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-38617

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31484 by Neil Gray on 21 November 2024, when it plans to publish the national specification on treatment and recovery services for drugs and alcohol, as was originally planned for the first quarter of 2025.

Question reference: S6W-37484

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 22 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported absence of published waiting list data for gynaecology inpatient procedures and consultant-led outpatient appointments, and when up-to-date data will next be made available, in light of the most recent figures reportedly only covering up to the end of Q2 2024, with no updates expected before Q3 2025.

This is not correct.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) publish data relating to the length of time patients wait to be seen as a new outpatient or admitted for treatment as an inpatient or day case on a quarterly basis. The latest Stage of Treatment publication, published on 4 March 2025, includes information on gynaecology new outpatient and inpatient or day-case waits up to 31 December 2024. This can be accessed here:

The next Stage of Treatment report will be published on 27 May 2025 and will include waiting times data for all planned care specialities, including gynaecology, up to the quarter ending 31 March 2025.

Question reference: S6O-04657

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest Public Health Scotland statistics on delayed discharges in NHS Scotland, which show that the average length of delay for March 2025 was 27 days.

Question reference: S6W-36352

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 29 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the withdrawal of funding for the Notre Dame Children’s Centre, what steps it can take to prevent other specialist centres that provide children’s mental health services from facing similar funding reductions.

In recognition of financial pressures, our 2025-26 budget includes record levels of investment - over £21.7 billion for Health and Social Care and over £15 billion for the Local Government Settlement.

While the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, it is for Health and Social Care Partnerships to ensure that support services are in place to provide people with the appropriate support in the right place and at the right time. Decisions on how best to deliver services to local communities, including funding for services like the Notre Dame Centre, are ultimately for local partners to make.

However, these decisions should be made in consultation with people who use those services and in full awareness of the impact on them and on other services who may be asked to provide support in their place.

I would therefore encourage all partners to work together to find solutions that not only address financial pressures but put the needs of local people, particularly those who are most vulnerable, at the centre.

Question reference: S6W-36355

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to improve endometriosis diagnosis, in light of reports that the number of women waiting over 12 weeks for gynaecology testing has increased by over 43,000.

The 2025-26 Budget will provide a record £21.7 billion for Health and Social Care, including almost £200 million to reduce waiting lists and improve flow through hospitals. Gynaecology will be targeted as a key priority area for additional funding.

We are committed to ensuring those living with endometriosis are able to access the best possible care and support and that they benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

Endometriosis is one of the key priorities in the Women’s Health Plan and will continue to be so. Timely access to gynaecology services will also be a priority as we continue to develop the next phase of our Women’s Health Plan, which we aim to publish in 2025.

Question reference: S6W-36354

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the projection set out in the Public Health Scotland report, Future prevalence and burden of chronic liver disease, which was published on 18 March 2025, that chronic liver disease cases will increase by 54% by 2044 due to alcohol misuse, what action it plans to take to address this issue.

Scottish Government notes this report with interest and is fully aware that the risk of liver disease is increased by the impact of harmful alcohol use and obesity.

This is why we are determined to do all we can to reduce alcohol-related harm, one of the most pressing public health challenges that we face in Scotland. We take a whole population approach to tackling such harm, in line with the World Health Organisation’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

Our Alcohol Framework 2018 contains 20 actions to tackle alcohol-related harm. One of the key actions was the implementation of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) in May 2018. Since then, we have seen a reduction of 3% in total alcohol sales,with a focus on the cheap high-strength alcohol which is often drunk by people drinking at harmful levels. Recent research by Public Health Scotland has found that MUP has been found to save more than 150 lives a year and 411 fewer hospital admissions. It’s also encouraging to see that this research has highlighted that the policy is having an effect in Scotland’s most deprived areas – which experience higher death rates and levels of harms from problem alcohol.

We also want everyone in Scotland to eat well and have a healthy weight to help reduce the impact of a range of diet-related ill health conditions, including liver disease. We continue to implement the wide-ranging actions set out in our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan to address this challenge. This includes our commitment to restrict less healthy food promotions and improve the availability of healthier options when eating out, as outlined in our Out Of Home Action Plan.

Scottish Government through its national Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) has formed a Specialty Delivery Group for Liver Disease with the first meeting on 6th November 2024. Early Detection is one of the pathways being prioritised.

The Early Detection Pathway has already been passed through the first Gateway in the CfSD delivery pathway. The challenges are around how individual boards can implement this before the National Laboratory Information Management System.

There has been progress in developing the Early Detection pathways in individual health boards using the technology as currently available while others are using the Referral Advice to Primary Care with increased use of the FIB-4 and Fibroscan with advice for Lifestyle changes and repeat investigation as required.

Question reference: S6O-04564

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-36350

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 7 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of users of the Thistle safer drug consumption facility has been referred solely to rehabilitation services.

Glasgow City HSCP is refining its reporting systems and cannot yet provide a precise percentage of users referred solely to rehabilitation services. Given the early stage of the facility’s operation, data validation is ongoing.

The service has now recorded over 30 formal referrals to health, care and recovery support. This likely underrepresents engagement with recovery services and is above expectations for so soon after implementation. The Thistle’s primary focus is harm reduction, ensuring vulnerable individuals access a safe environment where recovery support begins. Staff respond to service users’ needs in a person centred manner, supporting them to meet needs they identify.

An independent evaluation is underway, and further data will be shared once reporting systems are improved.

Question reference: S6W-35408

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether the new iteration of the Women’s Health Plan will include a focus on the gender pain gap and the gender arthritis gap.

Women’s Health is a priority for this government which is why Scotland was the first country in the UK to publish a Women’s Health Plan in August 2021.

Women’s health encompasses a wide range of topics and conditions and the areas of focus for the next phase of the Women’s Health Plan are still to be determined.

Timely access to gynaecology services will be a priority, and early discussions indicate pelvic health and optimising future health as potential areas of focus.

We have also started work to bring together an updated evidence base and gather views from women and girls, and from our stakeholders. Future aims and priorities are being developed in collaboration with them and alongside the most up-to-date evidence base.

Question reference: S6W-35407

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 March 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the gender arthritis gap, where women are reportedly two to three times more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis and a third more likely to develop osteoarthritis than men.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that anyone living with arthritis is able to access the best possible care and support. We expect health care professionals and NHS Boards to deliver high quality person-centred care to those living with arthritis in line with best practice guidance. The NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) clinical guidelines on management of arthritis are available on its website and can be found at: .

We will work collaboratively with other partners, including the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), to ensure there are appropriate pathways for women with arthritis.