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-21273

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what more it will do to prevent older people from being evicted by private care providers, in light of reports of pensioners facing eviction due to a lack of family funds and refusal by care homes to accept council funding.

In the current system care home providers should clearly set out their terms and conditions to residents and their families in the contractual arrangements; these are covered by consumer protection laws.

The Scottish Government acknowledges, however, that the social care sector requires reform. We remain committed to delivering a National Care Service to improve quality, fairness and consistency of provision that meets individuals’ needs. The design and delivery of the National Care Service will have human rights embedded throughout.

Question reference: S6W-20920

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider simplifying the referral process for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to ensure that children can swiftly receive the help that they need.

We are working to improve neurodevelopmental support for children and young people, including children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to ensure that children and young people can receive the support they need quickly. Our National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People aims to ensure that children and families receive the support that meets their needs at the earliest opportunity, based on the Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) approach.

In terms of the referral process, a diagnosis is not required for children and young people to receive support. The Neurodevelopmental Specification makes clear that support should be in place to meet the child or young person’s requirements when they need it, rather than being dependent on a formal diagnosis. For many children and young people, such support is likely to be community based, and should be quickly and easily accessible. In Lothian for example, Edinburgh’s Citywide Neurodevelopmental Diversity Support is a partnership between Barnardo’s, Tailor Ed Foundation and Autism Initiatives aimed at children and young people who have neurodevelopmental diversity. This service provides one-to-one support for children and young people, and also offers support to parents and siblings.

To support national implementation of the Specification, we have funded five Tests of Change to implement various aspects of the specification. These are taking place in Grampian, East Lothian, Highland, Fife and Forth Valley. We are working to collate and share learnings from these Tests of Change to inform next steps around implementation of the ND specification and support wider roll out across other areas in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-20982

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to improve myeloma cancer diagnoses, and what is being done to increase public awareness of this type of cancer, in light of reports that myeloma patients face some of the longest times to diagnosis of any cancer.

Scotland’s first Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDSs) – established within existing NHS infrastructure – are operational in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Fife, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Borders. The Services provide primary care with access to a new referral pathway for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer, which is often the case for myeloma cancer presentations.

A new Detect Cancer Earlier campaign – Be The Early Bird - launched on 06 March 2023 and ran for four weeks, aiming to reduce fear of cancer and empower those with possible symptoms to act early. The campaign was developed with primary and secondary care clinical input. Following independent evaluation, the campaign will re-run in September 2023 to continue to raise awareness of the benefits of seeking help early.

Question reference: S6W-19959

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 19 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered establishing a centralised database to co-ordinate screening and clinical care for people affected by Lynch syndrome, in light of such a database currently being piloted in England.

The Scottish Government has no plans to establish a database with regards to the monitoring of individuals with Lynch Syndrome.

We are currently in discussion with clinicians including members of the Scottish Strategic Network for Genomic Medicine and the Clinical Genetics Forum to bring together all stakeholder specialities to advise on testing, screening and management for individuals at increased risk of cancer.

Question reference: S6W-20983

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 September 2023

Question reference: S6O-02534

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update on how it plans to regularly monitor and evaluate the implementation of its Hate Crime Strategy for Scotland, in the lead up to the review that is planned for 2028.

Question reference: S6W-20635

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is reviewing how the recent update of the FreeStyle Libre 2 sensor to a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), with the possibility that it may be utilised in a hybrid closed loop system, will impact the roll-out of diabetes technology across Scotland.

Our Diabetes Improvement Plan contains a commitment to improving access to diabetes technologies, including CGMs for all who would benefit.

We work closely with key stakeholders through the Scottish Diabetes Group to identify challenges and opportunities which result from the availability of new diabetes technologies.

We recognise the impact that the update to Freestyle Libre 2 devices will have on existing users and will ensure that these changes are built into the ongoing development of technology pathways.

To improve access to diabetes technologies, we have initiated a partnership with the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) and their Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) programme.

Through the ANIA pathway workstream, the Scottish Government has invested a further £350,000 to accelerate the distribution of Closed Loop Systems which were procured nationally in 2022. This additional investment will be used to establish a national ‘onboarding’ team and trial new models of care. This will be in partnership with all 14 health boards in Scotland and will require ongoing engagement with the Managed Clinical Networks.

We are also working closely with key stakeholders across Scottish Government, NHS Boards and industry suppliers to determine the most effective plan for longer term access to diabetes technologies.

Question reference: S6W-20638

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19017 by Maree Todd on 26 June 2023, what specific actions within the forthcoming Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy are focused on protecting the mental health of patients with long-term conditions, including chronic kidney disease.

Question reference: S6W-20634

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered reviewing relevant legislation to allow residents in private care homes who can no longer afford to pay top-up fees to be transferred to a publicly-funded care home in the local authority where their current private care home is situated, in the event that the local authority where they were previously normally resident does not have any publicly-funded care home places available.

Where a person chooses a care home that does not accept the National Care Home Contract, the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 and associated guidance Charging for Residential Accommodation Guidance (CRAG) allows for topping up of care home fees. The Act and guidance also sets out the conditions around the top up of care home fees and states that these arrangements should be sustainable.

Any contract agreed when an individual enters residential care should clearly set out what happens if any top up fees can no longer be paid, and this contract is covered by consumer protection laws. The Local Authority also has a statutory responsibility for the delivery, commissioning and charging for care home services.

Question reference: S6W-20591

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 August 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 September 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take in light of a recent report by Asthma + Lung UK, which reportedly found that one in five people in Scotland struggle with breathlessness each day and that the poorest communities are most impacted by lung health inequalities.

We know that people living in poverty in Scotland are more likely to develop a lung condition than the general population, and recognise that we still have progress to make on improving access to care and treatment for respiratory conditions.

In March 2021, we published the first Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland (RCAP) . The Plan sets out our priorities and commitments for driving improvement in the prevention, diagnosis, care, treatment and support of people living with respiratory conditions. Tackling health inequalities is a key focus of the RCAP and we want to ensure a more targeted approach to supporting those who need it most.

The main focus of our respiratory programme this year will be on improving the availability of respiratory data. We have recently commissioned and funded Public Health Scotland to begin building a respiratory audit programme. This will better allow us to review the demographics of people living with respiratory conditions and ultimately ensure we deliver services which meet their needs.

We are also in the final stages of producing a best practice document for child to adult respiratory transitions, as well as working closely with key stakeholders to determine the best route to improve access to pulmonary rehabilitation services.

More widely, the Scottish Government is committed to supporting families and households face the increased cost of living. This includes the provision of services and financial support not available elsewhere in the UK that is helping to reduce everyday costs and increase incomes.