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-16081

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many brain cancers have been diagnosed following emergency admission in each of the last seven years, broken down by NHS board, and how this compares with other cancers.

Question reference: S5W-16080

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) shortest, (b) longest and (c) average waiting time between referral and treatment for brain cancer has been in each of the last seven years, broken down by NHS board.

Brain and Central Nervous System (neurological) tumours are not included in the routine cancer waiting times data collection. ISD Scotland have a rolling annual audit, the Extending Tumour Sites project. This introduces a tumour type that has not previously been collected as part of Cancer Waiting Times. Neurological cancers were audited in 2013. Details can be found at this link:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Waiting-Times/Cancer/Background/

Question reference: S5W-15930

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 26 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with its proposed GP sustainability loans, and whether all GP premises will be surveyed in 2018-19 to provide the information required for their maintenance or improvement.

Progress is being made on the implementation of the GP Premises Sustainability Loan Scheme. Eligible GP practices will shortly be asked to provide a note of their interest in applying for a GP Sustainability Loan and will be informed of the categories for priority applications.

All GP premises owned or leased by GPs will be surveyed in 2018-19. This will provide the data which Health Boards will require for their premises plans. GPs will remain responsible for maintaining and improving their own premises.

Question reference: S5W-15510

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kezia Dugdale on 12 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what action it is taking to ensure that its policy regarding the use of e-cigarettes and vaporisers is adhered to, and whether it will consider (a) running an awareness campaign and (b) placing additional signage around the campus regarding the use of such items.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body publishes its Smoke Free Policy which restricts smoking and the use of e-cigarettes to locations within the Queensberry House courtyard, the Passholders' entrance and the public part of the Scottish Parliament's grounds. The Smoke Free Policy is reviewed periodically and is promoted through notices to building users.

In view of the significant number of people now using e-cigarettes, the Scottish Parliament Facilities Management Office will re-issue a reminder to all building users regarding the smoke free policy and additionally will review signage at building entrances.

Question reference: S5W-15511

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Kezia Dugdale on 12 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what information it has regarding how many times smoke alarms in the campus have been triggered by the suspected use of e-cigarettes or vaporisers since its policy regarding their use was introduced.

Question reference: S5W-14832

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the response to the debate on motion S5M-04086 (Safe Drive, Stay Alive Project) by the Minister for Transport and the Islands on 1 March 2017 (Official Report, c. 100), what support (a) it and (b) Transport Scotland plans to give to this project in each of the next three years.

To date, Safe Drive, Stay Alive has been funded by the various Local Authorities as decisions on which interventions are delivered in each area are a matter for road safety delivery partners. The Scottish Government’s role is to work collaboratively – via the Road Safety Framework which offers structure and guidance – to support partners in reducing risk through a range of educational interventions.

Through the Framework we also regularly provide an opportunity for organisations to apply for funding. It is for the Strategic Partnership Board and the Operational Partnership Group to assess each application against specific criteria.

The current application process has recently concluded without an award to the Safe Drive, Stay Alive Project.

Question reference: S5W-15199

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle a reported decline in educational attainment in Fife, and whether it will commit to providing additional funding for Fife Council in this regard.

Scottish Government Official Statistics on school leaver attainment show increases in the attainment of Fife school leavers in 2015-16 compared to 2009-10 as shown in the following table.

Percentage of Fife school leavers by total qualifications achieved, 2009-10 to
‎ 2015-16

Year	1+ at SCQF Level 5 or better	1+ at SCQF Level 6 or better	1+ at SCQF Level 7
2009-10	72.2	45.0	15.2
2010-11	74.2	48.5	16.2
2011-12	77.6	50.9	18.1
2012-13	79.3	50.2	17.5
2013-14	82.0	54.1	19.9
2014-15	81.3	54.9	18.4
2015-16	82.5	58.3	19.4

Source: Summary statistics for attainment, leaver destinations and healthy living, No. 7: 2017 Edition

The Scottish Government are committed to raising attainment and closing the poverty related attainment gap. This is why we committed £750m over the course of this parliament through the Attainment Scotland Fund to provide targeted support for children, schools and communities to improve attainment and close the gap.

Fife will benefit from £10.1m in Pupil Equity Funding in 2018-19, up £300k from 2017-18. Further to this nine Fife schools are participating in the Attainment Challenge Schools Programme and were allocated £965k in 2017-18.

Question reference: S5T-00975

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effect of the Scottish income tax rate on military personnel.

Question reference: S5W-14831

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 9 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that as 36% of GPs in NHS Fife are no longer accepting new patients unless they have been allocated to them by the Practitioner Services Division.

‏Fife HSCP are working closely with GP leaders including the cluster quality leads and the LMC to improve recruitment in relation to general practice. The board will be working with them on the implementation of the new GMS contract to ease the strain on general practitioners and improve access to primary care services in line with the new contract. They have reassured the Scottish Government that all Fife residents are able to register with a GP practice.‏

‏Scotland’s first Graduate Entry Medicine programme (ScotGEM) will commence in autumn this year with 55 places; it is designed to develop doctors interested in a career in general practice with increased exposure to placements in community-based services as well as teaching and mentoring our doctors of the future.‏

Question reference: S5O-01823

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 1 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects to meet its commitment to offer 1,140 hours per year of free childcare by 2020.