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-26835

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether the initial fire crews that attended the Breadalbane Street fire in Edinburgh on 14 March 2024 were relieved from the incident in order to decontaminate, and, if it is the case that they were not relieved, what the duration of their attendance was.

Question reference: S6W-26834

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) infrastructure and (b) equipment, including materials, kit and PPE, was provided to firefighters to support and ensure full decontamination following their attendance at the Breadalbane Street fire in Edinburgh on 14 March 2024.

Question reference: S6W-26831

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many firefighters attended the Breadalbane Street fire in Edinburgh on 14 March 2024, broken down by how many underwent (a) full, (b) partial and (c) no decontamination following the fire.

Question reference: S6W-26562

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the implementation of the recommendations made by the Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation of Social Care in Scotland.

The Scottish Government response to the recommendations made by the Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation of Social Care was published on 6 March 2024, accepting all 38 recommendations.

The response set out that significant work already underway will in part or fully address many of the recommendations. Priority work has already commenced on new workstreams that focus on implementing recommendations 15 and 33: a review of the care service types, and corresponding definitions as set out in Schedule 12 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 and a review of the Health and Social Care Standards, to help ensure the Standards are based on human rights, ethical commissioning and are outcome focused.

The implementation of the recommendations will be phased to ensure they do not place undue pressure on regulators, providers and those working in services. The Scottish Government will provide periodical updates on progress on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/groups/social-care-independent-review-of-inspection-scrutiny-and-regulation/

The Scottish Government will continue to work closely and collaboratively with regulators, providers, partners and with those who have lived and living experience of social care support and linked services in all aspects of this work.

Question reference: S6W-26492

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to epilepsy charities since March 2017.

Question reference: S6O-03294

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether its Land Reform (Scotland) Bill will help protect communities from development on land of public importance.

Question reference: S6W-26489

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24374 by Fiona Hyslop on 19 January 2024, on what date in spring 2024 it expects the legal process regarding access to Ferrymuir Gait to be concluded.

Question reference: S6W-26075

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the expert advisory group’s work regarding the roll-out of a national targeted lung cancer screening programme, including what the expected timeline is, and what additional capacity and investment is required.

The Scottish Government has welcomed the recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee (NSC) that the 4 UK Nations should move towards implementing a programme of targeted lung screening for those between 55-74 with a history of smoking.

The Scottish Expert Advisory Group (SEAG) was established to assess the specific challenges and opportunities for a Scottish programme. The SEAG met for the first time in August 2023. Further meetings are scheduled in the coming months as part of work to develop a business case.

The complexity of the challenge means a national screening programme is likely to take years rather than months to implement. Until the business case is complete, we cannot provide timings for implementation or specifics relating to implementation and annual running costs.

Lung cancer remains a national priority, which is why the Scottish Government has a dedicated chapter in our £114.5 million National Cancer Plan, and last December we redesigned lung cancer diagnostic services to help ensure patients receive faster access to treatment.

Question reference: S6W-25627

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding UK-wide legislation to exonerate sub-postmasters and mistresses who have been wrongfully convicted as a result of the reported issues with the Post Office accounting system, Horizon.

On 22 February, the Under-Secretary of State for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business stated that the UK Government would introduce legislation to reverse only the convictions of sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses convicted in courts in England and Wales. This followed the Scottish Government making clear on 10 January in a letter from the First Minister to the Prime Minister that UK-wide legislation would be the appropriate response to this issue. The position of the Scottish Government was also made in further letters from the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs.

Following the UK Government announcement on 22 February, I wrote to the Minister the following day to make clear that the Scottish Government remained of the view that the best way to ensure a solution that treats all affected sub-postmasters across the United Kingdom equitably is for the Westminster Parliament to legislate to overturn the convictions of those affected across the whole of the UK, and asking the UK Government to reconsider its approach on this matter.

On 13 March, the UK Government introduced its Bill to reverse the convictions of affected sub-postmasters and post office employees convicted in courts in England and Wales. The Deputy First Minister wrote to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations on 14 March urging him to make good on the commitment he made at the meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Standing Committee on 12 March to consider extending the Bill to cover convictions in courts in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

This reflects the fact that the cause of these wrongful convictions, wherever they occurred, is the defective Post Office Horizon IT system and the failure of the Post Office to disclose relevant information about it to prosecutors.

However, if the UK Government maintains its position that it will legislate only to reverse convictions of sub-postmasters convicted in England and Wales, we will introduce legislation in the Scottish Parliament to reverse the convictions of affected sub-postmasters in Scotland. Any such Bill will have to be passed after the equivalent UK Bill to ensure that the approach is compatible with the approach taken in the UK Bill and sub-postmasters convicted in Scotland whose convictions are reversed can access the Horizon compensation scheme operated by the UK Government.

Scottish Government officials are continuing to engage with UK Government officials on this matter.

Question reference: S6W-26004

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering sustainable and recurring funding for NHS boards for the direct provision of diabetes technology.

The Scottish Government’s Diabetes Improvement Plan contains a key commitment to further increase access to existing and emerging diabetes technologies.

Budgets for 2024-2025 are yet to be confirmed, however we recognise the benefits that technology provides to people with diabetes.

It is for each NHS Board to determine how best to utilise the funding and resources provided by the Scottish Government to meet the needs and priorities of their local populations. This includes ensuring that people with Type 1 diabetes have access to the most appropriate treatment and care.