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: S5W-32666

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to prevent residential outdoor learning centres from closure, and how much it is allocating in Barnett consequentials towards this.

The Scottish Government is taking a range of steps to prevent residential outdoor education centres from closure and to ensure that they can work with schools to provide valuable outdoor learning experiences for learners. On 22 October 2020, we announced a £2m fund to support the sector. A suitable organisation is being appointed to administer the fund. We are engaging with representatives from the sector in order to ensure that funding awards are made as soon as possible. In addition, we will be issuing a package of communications materials to schools in order to clarify the support that can be arranged at the current time, and to signpost them to the centres in their area.

No specific allocation was made from Barnett consequentials towards this fund. Funding from additional consequentials from the UK government is allocated as part of a broader budgeting process which included reprioritisation of funding from work that has been delayed as a result of the pandemic.

Question reference: S5O-04740

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the impact on Scotland of the UK Government’s investment in measures to tackle climate change.

Question reference: S5W-32793

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 4 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the most recent smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarm regulations, whether it will (a) consider the costs associated with the procurement and installation of the equipment necessary to meet these when setting local authority budgets, (b) set an income threshold for homeowners to be eligible for government assistance to pay for any necessary installations and (c) (i) provide retailers with guidelines and (ii) put in place (A) tariffs and (B) standards to ensure that electrical suppliers are being fair to householders.

We will explore all aspects of ensuring successful implementation of the changes, including appropriate support to homeowners, and we will work with stakeholders to get this right. We will continue to work with retailers and other stakeholders to provide specific, additional advice to help people ensure their alarm will meet the new standard, which we are now seeking to introduce from February 2022. We understand that, due to the variety of alarms available to purchase, there may be confusion and we will make sure that accessible advice is available as part of our wider publicity campaign and address the risk of unscrupulous electricians potentially targeting the vulnerable and older tenants in our communities.

Question reference: S5W-32480

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 30 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that each NHS board has sufficient measures in place to ensure that pregnant women can be accompanied by their partners when attending pregnancy, maternity and neonatal services, particularly couples who have previously experienced a loss.

The Scottish Government has published ‘ COVID-19 maternity and neonatal settings visiting guidance’ that is designed to sit and be read alongside the ‘ COVID-19: visiting guidance for hospitals in Scotland’ to provide clarity on what families can expect when attending a maternity or neonatal setting for care.

The guidance outlines that pregnant women can be accompanied to antenatal, postnatal and clinic or scan appointments, and have their birth partner present throughout their entire labour and birth. In addition the birth partner can attend the postnatal ward after delivery. We expect and all Boards to be working towards finding solutions to implement this guidance wherever possible.

Question reference: S5O-04721

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support older people experiencing social isolation ahead of winter.

Question reference: S5W-32089

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of some university students not being able to return to campus and others paying full price for a limited service due to COVID-19, what action it can take to reduce fees for (a) international, (b) postgraduate and (c) other university students.

Providing free tuition for Scottish domiciled and EU students is a core policy of the Scottish Government and it ensures that education in Scotland remains about the ability to learn and not the ability to pay. Students coming to study in Scotland from the rest of the UK would be expected to pay a tuition fee rate of up to £9,250, which is consistent with the rates charged for study in England. The tuition fee rate for both international students and postgraduate study are not set by the Scottish Government.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous bodies with responsibility for managing their own affairs. The Scottish Government and Scottish Ministers cannot intervene in internal matters such as decisions relating to the reducing of tuition fees for international students and those from the rest of the UK.

Question reference: S5W-32009

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the plan by Stirling Council to take over control of the running of the Wallace Monument, and what discussions it has had with the council regarding plans it has for its development.

I am aware that the Stirling Council has recently decided to assume responsibility for the management of the Wallace Monument. Stirling District Tourism, which currently operates the building, contacted me in September 2019 about discussions over the future of the building, which were then ongoing. While I was sympathetic and hopeful that a sensible and reasonable outcome could be achieved, I said that there was no remit for the Scottish Government to intervene as the Council is the legal owner of the Monument.

We have not had any discussions to date with Stirling Council about its future plans for the Wallace Monument. The legacy of William Wallace is an important part of Scotland’s history and the Monument makes a vital contribution to the heritage and tourism offer in Stirling and in promoting Scotland’s story, domestically and internationally. I hope, under the local authority’s control, that this will continue.

Question reference: S5W-31719

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many people who experienced a stroke in 2019-20 received a thrombectomy procedure within six hours of presenting at a hospital, and what information it has on how this compares with the rest of the UK.

The Scottish Government is committed to introducing a thrombectomy service in Scotland. That is why the Programme for Government 2020 reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that a national planning framework is in place for a high quality and clinically safe thrombectomy service.

The pilot in the North of Scotland Thrombectomy service will commence in autumn 2020, with a fully operational service in NHS Tayside anticipated by 2023.

Information on thrombectomy procedures in England can be found at: https://www.strokeaudit.org/ .

Question reference: S5W-31545

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 28 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much it spends on stroke care, and how this compares with how much it would have to spend to match the Royal College of Physicians’ 2016 stroke guidelines.

The Scottish Budget for 2020-21 commits record levels of investment in Health and Social Care services with portfolio investment in 2020-21 reaching over £15 billion for first time.

The majority of funding is provided as baseline budget and NHS Boards have the discretion to direct this funding to local priorities including stroke care. We have set out the wider policy within which NHS Scotland is expected to deliver services, and expect all NHS Boards to provide high quality care that is safe, effective and person-centred, taking into account up to date evidence based guidelines.

Question reference: S5W-31718

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 28 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what financial model it uses to determine how much it spends on stroke care, and what account this takes of the social and economic impact of effective treatment.

Setting the Scottish Budget is a year-round process and, as part of this, funding is provided to NHS Boards. The NHS Scotland Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) formula is a method to ensure the fair and equitable allocation of funds between Boards, taking into account key determinants in the variation of healthcare need in populations. The latest target shares are available through this web link https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Finance/Resource-Allocation
-Formula/resource-allocationlatest.asp

The majority of funding is provided as baseline budget and NHS Boards have the discretion to direct this funding to local priorities including stroke care, although there are separate performance outcomes which must be achieved. NHSScotland’s performance is measured against Local Delivery Plan (LDP) Standards which comprise the priorities that are set and agreed between the Scottish Government and NHS Boards. Performance data is published by the Scottish Government and can be accessed at https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhsscotland-performance-against-ldp-standards/