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.

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Question reference: S6W-17640

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to a comprehensive audit of Social Security Scotland’s (a) services, (b) communications and (c) training, to ensure that all aspects of its work are trauma-informed and support the mental health and wellbeing of its clients.

Social Security Scotland is committed to building a trauma-informed workforce. All client facing staff undertake a 6 week “Routeway” training course featuring specific sessions on Trauma Informed Practice and on Mental Health and Supporting Vulnerable People.

Social Security Scotland has been designed with the people who use it to ensure that processes are clear and inclusive and that it delivers support to people with dignity, fairness and respect. 94% of people who took part in the latest annual client survey said they were treated with kindness.

Social Security Scotland have signed the Scottish Government’s Leadership Pledge of Support for trauma-informed practice and are fully committed to building an awareness and understanding of the impact of trauma into their work. This includes understanding when trauma might create barriers for people.

Question reference: S6W-17642

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Delivery Plan will include a commitment to ensure that Social Security Scotland is a fully trauma-informed organisation.

Question reference: S6W-17641

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-15601

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how the £20 million it committed to investing in the Detect Cancer Early programme has been used.

Programme for Government 2021/22 committed an additional £20 million investment, over the life of this Parliament, for the Detect Cancer Earlier (DCE) Programme to improve early detection rates. So far investment has been made into the development of a new behaviour change campaign to reduce fear of cancer, launched 6 March 2023.

Through the Programme, there’s a firm focus on lung cancer which remains a national priority. This funding has included supporting implementation of Scotland’s optimal lung cancer diagnostic pathway (published December 2022); exploring the role of artificial intelligence in expediting those identified as higher risk; continuation of the University of Edinburgh’s LUNGSCOT study; and establishing a National Bronchoscopy & EBUS Training Programme for NHS Scotland.

A new earlier diagnosis vision is expected to launch in Spring 2023, as part of Scotland’s new cancer strategy – this will be supported by a 3 year action plan, the delivery of which will be supported by this Detect Cancer Earlier (DCE) Programme investment.

Question reference: S6W-15603

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been allocated for the redesign of urgent care throughout the current parliamentary session.

Details of funding for the Redesign of Urgent Care is provided in the following table.

During 2022-23 we invested £50 million in the Urgent and Unscheduled Care Collaborative Programme which aims to support NHS Boards to improve hospital processes and enhance out-of-hospital care. This approach gives Health Boards the flexibility to focus on their key priorities with Redesign of Urgent Care one of the fixed anchor points Boards need to sustain.

Breakdown of funding awarded for RUC since 2020-21:

Financial Year	Programme	Funding Awarded
2020-21	Redesign of Urgent Care	£12,912,000
2021-22	Redesign of Urgent Care	£35,219,000
2022-23	Redesign of Urgent Care (as part of the Urgent and Unscheduled Care Collaborative Programme)	£50,855,000
TOTAL		£98,986,000

Question reference: S6W-15602

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it has invested in new diagnostic techniques in the current parliamentary session.

The Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan , published in November 2021, is backed by £70m investment. The plan focuses on a number of key areas including Development and Infrastructure Innovation and Redesign to provide alternatives to traditional endoscopy. This includes Capsule Colonoscopy Endoscopy ( CCE ), Computer Tomography ( CT ), Cytosponge and Transnasal Endoscopy ( TNE ).

In Urology, alternative delivery pathways include Diagnostic Urology Hubs and 'One Stop' clinics, such as the Urology Hub at Forth Valley Royal Hospital, which was opened in July 2022.

The Scottish Government does not hold the detailed information centrally, the member should contact NHS Boards directly.

Question reference: S6O-02014

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle any economic inequalities faced by unpaid carers.

Question reference: S6W-15604

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 8 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will fulfil its commitment to abolish non-residential social care charges.

Question reference: S6O-01988

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its target to recruit 800 additional GPs by the end of 2027.

Question reference: S6W-14228

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend the Network Support Grant scheme for the bus network beyond March 2023 in (a) general and (b) order to ensure there is sufficient support for the number 52 bus route in Barrhead.

There are currently no plans for the Network Support Grant to end in March 2023. The Network Support Grant replaced both BSOG and emergency COVID support grants from 1 April 2022.

The Network Support Grant Plus was always a temporary fund, designed to further support operators as we emerged from the pandemic, due to the pressure still experienced, and to aid recovery. The Network Support Grant Plus was extended in both July and October, coming to an end in March brings us into line with the end of the funding in England and Wales.

It is important that the support we give transport operators continues to evolve to make sure it remains fit for purpose and is sustainable long term. Support is also provided to bus operators through our concessionary travel schemes which allows free bus travel to all children and young people under 22 as well as disabled people and everyone over 60. We also provide support to operators to decarbonise their bus fleet, assisting them with the purchase of zero emission buses and charging infrastructure through our Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme and the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund.

The intent of the Network Support Grant is to support the bus network and it is up to operators to use their own commercial judgement and decide which individual routes they run in the open de-regulated market, as established by the Transport Act 1985. Scottish Ministers have no powers to intervene.