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-37969

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 12 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether NHS boards should provide blood sample collection through (a) phlebotomy hubs and (b) community treatment and care services.

NHS Boards are responsible for ensuring the provision of a safe, sustainable and high quality healthcare service that best meets the needs of their patients. The whole general practice team is being strengthened significantly and we are committed to increasing investment in primary care and GP services over the course of this Parliament. We remain committed to the GP contract and the delivery of extended multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) making it easier for patients to see the right person, at the right time, in GP practices and the community.

Question reference: S6W-37970

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is provided to clinicians who are considering prescribing a medicine off-label when unlicensed for a particular condition, when there is a Scottish Medicines Consortium approved medicine available, which is licensed for that indication.

Guidance to clinicians to support prescribing medicines off-label is provided by the General Medical Council (GMC) . The guidance states that doctors should usually prescribe licensed medicines in accordance with the terms of their licence but they may prescribe medicines off-label where, on the basis of an assessment of the individual patient, they conclude, for medical reasons, that it is necessary to do so to meet the specific needs of the patient. In addition, extant guidance states that, unless there is a specific clinical reason, clinicians should prescribe a licensed medicine which has been accepted for routine use in the NHS in Scotland by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) as opposed to prescribing off-label or unlicensed medicines.

Question reference: S6W-37971

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) data gathering and (b) reporting requirements are in place (i) centrally and (ii) at NHS board level to capture the number of medicines prescribed off-label.

Question reference: S6F-04164

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 June 2025

To ask the First Minister what the impact on Scotland will be of the Chancellor’s Spending Review 2025.

Question reference: S6W-37587

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether fisheries management measures for the remaining inshore Marine Protected Areas and a programme of protection for Priority Marine Features outside inshore Marine Protected Areas will be fully consulted on and adopted in statute before the end of the current parliamentary session.

Scottish Ministers are legally required to consult, develop and implement fisheries management measures for inshore Marine Protected Areas and Priority Marine Features.

Developing the evidence-base for effective fisheries management measures, and undertaking statutory requirements, for more than 160 sites and areas within the inshore region is a complicated and challenging process. We are continuing to work at pace to complete the necessary statutory social, economic and environmental assessments ahead of launching a public consultation.

Fisheries management measure will be implemented as soon as possible following analysis of the consultation responses and a final decision on the measures has been taken.

Question reference: S6O-04619

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to reverse the decline in NHS productivity since the COVID-19 pandemic, as referenced in research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Question reference: S6T-02475

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to conclude negotiations with Peel Ports regarding the purchase of Ardrossan Harbour.

Question reference: S6W-36268

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that any teachers impacted by stress can access appropriate support.

Although Local Authorities, as the employers of teachers, hold the legal responsibility to provide appropriate health and wellbeing support which meets their employee’s needs, the Scottish Government understands the importance of providing additional, national support, for our teaching workforce.

Since October 2020 we have invested more than £2 million specifically in supporting the wellbeing of our education workforce.

In the last financial year, we invested over £120,000 in a free national wellbeing coaching program for all teaching staff and educational professionals in Scottish schools and early learning facilities aiming to address issues such as workplace stress.

We have also worked with the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland to consider how we can continue to support the wellbeing of teachers, nationally, through measures such as the sharing of best practice and resources across Local Authorities.

Question reference: S6W-36006

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 4 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on Scotland of its network of international offices.

Scotland’s international network continues to deliver tangible benefits to our people, businesses and institutions.

We welcomed the recommendation made in 2022 by the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee for the Scottish Government to publish an annual report, setting out the contribution made by the international network. The first annual report was published in December 2023. This was followed by the 2023-24 annual report in November 2024, which can be found at the following link: .

The 2024-25 annual report will be published later in the year, and will include additional reporting on the delivery of the International Strategy.

Question reference: S6F-03941

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the UK Government’s Spring Statement.