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-17596

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to address the development and implementation of training that is based on the NICE 2021 guideline on myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), in light of its commitment to implement the guideline.

Our Neurological Care and Support Framework 2020-25 sets out our vision to ensure everyone with a neurological condition, including ME/CFS, can access the care and support they need to live well.

Through the Framework we have funded Action for ME and partners to disseminate an online learning module on ME/CFS for GPs and health professionals, authored by Dr Nina Muirhead, which aims to support person-centred care, informed by good practice and current research.

In addition to Scottish Government activities, we understand that NHS Education for Scotland (NES) are currently finalising a Practice Based Small Group Learning (PBSGL) CPD module for GPs, Pharmacist and Nurses working in General Practice/Primary Care.

Question reference: S6W-16494

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 27 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to third sector organisations dealing with drug addiction in each financial year since 2007-08, also broken down by organisation.

Information prior to 2017-18 is unavailable as it was deleted in accordance with our standard records management practice, before the date of your request.

Funding at the local level is distributed through alcohol and drug partnerships and many of the projects and organisations we support at the national level also work in both alcohol and drugs, therefore it is not possible to disaggregate funding allocated specifically for drug services rather than drug and alcohol services.

Alcohol and Drug Partnerships commission services from both statutory and third sector providers. Data on how this funding is broken down is not held centrally. Financial accounts are published annually by Health Boards and Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships (ADPs) and accessible via each areas website.

Scottish Government funding for drug and alcohol services is allocated to various organisations these are grouped below as:

Core Funded Organisations (CFOs)
Other third sector organisations
Distributed via the Corra Foundation to third sector and grass roots organisations

Details of how funding was allocated by the Corra Foundation can be found in their published annual grants released from 2017 to 2021 at Publications - Corra

Table 1: funding for drug and alcohol services to third sector organisations. 2017-18 to 2022-23

Financial Year	Allocation £ (million)	Description
2022-23	89.3	Allocated to Health Boards for ADP commissioning
	3.1	Core Funded Organisations
	5.8	Third Sector
	13	Corra Foundation
2022-23 Total	111.2
2021-22	106.5	Allocated to Health Boards for ADP commissioning
	3.7	Core Funded Organisations
	3.7	Third Sector
	16.2	Corra Foundation
2021-22 Total	130.1
2020-21	76.6	Allocated to Health Boards for ADP commissioning
	2.2	Core Funded Organisations
	2.7	Third Sector
	7.7	Corra Foundation
2020-21 Total	89.2
2019-20	72.8	Allocated to Health Boards for ADP commissioning
	1.5	Core Funded Organisations
	0.5	Third Sector
	0.9	Corra Foundation
2019-20 Total	75.7
2018-19	72.8	Allocated to Health Boards for ADP commissioning
	1.5	Core Funded Organisations
	0.2	Third Sector
	2	Corra Foundation
2018-19 Total	76.5
2017-18	53.8	Allocated to Health Boards for ADP commissioning
	1.3	Core Funded Organisations
	0.06	Third Sector
	0.05	Corra Foundation
2017-18 Total	55.21
	537.91

Information prior to 2017-18 is unavailable as it was deleted in accordance with our standard records management practice, before the date of your request.

Question reference: S6W-16484

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 27 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many fast-track cancer diagnosis centres it (a) has built to date and (b) plans to build in the future, and whether it will provide as much detail as possible on any proposals it has to build more centres.

Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (formerly known as Early Cancer Diagnostic Centre) are established within existing NHS infrastructure.

RCDSs provide primary care with access to a new fast-track diagnostic pathway for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer, such as weight loss and fatigue. So far, NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Fife, NHS Dumfries & Galloway and NHS Borders have established a RCDS with NHS Lanarkshire expected to be operational by June 2023.

Question reference: S6O-02184

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria are used to determine how much funding should be spent on active travel projects.

Question reference: S6W-16483

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a revised cost estimate for the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S6W-16492

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on suicide prevention in each financial year since 2018-19, also broken down by NHS board.

Information on total spend on suicide prevention activity by individual Health Boards is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Information on net mental health expenditure by individual Health Boards is published on the Public Health Scotland website Scottish health service costs under data files mental health expenditure Excel workbook . Note, however, that expenditure data is collected by broad specialties and does not identify suicide prevention work specifically. Suicide prevention will be an aspect of work across all mental health specialities.

Question reference: S6W-16491

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) pharmacists, (b) pharmacy technicians, (c) advanced nursing practitioners, (d) advanced paramedics, (e) mental health workers, (f) musculoskeletal physiotherapists and (g) community link workers have been recruited since 1 April 2022.

The requested information on how many pharmacists and pharmacy technicians have been recruited since 1 April 2022 can be found on the following link: Pharmacy report 2022 | Turas Data Intelligence (nhs.scot)

The requested information on how many (c) advanced nursing practitioners and (e) mental health workers have been recruited since 1 April 2022 can be found on the following links:

Advanced nurse practitioners: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (LoSD (only N&M) & AHP) tab

Psychiatric specialty consultants and mental health nurses: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (consultant and nursing & midwifery drop downs)

Child and Adolescent Mental health Services: 07 March 2023 CAMHS | Turas Data Intelligence (nhs.scot)

The requested information on how many advanced paramedics, musculoskeletal physiotherapists and community link workers have been recruited since 1 April 2022 is not centrally held.

Information on how many paramedics and physiotherapists have been recruited since 1 April 2022 can be found on the following link:

NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (allied health professional drop down)

Question reference: S6W-16485

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Scottish National Party manifesto commitment to "develop MyNHS, a safe, simple and secure app that will help people access services directly and own their own health information".

In addition to the health and care information services that are already available to the public, we are currently in the process of developing a Digital Front Door. Digital Front Door acts as a direct response to Scottish National Party’s commitment to develop a ‘’MyNHS’’ App.

A key deliverable within the 2021 Digital Health & Care Strategy, the Digital Front Door will provide a way for people to access health and care information and control their data. It will also help people to conduct more health and care transactions online, including communicating with their health and care providers and managing their appointments.

Key workstreams are in place to develop changes to services, communications and engagement approach, undertake impact assessments and scope requirements for key areas such as identity verification. We have also considered the approaches taken internationally and within other parts of the UK.

Scottish Government has commissioned NHS Education Scotland (NES) as main delivery partner and initial planning, design and development is underway. The current commitment is to have the first version of the Digital Front Door in place by the end of this Parliament.

More information will be made available on this development here - https://www.digihealthcare.scot/our-work/digital-front-door/.

Question reference: S6W-16487

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide any correspondence that it has had, since May 2021, with (a) NHS boards and (b) any relevant stakeholders, regarding reform of the (i) number, (ii) structure and (iii) regulation of NHS boards.

Question reference: S6W-16489

Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 April 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Primary Care Improvement Plan.

As of March 2022, through Primary Care Improvement Plans and corresponding funding, we have recruited more than 3,220 whole time equivalent (WTE) multi-disciplinary team (MDT) members, working in GP practices and the community.

Supporting documents - Primary care improvement plans: summary of implementation progress - March 2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

We are also committed to providing at least £170 million per year to deliver MDTs and will make additional funding available to support Agenda for Change pay increases for MDT staff.

We have amended regulations to include permanent vaccinations, pharmacotherapy and community treatment and care support for GP practices from 2022-23 onwards.

We continue to work with all partners to ensure we have a robust evidence base on the impact of the programme to support implementation of Primary Care Improvement Plans and future investment decisions in 2023-24.