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-03269

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take in response to the most recent household recycling statistics from SEPA, which showed a national rate of 44.9% against a target of 60%.

The latest official waste data published by SEPA for 2019 shows that two-thirds of local authorities improved their recycling rate between 2018 and 2019.

However, while we have made significant progress towards our ambitious waste reduction and recycling targets, we know that we must accelerate progress.

This year we will make our first investments from the £70m Recycling Improvement Fund, to support local authorities in improving recycling infrastructure; and will work with industry, local government and environmental groups to develop a route map to achieving our targets to 2025 and beyond. We are also working with local government to review the Household Recycling Charter’s Code of Practice, to help make it easier for householders to recycle the right things and encourage high levels of citizen participation in waste prevention, recycling, and reuse.

We are working with the other administrations on the introduction of an extended producer responsibility system for packaging that will recover full net costs from producers and allocate funding to local authorities for the provision of effective and efficient kerbside recycling services. This will support improved recycling for all packaging types.

Question reference: S6O-00237

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of a backlog in toxicology analyses, how many final post-mortem reports following a sudden or unexplained death were not issued within the 12-week target in 2020 and 2021.

Question reference: S6W-03019

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 28 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in the publication, Women’s Health Plan: A Plan for 2021-2024, what its planned timeline is for “ensuring women’s services in NHS boards have dedicated facilities for women who are experiencing unexpected pregnancy complications”.

Question reference: S6W-02803

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set out the process for (a) monitoring and (b) reporting to the Parliament on the implementation of the Climate Change Plan.

Section 35B of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 sets out the statutory basis for annual reporting on progress to implementation of Climate Change Plans.

The Scottish Government’s update to the 2018 Climate Change Plan, which was finalised earlier this year, includes a refreshed monitoring framework to underpin the statutory annual reporting. In May 2021, the first set of monitoring reports prepared on this basis was laid in the Scottish Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-02990

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 27 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support the recruitment of additional headache specialists and consultant neurologists, as recommended in the Migraine Trust report, Dismissed for too long.

Question reference: S6W-02991

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 27 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it supported the Migraine Trust's Migraine Awareness Week 2021, which ran from 5 to 11 September, and whether it will support the week in the future.

Question reference: S6W-02989

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 27 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings of the Migraine Trust report, Dismissed for too long.

The Scottish Government welcomes the Migraine Trust report as an important document setting out some of the difficulties faced by people living with migraine. At the start of this year the Modernising Patients Pathway Programme (MPPP) initiated a Headache Management Pathway. This process is well underway, focusing initially on migraine. This developing pathway addresses key areas outlined in the Migraine Trust report and has representation from pharmacy, general practice, emergency medicine and neurology. I understand that the migraine section is due to be completed by the end of 2021 and will review the Migraine Trust report as part of that process.

More widely, the Centre for Sustainable Delivery continues to support work on Active Clinical Referral Triage. This works aims to ensure that patients with neurological conditions who require appointments most urgently are seen as soon as possible, while those who may not benefit from a Consultant appointment are returned to the GP with advice and guidance. The Centre is also working to expand Discharge Patient Initiated Review, which aims to avoid unnecessary return appointments, again supporting access for those patient who need to be seen in a timely manner.

As indicated in the report, a majority of the responding NHS health boards have reported having a headache service. Within smaller health boards, this may be as part of a general neurology service, or a referral route to one of the tertiary services.

To support workforce capacity and planning, Scottish Government will publish a National Workforce Strategy by the end of this year, which supports the remobilisation, recovery and renewal of Health and Social Care Services. The Strategy will articulate a long-term health and social care workforce vision, alongside our priorities for workforce growth, recruitment, retention, training and development, and will build upon our ongoing work to support Boards’ workforce capacity.

Officials recently met with the Migraine Trust to discuss current issues regarding migraine care in Scotland and potential areas for future progress and partnership working, and the Scottish Government is happy to work further with stakeholders in raising awareness of Migraine Awareness Week going forward.

Question reference: S6W-02701

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether all delegates attending COP26 will be expected to have a COVID-19 vaccine passport.

Our priority is to ensure a successful, safe and secure COP26 in November and Ministers and officials are working with UK Government counterparts, our partners in Glasgow and the relevant public health bodies to achieve this.

We are continuing to work closely with the UK Government, Glasgow City Council, and all our partners to ensure that strong COVID mitigation measures are in place that will support the full and active participation of international delegates, and protect public health.

Further details on vaccine certification for registered COP26 delegates will be announced shortly.

Question reference: S6W-02801

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Sub-Committee on the Climate Emergency will meet for the first time; how frequently it will meet thereafter, and who its members are.

Question reference: S6W-02800

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking or plans to take to respond to and implement the 166 recommendations made by four committees in the last parliamentary session regarding its Climate Change Plan.

The Scottish Government has already given a point by point response [on 24 March 2021] to all recommendations from the four Committees that scrutinised our update to the 2018 Climate Change Plan.

As stated in that response, the Committees’ advice will be considered and incorporated as part of the wider approach to keeping our package of policies on climate change under review, with a view to outlining further policy action where appropriate in sector strategies or plans, as well as in the next statutory Climate Change Plan.