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-24347

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it is reportedly difficult for patients to return NHS equipment that they have been loaned back to the NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-24351

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what additional social security benefits are awarded to claimants with autism, and what proof of diagnosis is required.

There are no additional social security benefits specific to autism however when someone is diagnosed with a long-term condition which may mean that they need a range of support they should contact Social Security Scotland for advice.

Social Security Scotland’s Local Delivery colleagues can guide people through the benefits they may be entitled to as well as helping people to apply for these benefits in a way which suits them best.

For Disability Payment applications, Social Security Scotland requires one piece of supporting information on an individual’s condition or disability to help them understand the impact the condition has on a person’s daily life.

Information to support an application often comes from medical professionals, both in the NHS and in the private sector, as long as they are familiar with the individual and their conditions, disability or needs in a professional capacity. Supporting information can also come from other professionals, such as those in health and social care, education, local authorities or the third sector. For example, if someone regularly sees a counsellor, physical therapist or support worker, they could be a better source of supporting information than a medical professional they may not have contacted for some time. Examples of supporting information include a diagnosis letter, a referral letter, a prescription list, a social work report, an additional support needs plan, a child’s plan or equivalent, this list is not exhaustive.

Social Security Scotland treats supporting information from professionals and the clients wider support network equally when they look at applications.

Social Security Scotland works with individuals and disability organisations to design services so that everyone who may be eligible for benefits understands how they can apply for and receive them.

Social Security Scotland is committed to continuously improving to deliver benefits for the people of Scotland based on dignity, fairness and respect.

Question reference: S6W-24348

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps the NHS takes to retrieve equipment that it has loaned to patients.

Question reference: S6O-03052

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding any charges levied by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for converting to, and investing in, net zero fishing vessels.

Question reference: S6W-24337

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 24 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has invested in flood prevention in each year since 1999.

Local authorities are responsible for the development and delivery of flood protection schemes. The Scottish Government has made available the following amounts to local authorities for flood protection scheme and other actions.

1999-2000	£4 million
2000-2001	£4 million
2001-2002	£8.5 million
2002-2003	£9 million
2003-2004	£10 million
2004-2005	£14 million
2005-2006	£14 million
2006-2007	£33 million
2007-2008 to 2020-2021	£42 million
2021-2022	£52 million
2022-2023	£63 million
2023-2024	£61 million

The mechanism by which the Scottish Government has funded flood protection schemes has changed over time.

Prior to 2008 funds were available to local authorities through the single non-housing capital allocation which could be used for flood prevention. In addition, the Scottish Government made specific provision for major flood prevention and coast protection schemes as set out in the table.

The table reflects the £42 million per year which Scottish Government has made available through the general capital grant to enable local authorities to invest in flood protection measures since 2008-09. It also includes the additional £150 million committed to over the course of this Parliament to support the delivery of flood resilience actions. The £150 million is allocated on an annual basis, as set out in the Capital Spending Review published in 2021 (£10m (2021-2022); £21m (2022-23); £19m (2023-24); £46.5m (2024-25); £53.5m (2025-26)).

Question reference: S6T-01740

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the closure of Ardrossan Harbour’s Irish Berth for safety reasons after corrosion was reportedly uncovered during an inspection by divers.

Question reference: S6W-24239

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much the NHS has spent on providing over-the-counter medicines via prescription in the last year for which figures are available.

Data is not currently reported in a format which shows primary care medicines spend by licenced indication, (Prescription only Medicines (POM), Pharmacy medicines (P) and General Sale List (GSL)). A P pack medicine may be prescribed and supplied for a condition not listed under the P licence on the prescription, particularly if that is the right drug for the patient's condition.

For the financial year 2022-23, the primary care drug spend was £1.22 billion. The NHS in Scotland has a policy to prescribe generically where generic drug is available. Generic prescribing accounts for 85% of primary care drug volumes but only accounts for 30% of the cost.

Question reference: S6W-24238

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government which over-the-counter medicines are available on prescription.

Question reference: S6W-22200

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22009 by Michael Matheson on 11 October 2023, in light of its intention to "empower and support NHS leadership in the use of these new technologies, to help build and share a wider knowledge base, rather than appointing a single AI champion", how it plans to overcome any differing governance protocols across NHS boards in this context, and what its position is on whether not having a single artificial intelligence (AI) champion for all NHS boards will (a) inhibit innovation and (b) lead to the (i) delayed adoption and (ii) increased cost of new AI technologies.

At its heart, AI is the leveraging of advanced digital technology using large data sets, and we are treating AI with the same rigour as any other new technology or innovation. As such, its use comes under existing digital and data governance mechanisms. At a national level, the Scottish Government, with its partners COSLA, have established a new Strategic Leadership Board for Digital and Data Transformation.

This Leadership Board is supported by a number of sub-boards, including a dedicated Data Board for Health & Social Care. Through this new national governance, we will continue to work towards embedding greater use of digital and data driven innovations across health and social care (including ensuring necessary support is in place for skills and training), consider what capabilities, processes and procedures are required at a local level to support adoption and therefore assess what additional mechanisms may be required nationally.

Question reference: S6W-23232

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage high-value medicines manufacturing in Scotland.

Last year, Scottish Enterprise (SE), working with Innovate UK, invested £15m to establish the state-of-the-art Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre. The facility works with a range of partners in the pharmaceutical industry to conduct research and development, creating leading edge solutions for the manufacture of medicines.

In addition, just a few weeks ago, SE committed around £10m to support the creation of a new oligonucleotides manufacturing innovation centre, that will help pharmaceutical companies to undertake critical phase I and phase II trials to manufacture these highly effective new medicines.

In combination, these centres establish Scotland as a key player in the rapidly growing advanced manufacturing sector and we expect that they will act as a powerful magnet for inward investment and the creation of highly skilled jobs. This is already producing results e.g. Valneva will manufacture its world-first vaccine for the mosquito-bourne Chickungunya virus, in its new manufacturing facility in Livingston.