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: S6F-00842

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 February 2022

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the report by Andrew Webster QC into the handling by Scottish Borders Council of school assault allegations, in particular those relating to the abuse of vulnerable children in the Tweeddale Support Unit.

Question reference: S6F-00832

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 21 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 February 2022

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6F-00816

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 February 2022

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the recent report on the Scottish Crofting Commission.

Question reference: S6F-00815

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 February 2022

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the reported view from Common Weal that action is needed to address weaknesses in social care provision due to it being in a critical state, not fit for purpose, underfunded, rationed, fragmented, centralised and risk averse.

Question reference: S6F-00808

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 February 2022

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-00809

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 February 2022

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-06490

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many prison deaths there were in 2021.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05574 on 20 January 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Question reference: S6W-06514

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost is of overtime worked by staff for each NHS board, in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S6W-06369

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it (a) can take and (b) is taking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from asthma inhalers.

The Scottish Government recognises that certain inhalers have a particularly harmful impact on the environment. This is an area where rapid change is possible and reducing the environmental impact of inhalers must be a priority.

Hydrofluorocarbons used as propellant in metered dose inhalers prescribed for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can have a global warming potential of 1430 or 3220 times greater than CO2 depending on the type of gas used.

A draft NHS Scotland Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy is out for consultation until 10 th March 2022. This sets out the Scottish Government’s intention to publish an updated Scottish Quality Respiratory Prescribing guide which will focus on minimising patient over-use of inhalers through review and improving patient outcomes, using propellant free options where possible.

Other actions within the draft strategy include encouraging manufacturers to make inhalers with lower emissions and to support inhaler return to pharmacy schemes to help patients dispose of their used inhalers in a more environmentally friendly way.

Question reference: S6W-06310

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to open mobile operating theatres across all of Scotland, in light of the introduction of such facilities in Orkney and Shetland.

The mobile theatre unit, which opened at Gilbert Bain Hospital in Shetland in January 2022, is supporting access to treatment for cataract and orthopaedic patients, who have faced delays in receiving care due to the pandemic and may have otherwise had to travel to the mainland for their procedure. The mobile theatre unit will also allow normal levels of theatre activity to continue through Phase 2 of the NHS Shetland Ambulatory Care capital project which starts in April 2022, preventing waiting lists from increasing significantly during these essential building works.

Throughout the pandemic, health boards across Scotland have been working hard to ensure that vital care remains in place. Any pausing of non-urgent activity has regrettably but inevitably led to a build-up of numbers waiting for Outpatient appointment and/or Inpatient/Day Case treatment. We will continue to work with Boards to recover our NHS through a range of targeted actions to maximise capacity and efficiency, including through the use of mobile theatre units where appropriate.