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-12491

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether any Scotland-specific analysis of AposHealth footwear has been commissioned, and whether it will consider offering this as a treatment option in each NHS board region.

AposHealth for osteoarthritis of the knee is being reviewed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The draft medical technologies guidance on AposHealth is currently out for consultation with an expected publication date of March 2023.

Whilst NICE medical technology guidance does not have official status in Scotland, the Scottish Government will await publication of the NICE guidance before deciding next steps. This could include commissioning the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) – who provide the equivalent of NICE medical technology assessments for Scotland – being asked to review and adapt guidance for NHS Scotland.

SHTG has a remit to provide evidence support and advise NHSScotland on the use of new and existing health technologies. However, it is ultimately a decision for individual NHS Boards to decide whether to offer this as part of their treatment options for patients or not.

Question reference: S6W-12489

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made any assessment of the analysis reported by the NICE medical technologies advisory committee for England and Wales that states that a footwear device from AposHealth, to support people with osteoarthritis in their knee, may have the potential to save the NHS £1,958 per patient, with the cost of the footwear estimated at £875 per patient.

Question reference: S6W-12474

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what recent communication it has had with (a) NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (b) all other NHS boards in relation to the shingles vaccination programme and ensuring that every person aged between 70 and 79, as per the eligibility criteria, is able to take up the offer of an appointment to receive the vaccine.

The Scottish Government published the shingles Chief Medical Officer (CMO) letter on 31 August, providing information on the 2022-23 shingles vaccination programme. The CMO letter is shared with NHS Immunisation Coordinators to action the recommendations. The CMO letter states eligibility for the 2022-23 programme, outlining that the routine vaccination of those aged 70 year olds should be continued alongside and an active call and recall of 71–79 year olds who have not previously been vaccinated.

NHS Health Boards are responsible for organising shingles vaccination for their population. NHS GG&C will locally contact individuals eligible for Shingles Vaccination to offer an appointment.

Question reference: S6W-12473

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many doses of the Zostavax shingles vaccine have been ordered for this winter, and how many doses will be made available to each NHS board.

Question reference: S6W-10459

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it and Forestry and Land Scotland will be taking to protect the Scottish Wildcat during its breeding season.

The Scottish wildcat and its breeding places are fully protected under the .

All management activity on Scotland’s National Forests and Land is independently certified to international standards of best practice and all Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) forest operations adhere to the principles of sustainable forest management outlined in the United Kingdom Forestry Standard. All FLS work is planned and delivered according to these policies with significant consideration given to all protected species including Scottish wildcats.

At a site level, all operations are carried out in accordance with existing legislation and best practice. FLS directs particular care and attention to avoid deliberate and reckless actions that could impact negatively on wildcats. All work sites are subject to pre-operational surveys by FLS Environment staff and camera traps are routinely deployed for periods of two weeks or more. Where evidence of cats is found, mitigation is enacted. This includes rescheduling of works, such as harvesting, to avoid the wildcat breeding season as specified in FCS Guidance Note 35d: Forest operations and wildcats in Scotland.

Furthermore, FLS frequently seeks advice on mitigation from wildcat experts in NatureScot and Saving Wildcats, and has recently funded research on wildcat biology to inform forest management.

Question reference: S6W-09703

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when Transport Scotland expects to have in place the necessary regulations under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 that will allow local authorities to ban pavement parking, and whether there is now a confirmed date for when local authorities will be able to enforce the ban.

Transport Scotland are continuing to consult with local authorities and others to develop both the secondary legislation required to allow them to enforce the National pavement parking prohibition and the Parking Standards Guidance, which will underpin the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

Additionally we have been consulting with the public on some areas contained within secondary legislation where local authorities will need to undertake an assessment to consider whether they wish to exempt, subject to certain criteria, any areas of pavement from the prohibition. The analysis report of the responses to this consultation, which closed on 11 March, is available to view at .
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As such, the majority of the secondary legislation is likely to be in place by late 2022, including those giving local authorities the powers to exempt sections of pavement. We have always stated that we will give local authorities 12 months to assess their streets and get the required signs and lines in place following the completion of those exemption regulations.

Some other aspects of the implementation process, such as the powers to issue Penalty Charge Notices and a drivers right to appeal such a notice, will not be in place until early in December 2023.

Question reference: S6W-09633

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in its work with local authorities on the assessments to be undertaken by each local authority in determining the particular streets and locations that should be exempt from pavement parking prohibition when it takes effect.

Scottish Ministers have to date provided £2.4m of funding to local authorities to allow them to undertake their required road assessments. Additionally, Transport Scotland have consulted with Local Authorities and the public on the proposed Ministerial Directions and secondary legislation, which will detail procedures Local Authorities must follow to exempt any areas of footway from the pavement parking prohibition.

Transport Scotland has also consulted with local authorities on the proposed Parking Standards Guidance, which will formally be issued to all local authorities once the exemption order procedures are in place.

It is currently envisaged that the exemption order procedure regulations will be laid in Parliament in the latter part of September and come into force in early December, if approved. Following this, local authorities will have an additional 12 months to complete their assessments and put any exemption orders in place.

Question reference: S6W-09631

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-09632

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-09057

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 30 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on finalising contracts for mesh-injured women to receive treatment from Dr Dionysios Veronikis in the United States, and whether it will confirm the date for when this process is expected to successfully conclude.