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-04059

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 November 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 10 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish a response to the results of the Prohibiting smoking outside hospital buildings: consultation.

Question reference: S6O-00334

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the 2019 Scottish export statistics.

Question reference: S6W-02308

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme 2021 national report stating that fewer people have been admitted to hospital with a stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic, how many out-of-hospital deaths due to stroke there have been in each reporting period of the last three Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme national reports.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) publish deaths by cause in their vital events reference tables, including stroke, available under cerebrovascular disease, table 6.04: https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/general-publications/vital-events-reference-tables

Background information on how NRS record deaths can be found at:

Deaths - Background Information | National Records of Scotland (nrscotland.gov.uk)

Deaths with an underlying cause of stroke (identified as ICD-10 codes I61, I63 and I64), by location of death, showed that in 2018, 698 deaths occurred in a non-hospital setting, in 2019, this figure was 682, and in 2020 it was 847. This includes deaths which are categorised as taking place in a Care Home, Home /non-institution or Other institution.

Question reference: S6W-02307

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria need to be met in order for an area of a hospital to be designated a stroke unit; how the capabilities of stroke units have been maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that people who survive a stroke receive full stroke unit care; which NHS boards have had their stroke units downgraded during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how many stroke patients have had their recovery impacted as a result.

The core criteria for defining a stroke unit are well described in the academic literature, including in Langhorne et al (2002). Though the size and configuration of stroke units across Scotland may vary depending on local factors, most will be in a defined ward setting and have a specialist stroke multidisciplinary team.

Covid-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the world, NHS Scotland and stroke services. Each service will have responded in the best way that it could, depending on the specific issues affecting them.

The 2021 Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme Report (which includes 9 months of the pandemic) shows slight deterioration in performance against the stroke standards for stroke unit access (77% in 2020 compared to 82% in 2019).

While stroke unit access declined, achievement of standards in other areas, including brain imaging within 12 hours of arrival (86% in 2020 compared 84% in 2019), time to carotid intervention (61%; 59%) and mean thrombolysis door-to-needle (DTN) time (51 minutes in 2020 compared to 53 minutes in 2019), improved.

All of these aspects also have an important impact on recovery from stroke, and therefore it is not possible to isolate the recovery impact based on one standard (such as stroke unit access).

Question reference: S6W-02306

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the World Stroke Organization's Roadmap to Delivering Quality Stroke Care, how it assesses Scotland’s stroke care against this roadmap; what Scotland’s current level of stroke service capacity is; what gaps exist, compared with the roadmap; what action it will take to ensure that stroke care in Scotland is based on evidence and best practice from around the world, and by when.

Work is ongoing to produce a progressive stroke pathway document by December 2021. This will take account of international evidence, including the World Stroke Organisation’s roadmap to delivering quality stroke care, to define what a progressive stroke pathway should look like in Scotland.

The progressive stroke pathway will, similarly to the roadmap, follow the continuum of care starting at the onset of a stroke event through the acute phase (emergency department and inpatient care), and stroke rehabilitation and long term supported recovery.

Following this, an implementation plan will identify any gaps between current capacity and the progressive stroke pathway vision, and outline clear actions to take.

Question reference: S6W-02304

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme 2021 national report, what it considers the impact on stroke (a) mortality and (b) recovery would be if all NHS boards achieved their targets for stroke bundle provision, and what its position is on whether achieving these bundle provision targets represents an acceptable level of stroke care.

There is evidence that achieving the stroke bundle reduces mortality and increases the chance of patients returning to their usual place of residence after stroke.

There are a number of other factors in achieving an acceptable level of care for people with stroke. However, the stroke bundle is a simple metric which has been shown to be associated with improved outcomes. The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme Team will continue to support NHS Boards to achieve the Stroke Bundle as well as supporting improvements across the stroke pathway.

Question reference: S6W-02305

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in the period covered by the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme 2021 national report, how many people who survived a stroke were discharged with (a) a significant, (b) a moderate, (c) a slight and (d) no disability; how their rehabilitation needs were assessed; how many patients received rehabilitation, and whether rehabilitation enabled them to achieve their recovery potential.

The Scottish Stroke Care Audit does not currently directly measure level of disability at the time of hospital discharge. The stroke improvement team rehabilitation sub group is currently considering future updates to measure rehabilitation service delivery, patient outcomes and experiences.

Rehabilitation is a person centred process. People with ongoing impairment and activity limitations following a stroke are assessed by a multidisciplinary team and their wishes and needs are agreed individually as part of their rehabilitation plan. All patients who require stroke rehabilitation should be offered it. Rehabilitation may be delivered via a variety of inpatient, early supported discharge and community teams

Question reference: S6W-02866

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 21 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report, Non-Communicable Disease Prevention: Priorities 2021/22, and what action it will take in relation to the report’s recommendations.

The Scottish Government welcomes the report on Non-Communicable Disease Prevention published on 6 September and recognises that its recommendations are in line with the Government’s own approach, based on the World Health Organisation strategies of reducing Affordability, Availability and Attractiveness of alcohol, tobacco and unhealthy foods.

We are committed to supporting individuals and local communities by delivering measures to target harmful health behaviours early and provide access to holistic and person-centred treatment when needed.

Question reference: S6W-02688

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it granting planning permission in principle in 2017, whether it will provide an update on its involvement with the Park of Keir development.

In August 2017 Scottish Ministers issued their intention to grant permission for a tennis and golf centre, including hotel and 19 houses, subject to conditions and completion of a legal agreement. On 26th August 2021 the signed legal agreement was submitted to Ministers, meaning the appeal moves closer to a final decision.

Given the passage of time since Ministers indicated their intention to grant permission in 2017, further procedure is necessary before the appeal can be determined. This is to allow parties to submit contributions on any material changes that may have occurred. After that, a final decision will be taken on this planning application appeal.

As this is still a live planning application, it would not be appropriate to comment on the merits of the case.

Question reference: S6O-00070

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to ensuring that any legislation it introduces to support the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic does not seek to allow regulations to be made or changed without being subject to the affirmative parliamentary procedure.