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: S5O-03403

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it plans of the impacts on tourist numbers in Tayside.

Question reference: S5O-03374

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with the Referendums (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S5O-03350

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when NHS Tayside's next annual report on drug deaths will be published.

Question reference: S5W-23175

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 29 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether the report on the internal investigation at the Carseview Centre in Dundee will be made available to the public.

Question reference: S5W-23171

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 28 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the review of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 announced in March 2019.

The review of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 aims to improve the rights and protections of those living with mental illness and remove barriers to those caring for their health and welfare.

I refer you to S5W-23287 on 20 May 2019 which announced that John Scott QC will take up the role of Chairperson. John brings experience and specialist knowledge within the areas of legislation and human rights and will provide effective leadership of this independent evidence-led review.

Scottish Ministers have been clear it is appropriate for the chairperson to determine and communicate about the length of time they need to complete a comprehensive review. However as this review is to be participative and representative it will also be important that they consider how best to ensure the work is open and transparent. This will help people to see, understand and participate in the work of the review. In particular, the views of patients, those with lived experience and those that care for them must be central to the work being taken forward.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S5W-23173

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 28 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that patients in Angus can receive 7-day intensive home treatment support.

Angus Health and Social Care Partnership have agreed plans to deliver a seven day community mental health service and these services will be available in North Angus from the end of August 2019 following induction and training programme for staff. As part of its Mental Health Transformation Programme, discussions are ongoing to establish a similar service for South Angus and the Scottish Government will be engaging with NHS Tayside and the local integrated joint boards to accelerate this provision.

Question reference: S5W-23172

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 28 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of monitoring data for the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, what it is doing to reduce the number of new mental health episodes that start with an emergency detention certificate.

Most people who access mental health care and treatment do so on a voluntary basis. Emergency detention certificates are designed to be used only in crisis situations to detain a person in hospital for up to 72 hours. Clinicians must balance safety with the protection of an individual’s rights when making any decision to detain.

Prevalence of emergency detention certificates is one of the Mental Health Quality Indicators, which were launched in September 2018. Information on the use of emergency detention certificates will be useful in important improvement work in front line patient care and at organisational and national levels. This data will allow services to consider their use and plan for improvements at service and organisational levels.

The upcoming review of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 aims to improve the rights and protections of those living with mental illness and remove barriers to those caring for their health and welfare.

Question reference: S5W-23174

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 23 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported concerns regarding the absence of a lead psychiatrist to oversee locum psychiatrists in Dundee, what action it is taking to ensure that this position is filled as soon as possible.

Question reference: S5O-03316

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the talks between the Confederation of Passenger Transport and Transport Scotland regarding the national concessionary travel scheme cap.

Question reference: S5W-23023

Asked by: Bill Bowman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers “significant environmental effects” to be when referring to strategic environmental assessments carried out by SEPA.

The Scottish Government does not usually have a role in considering what is a significant environmental effect for strategic environmental assessments carried out by other Responsible Authorities. Where SEPA is carrying out a strategic environmental assessment, they are required to: reach their own view whether environmental effects are likely to be significant and whether therefore an SEA is required; seek the opinions of the two other Consultation Authorities (SNH and Historic Environment Scotland) on that view; and undertake public consultation on their Environmental Report where appropriate.