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-28644

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 6 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the findings of the research that it commissioned into the long-term health outcomes of people accessing gender identity healthcare, which is being administered by the University of Glasgow, will be published.

The Scottish Government grant to the University of Glasgow for this purpose funds one PhD studentship and a number of small projects. The projects are currently at different stages, outputs from some of the projects are expected before the end of the year and all are expected to be completed by Spring 2025.

The successful candidate for the PhD studentship took up their post in January 2024 and the projects and PhD studentship are both wholly managed by the University of Glasgow.

As is standard with high quality research, it is anticipated that the findings will be published in relevant peer reviewed journals.

Question reference: S6W-28648

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 2 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many certificates of exemption for XL Bully dogs have been issued each month.

As set out in , from 1 August 2024 it is illegal to own an XL Bully dog in Scotland without a certificate of exemption, or without having applied for a certificate of exemption where a decision has not yet been made.

XL Bully dog owners had from 1 April 2024 to 31 July 2024 to apply to the Scottish Government for a certificate of exemption for their dog, to allow them to continue to legally own the dog.

3,308 certificates of exemption for XL Bully dogs have been issued to dog owners by the Scottish Government during the period 1 April 2024 to 31 July 2024.

454 were issued in April 2024

243 were issued in May 2024

479 were issued in June 2024

2,132 were issued in July 2024

Question reference: S6W-28731

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 July 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 1 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to the National Wellbeing Hub for health and social care workers in each year since 2020.

Question reference: S6W-28257

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reported increase in COVID-19 cases between May and June 2024, and what its position is on whether the uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations during the winter vaccination programme was sufficient.

As part of the 2023- 24 COVID-19 and flu winter vaccination programme NHS Scotland delivered over 3.57 million winter vaccines, including 1,387,766 COVID-19 vaccines. Uptake of the COVID-19 vaccines dropped across all groups, but remained strong in the highest risk groups, with 85.6% of care home residents and 84.1% of those aged over 75 vaccinated which we know from recent statistics are the groups mostly likely to be admitted to hospital.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) is responsible for delivering with the support of the Scottish Government. The Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme (SVIP) has already undertaken various pieces of work to understand why uptake has decreased, and this is part of an ongoing drive to ensure that people can take up offers of vaccine easily and equitably. Should the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommend a 2024 winter COVID-19 programme, we shall incorporate that learning into planning for any future campaign.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) is responsible for COVID-19 surveillance. Given the recent increase in circulation of COVID-19 observed in Scotland, PHS has returned to weekly updates to their viral respiratory dashboard from 27 June 2024 ( .Periodic peaks in COVID-19 are expected, not just in the winter.

COVID-19 is not a seasonal virus and circulates all year around and with the vaccine optimum protection period lasting up to 3 months, it remains essential that those who are eligible, come forward for vaccination when offered.

Question reference: S6W-28255

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 3 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on student finance for nursing and midwifery students, in light of reported concerns by both the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwifery in Scotland regarding the viability of these courses.

The Scottish Government understands the financial challenges faced by all students, including nursing and midwifery students, and recognise that this has been exacerbated by the cost of living crisis.

The Scottish Government package of support for Scottish student nurses and midwives is currently at its highest level, and is the highest level of support available to nursing and midwifery students across the UK. The annual £10,000 bursary is non-means tested and non-repayable. Eligible students receive free tuition, free uniforms, free disclosure and health checks as well as the reimbursement of clinical placement expenses (travel and accommodation).

Both the Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Midwifery Officer have participated in roundtable events hosted by the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwifery, where they have heard first hand student testimony around financial hardship.

Following those discussions, but alongside the work of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce and the findings from the royal colleges’ student surveys, the Scottish Government has committed to carrying out a review of nursing and midwifery student financial support.

Question reference: S6O-03585

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will review the process for admitting visitors to the public gallery in the chamber.

Question reference: S6F-03209

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2024

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will prevent further GP practice closures, in light of reports that the number of surgeries has declined in every NHS board since 2015.

Question reference: S6O-03531

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 since it came into force on 1 April 2024.

Question reference: S6W-27437

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has held discussions with (a) local authorities and (b) COSLA regarding updating the Supporting transgender young people in schools guidance, in light of the findings of the final report of the Cass Review, which was published in April 2024.

Question reference: S6W-27438

Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the Storm Babet Ministerial Taskforce has met in 2024, and what was discussed.

The Storm Babet Ministerial Taskforce has met twice in 2024, on 17 January and on 13 March, and three times in 2023, on 16 November, 29 November, and 13 December. Taskforce members discussed flood recovery actions undertaken by the Scottish Government and by affected councils, including flood recovery grants for households and businesses, the Homelessness Prevention Fund, and the floodbank support scheme for farmers affected by the storm.

During the meeting on 13 March, members agreed that the response to Storm Babet had now moved into the medium-term recovery phase and that future discussions would focus on community recovery and work to consider the long-term future of the flooded site in Brechin.