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-34900

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried of the reasons for the reported increase in the percentage of people diagnosed with HIV who no longer engaged with HIV clinical services.

The latest data on people living with HIV in Scotland and not attending for HIV treatment and care can be found in Public Health Scotland’s HIV in Scotland surveillance report, which is available at: .

It is important to note that changes to service delivery during and since the COVID-19 pandemic mean that the reported proportion of diagnosed individuals receiving treatment may be an under-estimate and work is underway to ensure the accuracy of this reporting.

Through our , we are working with partners including the third sector to ensure that people living with HIV are receiving the treatment, care and support they need. Through our Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults we are also funding a number of projects offering peer support and practical assistance which can help people living with HIV to stay well and engage or re-engage in care.

Question reference: S6W-34902

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it carried out to determine which NHS boards would take part in the emergency department opt-out blood borne virus testing pilot.

The Scottish Government has funded pilots of emergency department opt-out blood borne virus testing in three areas – NHS Lothian, NHS Grampian and NHS Highland. The funding allocations followed a call for bids which was open to all Scottish territorial NHS Boards. Bids were assessed against criteria including geographical spread and value for money, and we were pleased to be able to fund every Board that applied to participate.

Question reference: S6O-04330

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with SEPA regarding how it will address any environmental concerns that arise from new waste incineration sites that have already received approval.

Question reference: S6W-32881

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 20 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported statistics from the Office for National Statistics stating that 20% of firms in Scotland have had more difficulty recruiting workers, compared with other parts of the UK.

The Scottish Government recognises challenges faced by businesses and particular circumstances faced in Scotland, and that is why the Scottish Government stands ready to support the UK Government to design an immigration system that addresses the requirements of Scotland’s economy and communities.

The Scottish Government is working with business to grow the economy and address labour and skill shortages, promoting fair work to make it easier for people to enter and remain in the workforce and ensuring our education and skills system are responsive to national needs .

Question reference: S6W-32879

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to increase access to NHS dentistry, in light of reported figures from Public Health Scotland stating that 1.8 million adults have not seen a dentist since 2022.

Public Health Scotland statistics published in November 2024 show that NHS dental services are performing well at a national level, with almost 4 million courses of treatment delivered to patients between November 2023 and September 2024.

There are many reasons why people may choose not to attend the dentist, which is not shown in participation data. This does not necessarily mean that these patients are unable to access an NHS dentist.

The Draft Budget reinforces our commitment to NHS dentistry, with an increase of almost 15% in funding for primary care dental services planned for 2025-26. Within this we will look to continue our work to improve NHS dental workforce and training measures, in line with our Vision for Healthcare Services.

Question reference: S6O-04219

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of the cross-government co-ordination on islands, including island connectivity, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the impact on islanders of the relocation of the Arran ferry service from Ardrossan to Troon.

Question reference: S6W-32880

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to tackle serious violent crime, in light of reported figures stating that serious violent crime has almost doubled in a decade to more than 1,000 incidents per month.

Any level of violence is a concern but it is not correct to say that serious violent crime has almost doubled in a decade. The number of serious assaults and attempted murders recorded by the police has increased by 9% since 2014-15. However, levels have fallen over the past six years, down 21% from 4,361 in 2018-19 to 3,457 by 2023-24. This is replicated in other sources, with the number of hospital admissions related to assault down by a third between 2014-15 and 2023/24. Despite this encouraging progress we are determined to do more.

That is why, through the Violence Prevention Framework; we have provided over £4 million investment over the last two years, to fund a range of targeted prevention and intervention activity across communities. Key actions so far include:

Extending the support of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, to reach more individuals and communities across Scotland, including North and South Lanarkshire, Fife, Highlands, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Extending the Medics Against Violence Hospital Navigator Programme in two Children’s Hospitals in Aberdeen and Glasgow.
Supporting Medics Against Violence engagement with young people to highlight the consequences of knife carrying and knife injuries in primary schools, youth clubs and secondary schools.
Supporting the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit to develop a community of practice for over 100 police School Liaison Officers across Scotland.
Trained over 800 teachers in schools to provide young people with key messages on violence, reaching 19 local authorities across Scotland.
Supporting YouthLink Scotland to deliver various online and face to face No Knives, Better Lives training sessions to hundreds of practitioners working with young people, in addition to working directly with young people across Scotland.
Supporting Education Scotland to deliver the Mentors in Violence Prevention programme, in schools across all 32 local authorities.

Question reference: S6W-32882

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported figures stating that more than £4 million has been spent dealing with infestations of rats, mice, maggots and cockroaches in hospitals and medical facilities, including more than £2 million by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Question reference: S6O-04192

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to comments made by the Auditor General for Scotland that the “future of the Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow shipyard remains uncertain".

Question reference: S6W-32090

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 8 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the lifting of the two-child benefit cap to come into force.

The 2025-26 budget commits to spending £3 million to develop the systems needed to deliver mitigation of the two-child cap, which could lift an estimated 15,000 children out of poverty in Scotland.

The detailed work of building the system and developing legislation to do that has started, however implementation requires, not just the co-operation of the UK Government, but also legislation in the UK Parliament. Officials from both governments have already met to discuss this, and myself are seeking a Ministerial meeting so that this vital policy can be progressed as a priority.

We will start paying families as early as possible in 2026.