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-28352

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on repair works on the A83 in each financial year since 2016-17.

Question reference: S6W-28360

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the average notice period is for a college principal.

Question reference: S6W-28345

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what work is being done to review existing structures surrounding the regulation of private (a) first aid event cover companies and (b) ambulance providers, to ensure that there is sufficient oversight of all first aid providers in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-28348

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to establish an official body tasked with carrying out regular audits and inspections of private (a) first aid event cover companies and (b) ambulance providers, such as those that exist in both England and Wales.

Question reference: S6W-28347

Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to consult stakeholders, including (a) first aid providers, (b) independent ambulance organisations, (c) the Scottish Ambulance Service and (d) representatives of the hospitality and events sector, with a view to regulating private (i) first aid companies and (ii) ambulance providers.

Question reference: S6W-28353

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) infants and (b) adults it expects to take up the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine in the first year of the new programme that was announced on 24 June 2024.

Question reference: S6W-28205

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that every NHS board has a designated renal counsellor for adults with kidney disease.

Question reference: S6W-28361

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Current Status: Answer expected on 23 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what level of pay increase has been awarded to each college principal in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-28185

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 25 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the investment and support landscape for Web 3.0 development in Scotland, and what gaps it has identified that need addressing through either private or public sector action.

We recognise the pioneering research and private investment in Web 3.0 technologies across Scotland. Nevertheless, our focus in applying digital technologies for Public Service Reform is based on an understanding of end-to-end services and user needs, rather than committing to use particular technologies.

We invest expert staff time in continuing to advise and support Scottish Enterprise’s work coordinating private sector activity on Web 3.0 technologies, through its Digital Trust Scotland - Blockchain Taskforce. The work of Scottish Enterprise produced a report in May 2023, Blockchain In Scotland Landscape Overview , which demonstrates the comprehensive engagement we have through this Taskforce. Hence, through involvement in the Taskforce, we would expect to have opportunity to provide more support where there are gaps identified that clearly lead to economic impacts.

Scottish Government's CivTech Programme, has invested in diverse technologies that include Web 3.0, and has attracted over 90% of its participants from innovative start ups and SMEs, many of whom have gone on to set up Scottish bases. The Scottish Government has also provided funding support to the Scottish GovTech Cluster, which aims to support collaboration within the technology sector focused on connecting government agencies, businesses, researchers, academia and all other groups and individuals wishing to use technology (including Web 3.0) to improve and transform public services. The Scottish GovTech Cluster are working to attract investment both from within Scotland and from outside the country matching businesses and researchers with funding opportunities and provide support to help them secure investment.

We recognise that one potential private investment channel available for Web 3.0 companies is digital assets - for example cryptographic utility tokens. Our Financial Services/FinTech team are currently addressing related policy questions around Digital Assets in Scots Private Law. We would expect this work give Web 3.0 businesses in Scotland more legal clarity about such funding mechanisms.

Question reference: S6W-28201

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 14 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 25 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it expects the reported reduction in the intake of students to Bachelor of Dental Surgery courses in 2021 and 2022 will have on the future dental workforce.

Following recommendation from the Deans of the Scottish Dental Schools, with respect to competence and confidence of pandemic-affected students, undergraduates and vocational trainees in the system during the pandemic were required to repeat the 2020-21 academic year. The Scottish Government has been clear that it could take up to five years for repercussions to fully resolve, however vocational training has now resumed in full and dental school outputs are back to pre-pandemic levels.

Despite this interruption, the Scottish Government has maintained a strong track record in growing the NHS dental workforce in Scotland, with 57 dentists per 100,000 of the population, compared to 42 in England and 46 in Wales.

NHS Education for Scotland statistics published on 4 June 2024 also show an improving picture in workforce numbers, with the number of ‘high street’ NHS dentists from the period March 2023 to March 2024 increasing by almost 5%.

The longer term trend is also positive - these figures show the number of ‘high street’ NHS dentists has increased by 28% from the period March 2007 to March 2024.

The Scottish Government is continuing to work on a range of initiatives to bolster the NHS dental workforce through consideration of both domestic and international pipelines, as well as of the shape and structure of the workforce required into the future. This work includes collaboration with its counterparts across the UK and devolved governments to improve workforce pathways for international dentists, in addition to harnessing skill mix to improve capacity within dental teams.