Fife, providing staff with the opportunity to boost their energy and take time out with a personalised guided power nap in comfortable surroundings. We are reviewing the feedback from this pilot and considering next steps.

Question reference: S6W-15842

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to implement the recommendation in the "Principle Conclusions" section of the Expert Working Group report, 48-hour maximum working week (without averaging) for Junior Doctors in Scotland, to improve the provision of nutritious food and drinks for all night shift staff.

Question reference: S6W-15719

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when the findings of its Health and Wellbeing Census, with information on how frequently S2 and S4 pupils use e-cigarettes, will be published.

Information on the first Health and Wellbeing Census undertaken by local authorities in Scotland between October 2021 and June 2022 is available on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/health-and-wellbeing-census-scotland-2021-22/. Pages 22 and 23 of the Key Findings document, contained in the Supporting documents link, set out the frequency of e-cigarette use by pupils.

Question reference: S6W-15720

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in advance of publishing its refreshed tobacco control action plan in 2023, whether Public Health Scotland plans to update any analysis on the estimated effects of reduced smoking prevalence on the three outcomes of smoking-attributable deaths, smoking attributable hospital admissions and smoking-attributable NHS costs.

Question reference: S6O-02025

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many civil servants are working in its Constitutional Futures Division.

Question reference: S6O-01964

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will propose scheduling parliamentary time to debate strengthening the scrutiny role of the Parliament in holding the Scottish Ministers to account.

Question reference: S6W-14215

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether (a) alcohol-free and (b) low alcohol products reduce levels of alcohol harm.