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: S5W-27159

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Freightliner Plc, (b) its owner, Gennessee & Wyoming Inc and (c) the RMT Union regarding the future of Coatbridge rail freight terminal.

Question reference: S5W-27161

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what level of investment it has planned for Scottish rail freight and terminals such as Coatbridge to preserve the role of rail freight in reducing carbon emissions.

Rail services are vital to achieve our emissions reductions targets and freight model shift to rail has significant and sustainable environmental benefits. For these reasons we continue to invest in Scotland’s railways, will soon publish our rail decarbonisation action plan, have retained capital and revenue freight modal shift grants in Scotland, and have a dedicated £25 million Scottish Strategic Rail Freight Fund. One of the projects the Fund will support is infrastructure enhancements to allow longer trains at the Coatbridge rail freight terminal .

Question reference: S5W-27160

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to protect the jobs of Coatbridge rail freight terminal workers.

Question reference: S5W-27162

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how the £25 million ring-fenced fund for rail freight is being spent to safeguard terminals such as Coatbridge.

Question reference: S5W-27158

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the closure of Coatbridge rail freight terminal would have on Scotland’s commitment to become carbon neutral by the year 2040.

Question reference: S5W-27163

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on its implementation of Scotland's rail freight strategy, Delivering the Goods, since it was published in 2016.

Our approach to supporting rail freight is outlined in our rail freight strategy of 2016, strengthened by new Network Rail targets to grow rail freight and backed by past and current investment including a £25 million Scottish Strategic Rail Freight Fund and our mode shift grant schemes. Considerable partnership activity taken forward since 2016 has produced tangible results with new rail freight projects across Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-27215

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 19 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a statutory time limit for return chronic pain appointments similar to that in place for new patients, in light of figures released under freedom of information, which record that clinics dealt with 20,117 new and around 40,000 return appointments in 2018.

Question reference: S5W-27210

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 19 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of there being no statutory waiting time for return chronic pain patient appointments, what analysis it has carried out of the waiting times being experienced by people requiring such appointments.

Question reference: S5W-27169

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 19 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving to the use of preventative, as opposed to reactive, treatments to reduce the death rate from asthma.

Prevention is a key priority in our consultation on the draft Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland. We know that reducing the risk of respiratory conditions including asthma, means reducing or avoiding exposure to common risk factors. We have set out ambitious aims to tackle the health implications in respect of smoking, clean air, healthy weight and the importance of vaccinations. Our key plans can be found at: A healthier future: Scotland’s diet and healthy weight delivery plan , Raising Scotland's tobacco-free generation: our tobacco control action plan 2018 and Cleaner Air for Scotland: the road to a healthier future .

Question reference: S5W-27168

Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 February 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what research it is undertaking into the reasons for asthma affecting women more than men.

The Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (CSO) provides funding opportunities for applied health and social care research in Scotland, which includes research on gender differences in asthma, through CSO’s open competitive grant schemes and similar schemes run by the National Institute for Health Research. The quality of applications to these schemes is assessed through independent expert peer review with funding recommendations made by independent expert committees. CSO also funds the NHS Research Scotland Respiratory Research Specialty Group, which facilitates the set up and conduct of clinical studies on respiratory diseases such as asthma.

CSO has funded one study through its grant schemes relating to asthma effects in women. This was a systematic review of the scientific evidence on the role of sex steroid hormones for the prevention of asthma and allergy in women. A summary of this study is at: https://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/Focus-on-Research-CZH-4-1083.pdf .