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-30702

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 4 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publicly respond to the Scottish Police Federation's submitted pay claim for a 5.7% pay increase for 2024-25.

Question reference: S6O-03855

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve transparency in the management of Scotland's finances.

Question reference: S6W-30371

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 15 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any plans to review the operational aspects of the Caledonian Sleeper train service now that it has come into public ownership.

Question reference: S6W-29671

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 18 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6F-03284 by John Swinney on 5 September 2024, how it is working to lower waiting times for urology operations classified as urgent by NHS Scotland.

Patients referred for urgent care, including cancer treatment, continue to be prioritised across NHS Scotland.

We are committed to providing Health Boards with the necessary support to drive improvements in waiting times, and will continue to target resources to this effect, including maximising regional and national capacity. Our continued partnership with NHS Scotland’s Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) plays a central role in this.

CfSD’s National Elective Coordination Unit (NECU) supports NHS Health Boards through a number of key work streams. Through a collaborative and centrally coordinated approach, this has helped to ensure the best use of capacity across National Treatment Centres and territorial Health Boards by matching available capacity to demand within NHS Scotland for a number of specialities, including urology. This has been supported by the additional £30 million investment this year. We will continue to work with NECU to explore whether there is further opportunity to expand this work with a focus on urgent urology patients within NHS Lothian.

Question reference: S6W-29526

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the negotiations between Transport Scotland and Ambassador Living in relation to concluding the Ferrymuir Gait access issue.

Question reference: S6O-03741

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reported reduction to the Investing in Communities Fund and any impact on its aim of addressing poverty and disadvantage.

Question reference: S6W-29242

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 9 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to NHS boards regarding the positioning of pharmacies that offer supervised methadone supply.

Question reference: S6W-29241

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 6 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour is expected to report on the efficacy of the Scottish Government’s current approach to antisocial behaviour.

Question reference: S6W-29243

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 6 September 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding antisocial behaviour since April 2024.

We fully support local authorities, and Police Scotland, who lead on preventing and tackling antisocial behaviour and are best placed to work with their local communities using the powers available to them. I have regular direct engagement with COSLA’s Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing discussing a range of issues, including on developing a strategic and sustainable long-term approach to antisocial behaviour and fireworks safety. Officials regularly engage with Local Authorities and COSLA on community safety matters, including antisocial behaviour. Since April 2024, this has included discussion on sharing best practice on local partnership working to prevent and tackle antisocial behaviour.

Question reference: S6W-29011

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 August 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 28 August 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working to ensure that people using motorhomes for recreational activities such as camping do so in a manner that respects the environment and local area.

The Scottish Government recognises that Tourism is a vital part of the Scottish economy both nationally and locally.

We are working closely through the Visitor Management Group with the relevant agencies, Local Authorities and National Park Authorities to ensure those visiting areas of natural beauty are aware of their responsibility in respecting the local environment. The Group was established in 2020, by the then Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Tourism, because of tourism pressures in rural areas. It meets regularly with a cross Government approach to address issues caused at rural pinch points in scenic countryside areas. This includes addressing such issues as managing visitor dispersal, the impact of motorhomes, littering, environmental damage, public toileting and antisocial behaviour.

VisitScotland undertook research, on behalf of the Visitor Management group, in 2023 to better understand the motivations and behaviours of people visiting Scotland in campervans and motorhomes. The full results are here:

The research found that many visitors do wish to do the right thing and are actively seeking out information on issues such as parking and waste disposal. We all want to see responsible tourism, which balances the needs of local communities, visitors and the environment. The response to any visitor pressures needs to be a combination of visitor messaging, encouraging responsible behaviour and visiting at quieter times of year, alongside practical responses such as improved infrastructure, as well as engagement and education.

In that regard, VisitScotland will continue to promote responsible visitor messaging, and we will do that alongside partners such as local authorities and others who lead on infrastructure and ranger services. In more extreme cases it will be for local authorities, roads authorities or Police Scotland to manage any infringements.

VisitScotland promote Sustainable and Responsible Tourism in Scotland on their website and .

Although the access rights enshrined in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 relate to responsible rights of non-motorised access to land, the three key principles within the accompanying Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) provide useful general guidance: that people should respect the interests of other people, care for the environment, and take responsibility for their own actions. The SOAC provides further advice on how to wild camp responsibly, should those using motorhomes decide to hike from their parking space. Local authority and National Park Authority access officers take the lead role in assisting land managers to manage access.

We would ask that all visitors to our rural areas behave in a manner that respects and protects our environment so everyone for generations to come can enjoy the great Scottish outdoors.