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-02538

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment by the then Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing on 4 June 2008 that "I have also made it clear to the Scottish Ambulance Service that it must take action to eliminate rostered single manning. The Scottish Government's policy is clear: traditional accident and emergency ambulances should be double-crewed, with at least one member being a paramedic, unless there are exceptional circumstances. In too many instances, particularly in the Highlands, practice is not living up to that policy...I have therefore asked the Scottish Ambulance Service to provide me with an action plan demonstrating how it intends to achieve the elimination of single-manning. I expect to receive that action plan by the end of this month", whether the commitment to no longer have single-crewed ambulances has been met and, if not, by what date it will be.

Ambulances are not single-crewed other than in exceptional circumstances, such as short notice unplanned staff absences, and every effort is made to double crew ambulances through rostered and relief staff, overtime or ambulance bank staff. Scottish Ambulance Service Technicians are able to deliver high quality care to patients, but where a paramedic skill set is required, paramedics will be tasked to calls.

The Scottish Government has been working closely with the Scottish Ambulance Service to reduce single-crewing wherever possible. Prior to COVID-19, we had a plan in place with the Service to reduce instances of single crewing. This resulted in instances of single crewing falling to 0.9% in quarter 1 of 2019/20.

Unfortunately as a result of COVID-19 there has been occasions where single crewing has had to be used as a result of late notice staff abstractions, however we are continuing to work with the Scottish Ambulance Service to reduce this where possible.

Question reference: S6W-01658

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest Modelling the Pandemic report, which claims that the true scale of COVID-19 infections is being underreported in official figures, and warns that virus prevalence in recent wastewater sampling "significantly exceeded levels suggested by case rates".

Changes in patterns of mixing, adherence to restrictions, levels of asymptomatic infections and school holidays all impact on cases numbers and will influence the recent drop in positive cases. Waste-water Covid-19 levels continue to exceed case rates. However, relative to the peak reported at the start of July, levels have declined nationally. We will continue to monitor wastewater Covid closely and report the trend weekly in the modelling the epidemic/pandemic publication.

Question reference: S6T-00179

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to research stating that no recommendations to improve practice are made in nine out of 10 fatal accident inquiries into deaths in prison.

Question reference: S6T-00160

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the impact of the increase in wholesale gas prices on food and energy availability in Scotland, particularly ahead of winter.

Question reference: S6F-00287

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 September 2021

To ask the First Minister what steps are being taken to ensure that women who have endometriosis are diagnosed within a year.

Question reference: S6F-00282

Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 September 2021

To ask the First Minister what engagement the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government and energy providers in light the reported increase in wholesale prices.

Question reference: S6F-00283

Asked by: Marie McNair, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 September 2021

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support people on low incomes.

Question reference: S6F-00284

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 September 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that incidents of spitting on police officers increased by 15% in 2020-21, compared with the previous year.

Question reference: S6F-00271

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 September 2021

To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an update on the Scottish Government's work with the UK Government to create freeports in Scotland.

Question reference: S6F-00263

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 September 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.