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-06740

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration has been given to a Scottish clinical trial of cannabis-based medicines.

The Scottish Government continue to support the development of clinical trials on the use of Cannabis Based Products for Medicinal Use (CBPMs).

Through the work of the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, we continue to engage with the National Institute for Health Research on two randomised controlled trials into epilepsy.

We also continue to encourage manufacturers of CBPMs to support further research, and bring their products forward for trials.

Question reference: S6W-06864

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05562 by Humza Yousaf on 31 January 2022, whether it plans to use the European Stroke Organisation Stroke Service Tracker that has been designed to report national progress and allow comparisons between countries participating in the stroke action plan.

The Scottish Government welcomes the work of the European Stroke Organisation and agree that it is vital to ensure improvements are made to stroke pathways and services, including prevention, treatment and care.

Through our Programme for Government commitments and the Stroke Improvement Plan, we are already reflecting the aims of the European Stroke Organisation’s appeal targets.

We are supporting the National Advisory Committee on Stroke to develop a progressive stroke pathway document which will set out the vision of what stroke services across Scotland should deliver across the whole patient pathway, including access to stroke rehabilitation, and access to support for people who have experienced a stroke. However, at this time, the Scottish Government does not have plans to use the tracker. The Scottish Stroke Care Audit will continue to track our progress against the Scottish stroke care standards.

Question reference: S6W-06866

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the median waiting time for a brain scan has been in each of the last five years in (a) Scotland and (b) each NHS board.

The numbers of confirmed strokes admitted during 2016 - 2021 showing median time (minutes) to brain imaging are shown in the following table:

	Numbers of confirmed strokes						Median time (minutes) to brain imaging
NHS Board (of treatment)	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021

NHSScotland	9 094	9 138	9 388	9 460	8 956	10 341	153	133	130	123	108	118

Ayrshire & Arran	831	843	819	860	810	907	547	361	528	259	154	163
Borders	212	182	182	248	237	265	120	83	89	79	106	118
Dumfries & Galloway	232	250	249	291	262	303	240	201	82	83	82	71
Fife	665	608	791	723	755	791	137	124	130	126	100	118
Forth Valley	507	507	509	494	556	580	262	267	194	175	129	158
Grampian	779	755	795	761	746	821	76	66	66	66	64	62
Greater Glasgow & Clyde	2 259	2 316	2 292	2 307	2 092	2 614	141	137	137	129	114	129
Highland	444	451	407	421	422	509	138	98	104	86	79	80
Lanarkshire	938	972	971	947	951	1 115	207	148	126	125	119	142
Lothian	1 424	1 443	1 442	1 409	1 112	1 418	104	105	92	105	98	94
NHS National Waiting Times Centre	1	0	1	3	6	10	561		26	160	12 343	825
Orkney	34	33	35	39	46	44	100	86	87	108	90	120
Shetland	39	33	34	33	29	40	130	130	114	109	76	100
Tayside	700	703	824	885	900	875	492	567	344	210	161	162
Western Isles	29	42	37	39	32	49	78	67	54	59	54	91

Source: Scottish Stroke Care Audit (SSCA); data collected using electronic system eSSCA.

Date: 02-03-2022

1 Median times based on records with both dates and times of admission (or onset if in-hospital events) and brain imaging.

2 The table excludes some in-hospital events where there was a query whether or not the patients woke with stroke symptoms.

3 NHS Waiting Times Centre has a very small number of Strokes and these are in patients that are post operative patients which effects the ability to perform the scan in a timely manner.

4 Please note 2021 data are provisional until published on 28-06-2022

Question reference: S6W-06865

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05559 by Humza Yousaf on 31 January 2022, what criteria were used to determine the current stroke care brain scan standard of 90% scanned within 12 hours, and, in light of strokes often being time-critical medical emergencies, for what reasons it considers this standard to be appropriate.

The Scottish Stroke Improvement Team have reported on a 12 hour Standard for brain imaging since the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme National Report (2020). Prior to this, the standard had been within 24 hours. This change in Stroke Standard was in response to a change in the evidence base, with some new treatment regimes being shown to improve outcome when initiated within 12 hours of stroke onset.

Some cases of stroke are time critical emergencies and should be scanned immediately, for instance those patients requiring hyperacute interventions such as thrombolysis and thrombectomy. These specific cases have their own stroke standards on door-to-needle times which ensure that processes are audited and service improvement packages are put in place.

Question reference: S6O-00952

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of the aviation industry to discuss the sector’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S6O-00956

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on travel in Scotland of the recent changes to the Highway Code.

Question reference: S6O-00950

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc.

Question reference: S6O-00953

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Department for Work and Pensions regarding proposed changes to its office estate that could result in job losses in the north east and elsewhere in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-00954

Asked by: Michelle Thomson, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact of the UK Chancellor’s Spring Statement will be on Scotland's SMEs.

Question reference: S6O-00951

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it currently provides to improve road safety.