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-28349

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 19 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28046 by Neil Gray on 14 June 2024, whether it will provide a breakdown of the £190 million Primary Care Improvement Fund spend in 2023-24.

In May 2023, information on Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF) spend during 2023-24 was collected by Scottish Government alongside workforce numbers and access to NHS board provided services, which was published in June. Data is provided directly by Integrated Authorities and may be revised. Primary care improvement plans: implementation progress summary - March 2024 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Table one provides a breakdown of the PCIF allocation and spend in 2023-24. Where spend is higher than allocation, Integration Authorities and Health Boards have used additional resources to support Primary Care Improvement Plan implementation. To note, for the purposes of reporting, some Integration Authority areas provide combined returns.

Table 1 - PCIF allocation and spend by Integration Authority 2023-24

	Total PCIF Allocation 2023-24 (£’000)	Total Spend 2023-24 (£’000)
Aberdeen City	7,156	7,827
Aberdeenshire	8,017	8,248
Angus	4,178	4,113
Argyll and Bute	3,613	3,636
Ayrshire and Arran combined	13,971	14,021
Dumfries and Galloway	5,734	6,971
Dundee City	5,466	5,679
East Dunbartonshire	3,517	3,506
East Lothian	3,633	3,633
East Renfrewshire	2,994	2,904
Edinburgh City	16,127	16,167
Fife	13,217	13,217
Forth Valley combined	10,421	11,169
Glasgow City	22,674	22,674
Highland	9,058	8,245
Inverclyde	3,045	3,046
Lanarkshire combined	21,931	23,218
Midlothian	3,157	3,157
Moray	3,265	3,771
Orkney Islands	973	714
Perth and Kinross	5,393	5,375
Renfrewshire	6,417	5,953
Scottish Borders	4,109	5,933
Shetland	928	930
West Dunbartonshire	3,355	3,457
West Lothian	6,024	5,501
Western Isles	1,177	941
ALL	189,550	194,006

Question reference: S6W-28229

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 June 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19612 by Mairi Gougeon on 13 July 2023, what it is doing to reduce the number of red squirrel kits that are killed, and what its prediction is for the number of killed red squirrel kits in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 based on the current felling and harvesting programme.

Forestry and Land Scotland reduce impacts on red squirrel by scheduling operations to avoid the breeding season in areas that are thought to hold higher than average densities of red squirrels. Prior to any harvesting operation, a pre-operational survey is carried out to assess the extent of use of the felling coupe by red squirrels, and to locate squirrel dreys.

If red squirrels are identified as being present, various mitigation may be enacted, such as retaining drey trees, avoiding areas with dreys until after the breeding season, and directional felling to slowly usher adults and kits into adjacent stands. During operations machine operators are required to report any dreys felled with kits in them. No such reports have been made in 2024 or 2023 seasons.

It is impossible to know with certainty whether in fact any kits are killed each year , for example if unobserved dreys are felled, which are consequently unreported by machine operators. FLS have therefore calculated a hypothetical maximum assuming worst case scenarios in all assumptions. Based on the current felling and harvesting programme, the potential numbers for a) 2024 and b) 2025, is:

a) 903 (or 1.2% of the estimated population of kits in Scotland)

b) 876 (or 1.17% of the estimated population of kits in Scotland)

This will change as the programme is adjusted and finalised.

Only a small proportion of the theoretical deaths of squirrel kits due to forest operations would be extra mortality, as over 70% of young kits naturally die during their first winter.

Question reference: S6W-28105

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27677 by Jenny Gilruth on 4 June 2024, whether it will clarify what the (a) format and (b) anticipated timing is of its consideration of the Teacher Induction Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-28123

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 21 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it recognises the use of the value of prevented fatality (VPF) approach as a suitable calculation to quantify the impact of public policy, and, if so, whether it has used a VPF approach to assess the potential impact of the proposed overnight closure of the minor injury units in Huntly, Fraserburgh and Peterhead.

Question reference: S6O-03639

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the education secretary last met with Aberdeenshire Council, and what was discussed.

Question reference: S6W-28046

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24804 by Jenni Minto on 5 February 2024, how much of the £190 million of funding from the Primary Care Improvement Fund in 2023-24 was provided to each NHS board for the development of Community Treatment and Care (CTAC) services.

While the Scottish Government are responsible for the strategic direction of the NHS, territorial Health Boards and Integration Authorities are responsible for delivering services in their areas, including the amount spent on each of the service areas delivered by the Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF). Integrated Authorities must work closely with local communities and other stakeholders to ensure that Primary Care Improvement Plans address specific local challenges and population needs while taking into account the guidance in the GP contract and accompanying MoUs as well as amended regulations.

Question reference: S6O-03616

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support schools in rural communities.

Question reference: S6W-27864

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 7 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration Scottish Forestry has given to allocating funds from the Strategic Timber Transport Fund to support the full reopening of Aboyne Bridge.

Scottish Forestry maintains very close working relationships with the relevant Local Authority and timber businesses in this region. Whilst we are aware of the closure of the Aboyne Bridge, and there have been discussions with local forest businesses around the implications of further deterioration on the adjacent Dinnet Bridge, Scottish Forestry has not received a request from the Local Authority for support towards reopening the Aboyne Bridge currently.

Scottish Forestry recently awarded £101,000 from the Strategic Timber Transport Fund to support £202,000 of improvements to the nearby B976 Birsemore to Dinnet Bridge Road through collaboration with Aberdeenshire Council.

Question reference: S6W-27677

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to review the Teacher Induction Scheme to ensure that it is fully equipped to serve the needs of schools in rural areas.

Question reference: S6W-27616

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to establish the extent of the use of part-time timetables in schools.

Information on pupils that are subject to reduced or part-time timetable is not reported centrally by the Scottish Government. Under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004, education authorities have duties to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. Education authorities are responsible for determining the most appropriate educational provision for children and young people in their area, taking account of their legislative responsibilities and the individual circumstances of children, young people and their families.