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-28066

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 19 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-08347 by Ivan McKee on 16 May 2022, whether it can now provide a response on the status of the parent company guarantee that was signed with Liberty House.

Question reference: S6W-27882

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many P1 children have taken (a) one part and (b) both parts of the Scottish National Standardised Assessment since 20 September 2018, broken down by (i) academic year and (ii) local authority.

Table 1 provides an overview of P1 learners who have undertaken (a) one or (b) both parts of the Scottish National Standardised Assessments since 20 September 2018, broken down by (i) school year and (ii) local authority.

Please note that as the 2023-24 academic year is not yet complete, nor the annual data reconciliation process, these figures are subject to change.

The row "n/a" denotes publicly-funded schools outwith local authority control.‎

Copies of Table 1 - Number of P1 Children undertaking SNSA since 20 September 2018 - by year and local authority : are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 65118)

*Please note figures for 2022-23 have been adjusted since last published, to account for the annual assessment data reconciliation process which takes place each summer.

** Please note that figures less than five have been suppressed to prevent the potential identification of individuals.

Question reference: S6W-27766

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 7 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it expects to spend on its partnership with Connect to establish a new national parent panel.

Question reference: S6W-27763

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether its decision to end funding of the National Parent Forum of Scotland will affect the statutory duty regarding parental involvement in school education.

Question reference: S6W-27765

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects to incur any costs as a result of ending its previous arrangement with the National Parent Forum of Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-03520

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to propose a parliamentary debate on the provision of early learning and childcare.

Question reference: S6W-27358

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 21 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on investing up to £30 million to support cancer waiting times improvements, as set out in its Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023-26.

£11.3 million of non-recurring Cancer Waiting Times funding has been made available in 2023-24 across NHS Scotland. The majority of funding is being directed to urology, colorectal and breast – the three most challenged tumour types.

A further £11.3 million will be provided in 2024-25 to support cancer waiting times improvements across NHS Scotland, with Boards being encouraged to direct funding to the most challenged cancer pathways.

Question reference: S6W-27354

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in improving the pathways of less survivable cancers, including shortening the time to agreeing treatment options, as set out in its Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023-26.

The Scottish Government has been making progress in several ways to improve and shorten the pathways of less survivable cancers.

For example, the Scottish Government awarded the Scottish HepatoPancreatoBiliary Network funding of £653,000 over two years to redesign the pancreatic and liver cancer pathways - the PHCC Pathway Improvement Project. The project has been extended for one more year and we are exploring options for sustained delivery of its positive outcomes after March 2025.

Through the Detect Cancer Earlier programme, the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) continues to design and support the implementation of optimal cancer diagnostic pathways. As reflected in the Cancer Strategy, lung, head and neck and colorectal cancer have been identified as the first tranche. Scotland’s first optimal cancer diagnostic pathway for lung was published in December 2022.

Scotland’s first Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDS) have been established in 5 Health Boards across Scotland. They provide primary care with access to a new fast-track diagnostic pathway for people with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer. An evaluation published in February 2024 shows success in finding cancer while delivering a high standard of quality care at speed. Lung and Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) were the two most commonly found.

Question reference: S6W-27355

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it made on creating the 152 extra doctor training places in 2023 that it announced in November 2022; how many additional trainee doctors were recruited into each speciality in 2023, and whether it will maintain or increase the number of training places in 2024.

The creation of 152 extra specialty training places for trainee doctors went ahead in 2023 as planned. A breakdown of these posts by specialty can be found here .

The recruitment of trainee doctors in 2023 was the most successful to date; a total of 1,231 specialty training posts were advertised and 1,156 (94%) filled. Please note that these figures are accurate as at 26 March 2024 i.e. when end-year data was published. The publication itself can be found here , and a full breakdown of recruitment by specialty can be found here .

The Scottish Government announced funding on 23 November 2023 for further expansion taking place in 2024. This will see 153 additional specialty training places created this year – the largest uplift to date. More information can be found here . The 2024 recruitment cycle is currently underway and will conclude in November.

Question reference: S6W-27356

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to increasing training places in medical and clinical oncology, and whether any medical workforce modelling data has recommended an increase in places.

The Scottish Government has funded the creation of 15 additional training places in Clinical Oncology since 2015 (5 in 2015; 2 in 2020; 4 in 2022, and; 4 in 2023). Additional Medical Oncology places were also created in 2022 (3) and 2023 (3). These places were created in line with recommendations made by the Scottish Shape of Training Transition Group, which are informed by medical workforce modelling undertaken by NHS Education for Scotland.