Questions and answers

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 ��˿�� 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-08851

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to extending the payment of Scottish Carer’s Assistance to carers for six months after the person being cared for dies, in order to ensure that any carers are not at risk of falling into, or remaining in, poverty.

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing the amount of time Scottish Carer’s Assistance is paid after the death of a cared for person, from the current eight weeks to 12 weeks, following discussions with carers and support organisations. We are also looking at how we can link carers to wider support which could help them at what will be a very difficult time.

We invited views on these proposals as part of the public consultation on Scottish Carers Assistance, which closed on 23 May 2022. We are considering the responses to this and will confirm the improvements we will make through our new benefit later this year.

Question reference: S6W-08852

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Marie Curie and Loughborough University’s recent research into poverty at the end of life, which states that 8,200 people die in poverty every year in Scotland and that the double burden of income loss and increased costs brought on by terminal illness can push people into poverty, whether it will commit to urgent reform to tackle poverty at the end of life.

Question reference: S6W-08853

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 16 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to extending eligibility for Winter Heating Assistance to all terminally ill people under the age of 65, in order to support them with any increased energy bills as a result of their terminal illness.

We are putting in place robust plans to deliver our replacement for Winter Fuel Payment from winter 2024 and we will consult on the proposals for this replacement in due course. Our priority is taking on full responsibility for all the devolved benefits in a safe and secure transition so that people continue to receive support at the right time and right amount.

We have already introduced Child Winter Heating Assistance, which is intended to provide support to the families of over 19,000 of the most seriously disabled children and young people (including those living with a terminal illness), to help mitigate the additional cost of heating their homes in the winter months.

In addition, from this coming winter (2022-23) the Scottish Government’s new Low Income Winter Heating Assistance will guarantee an annual £50 payment to around 400,000 low-income households each winter. This is not dependent on age but will be targeted, reliable financial support to those most in need, including those in receipt of Pension Credit.

Question reference: S6W-08709

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment made by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care at the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee meeting on 29 March 2022 to provide the number of whole-time equivalent GPs since 2019, whether it holds this information and, if so, whether it will publish it.

For ease of reference, the most recent estimate for whole time equivalent of GPs can be found in the which estimated that there were 3,613 GP whole time equivalents (WTE) in Scotland in 2019. The GP (excluding Specialist Trainees) WTE increased from an estimated 3,520 in 2017 to an estimated 3,613 in 2019, based on 8 sessions per week being one WTE. These are the most recent available published data for GP whole time equivalent due to impacts of the pandemic on surveys.

In our helpful discussion at the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on 29 March 2022, I undertook to look further at options for attaining and publishing whole-time equivalent data. I can confirm that I have now commissioned NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) to run this important survey afresh, and the General Practice Workforce Survey 2022 issued to practices in week commencing 30 May 2022. Further, I can confirm the Scottish Government is making arrangements for this survey to take place on an annual basis in future.

I agree that updated data are essential in understanding capacity in general practice, and I expect a full report on t T his year’s data to be published in the Autumn. I will be pleased to write to the Committee Convenor with that report when it is available.

Question reference: S6W-08613

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 7 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the timescale for the implementation of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021.

The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 must be implemented effectively so that, once in force, it offers robust protections to victims. The Scottish Government is working closely with justice partners to agree a suitable commencement date for the Act.

To complement the implementation of the Act, we are developing a new hate crime strategy for publication later this year, which will help to guide how we successfully tackle hatred and prejudice in Scotland.

To support this, I chaired the inaugural meeting of the Hate Crime Strategic Partnership Group on 28 April. This group will provide a collaborative, multi-agency approach to the Strategy’s development.

Question reference: S6O-01212

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what new steps have been taken to tackle NHS waiting lists, which now reportedly stand at over 680,000 patients.

Question reference: S6T-00732

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of an outbreak of the monkeypox virus in the UK, including cases in Scotland, what action it is taking to monitor transmission of the virus in Scotland and support people affected.

Question reference: S6O-01143

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns by the Scottish division of the train drivers union, ASLEF, regarding proposals to make further cuts to ScotRail services.

Question reference: S6W-07323

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 April 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many day services for people who have a learning disability are currently open, and how many hours of service they are delivering as a percentage of commissioned delivery.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of day services to adults with learning disabilities, their families and carers. Last year, I wrote to local authorities, encouraging services to re-open in line with Covid-19 guidance as soon as possible.

Decisions about individual services are made, and service-level data is held, by local authorities. The Scottish Government maintains regular contact with local authorities to encourage and support the re-opening of services.

Further to a recent meeting with representatives of unpaid carers, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care has undertaken to write to COSLA to ask for an audit of adult day care and respite services in every local authority i.e. which services have re-opened, which have only partially opened (or opened with reduced capacity), and why.

Question reference: S6W-08127

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the highest ever number of medical students have been told that there are no places for them in NHS junior doctor training in 2022.

Oversubscription to the UK Foundation Training Programme occurs on an annual basis as a result of there being more applicants than available places. The rate of oversubscription is influenced by various factors, the most prominent of which being changes made by the UK Government to the Shortage Occupation List. These changes mean that overseas applicants are eligible to apply to the programme, and can outperform UK graduates when competing for an established place.

However, regardless of the extent to which the programme is oversubscribed, there has to date been a UK-wide intergovernmental commitment to ensure all UK medical school graduates are able to secure a place on the Foundation training programme if they are eligible and wish to do so. This is essential in order to ensure that medical school graduates are able to achieve full GMC registration, which takes place after trainees complete the first year of Foundation training.

The Scottish Government will therefore continue to fund Scotland’s share of oversubscribed places in 2022. Discussions remain ongoing with NHS Education for Scotland regarding the number of required places, and funding will be provided to ensure that every eligible Scottish medical school graduate is given the opportunity to enrol in the UK Foundation Training Programme.