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-27587

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to reduce the number of people with myeloma diagnosed through an emergency route.

We know that the earlier cancer is diagnosed the easier it is to treat and so a number of Detect Cancer Earlier (DCE) programme initiatives are currently supporting Primary Care referral.

The Scottish Referral Guidelines (SRG) for Suspected Cancer were developed to support primary care clinicians to identify those with symptoms suspicious of cancer and identify those who require urgent assessment by a specialist. A clinical refresh of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer is underway to help ensure the right person is on the right pathway at the right time.

In addition to this work, a new primary care cancer education platform funded by Scottish Government – Gateway C – was launched on 30 April in NHS Scotland, supported by NHS Education for Scotland (NES). Gateway C provides innovative, and tailored information to support earlier cancer diagnosis efforts and enable effective decision-making. This free online platform has a number of available courses, including myeloma, and is accessible to all primary care clinicians to help support rapid referral for those who require it most.

Question reference: S6W-27451

Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any trunk road upgrades that may be needed in the future, broken down by (a) section and (b) local authority area, as well as the date that the repair work (i) was first identified as required and (ii) is projected to be completed by.

Transport Scotland conducts machine-based based surveys using specialist vehicles each year to gather information on the surface integrity of the road; the friction characteristics of the surface; and the structural capacity (strength) of the underlying road construction. This provides an annual snapshot of the changing road condition across the network, which is supplemented with a series of targeted inspections completed under the term maintenance contract to obtain specific information about the road asset.

The combined information is used as part of an annual cycle to determine maintenance programmes and investment requirements. This annual process results in the production of a 3-year Programme, which is reviewed and refined in light of available funding until a final programme is determined.

A copy of the latest three-year programme can be found in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. Number 65070) and it sets out the works that are currently proposed for delivery over the three period from April 2024 until March 2027. The works are listed by road/route and the Section References are provided but the data is not available grouped by local authority area. Delivery of these works is subject to the availability of funding and operational constraints.

Longer term the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), published in December 2022, notes that investing in the Trunk Road and Motorway network is important in order to improve safety and resilience of the network for the communities and businesses of Scotland. STPR2 recommendations for strategic roads focus on safety, climate change adaptation and resilience. For safety improvements these will be a primary, but not exclusive, focused on rural sections.

Question reference: S6O-03510

Asked by: Karen Adam, MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support BSL users across Scotland to access culture, in light of the publication of Scotland’s Census 2022 report on language, which found that 117,300 people can use BSL.

Question reference: S6O-03511

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that local authorities are able to provide full-time schooling for children with complex additional support needs.

Question reference: S6O-03509

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce legislation on climate targets, as announced by the net zero secretary in her ministerial statement on 18 April.

Question reference: S6O-03508

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on work to extend the application of Road Equivalent Tariff to Northern Isles ferry routes.

Question reference: S6O-03513

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to take forward the recommendations in the Transport Scotland report, "There’s an app for that!" - Women’s Safety on Public Transport in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-03514

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the Sherrifhall roundabout project.

Question reference: S6O-03512

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support cultural activities in the Cowdenbeath constituency.

Question reference: S6O-03491

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the ending of the Bute House Agreement will have on its rural policy.