Parliamentary questions

Beatrice Wishart

693 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

24 Feb 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the Shetland Islands Regional Marine Plan to be adopted.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The draft Shetland Regional Marine Plan has been through public consultation and work to ensure the final plan is adoptable is advancing.Officials will continue to work constructively with Shetland Marine Planning Partnership to refine and develop their plan …

10 Feb 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider reviewing the timescales of the Community Led Local Development Programme to ensure that deadlines can be met. 

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Scottish Government officials wrote to all CLLD delivery stakeholders on 18 December 2024 to extend the deadline to submit final claims to 14 April 2025.The deadline is aligned with Scottish Government end of year financial procedures. This allows for payment…

10 Feb 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the timescale for Community Led Local Development funding is challenging, in light of reported concerns that "top-up" funding being awarded in December 2024 leaves only around 12 weeks for projects to be conceived and applied for and for grants to be proce…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The announcement of the second tranche of 2024-25 Community Led Local Development (CLLD) funding totalling £4.25m was provided to all delivery stakeholders on the 27 November 2024 and grant letters with details of their funding awards were issued to all…

10 Feb 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will extend the deadline for claims to be lodged with the Scottish Government under the Community Led Local Development Programme (CLLD). 

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Scottish Government officials wrote to all CLLD delivery stakeholders on 18 December 2024 to extend the deadline to submit final claims to 14th April 2025.The deadline is aligned with Scottish Government end of year financial procedures. This allows for payme…

6 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what contact it has had with the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) suppliers that are registered to provide a service in Shetland to ensure that they are able to deliver connections in the areas that they have advised.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: When registering to deliver services through the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme, suppliers are asked to provide evidence that they have already connected properties commercially. For Shetland, there are a number of registered suppliers who indicated t…

6 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what options are available to any customers who are eligible for up to £5,000 from it through the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS), but have been advised that the only registered suppliers available in their area are unable to provide them with a connection.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: All homes and businesses across Scotland should be able to access, as a minimum, a superfast broadband connection through commercially available or publicly subsidised terrestrial or non-terrestrial services. This includes fixed broadband services such as ful…

5 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action Social Security Scotland is taking to ensure that all requests for patient information that are sent to GP practices are received and actioned, in light of reports that questions to an NHS practice in Shetland were sent through the SCI Gateway system, which the surgery did no…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland has an established process for requesting information from GPs. The initial request will always be sent through the Scottish Care Information Gateway system, unless we are informed otherwise. If no response is received Social Security…

20 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31099 by Neil Gray on 15 November 2024, how much of its £30 million investment in planned care was allocated to NHS Grampian to support additional orthopaedic activity at Woodend Hospital.

Answer · Neil Gray: As set out in my response to S6W-31527 on 2 December 2024, approximately £1.36 million was initially allocated to NHS Grampian to support 980 additional orthopaedic joint procedures at Woodend Hospital over a 9 month period. However, due to unforeseen c…

20 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-31099 by Neil Gray on 15 November 2024, which states that activity levels at Woodend Hospital will increase over the coming months, how long it anticipates it will take for the waiting list for elective surgery at the hospital to clear.

Answer · Neil Gray: Approximately £1.36 million was initially allocated to NHS Grampian to support 980 additional orthopaedic joint procedures at Woodend Hospital over a 9 month period. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, NHS Grampian were unable to commence activity…

11 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how often cabins on sailings of the passenger Northern Isles Ferry Services between Aberdeen-Lerwick have reached full bookable capacity in each of the last five years.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The number of sailings where all cabins were fully booked on the Aberdeen – Lerwick passenger vessels for each Contract Year is displayed in the following table, which also includes the number of passenger vessel sailings each year. Total SailingsS…

8 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the status of its work on the Scottish Good Practice Statement on ME-CFS, in light of the updated statement published in February 2023 stating that “This represents a first step in updating the Scottish Good Practice Statement", and that "Furthe…

Answer · Jenni Minto: We continue to explore how best to bring together cross-sector ME/CFS stakeholders, to ensure effective collaboration and engagement from all parties is considered in driving forward developments and recommendations regarding ME/CFS in Scotland.The Health and…

8 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will fully implement the 2021 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline, NG206, Myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and management.

Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-30903 on 11 November 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-c…

7 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out an assessment of how agriculture in Scotland could be impacted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s recent announcement of changes to the inheritance tax system for farms from April 2026.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: Our rural economies will be hit by the proposed changes to Inheritance Tax’s Agricultural Property Relief.It is disappointing that there had been no prior indication of the change or engagement with the Scottish Government. Indeed, ahead of the election…

7 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS Grampian to reduce the waiting list for elective surgery at Woodend Hospital, in light of reports that this is estimated to be around 3,000 people.

Answer · Neil Gray: NHS Grampian was allocated funding to support additional orthopaedic activity at Woodend Hospital as part of our £30 million investment in planned care.Activity levels will increase over the coming months and the Scottish Government will work closely wi…

31 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many maternity wards in hospitals there are, and how many of these have a separate space for patients experiencing miscarriage or baby loss.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. However, the information in this report https://www.gov.scot/publications/miscarriage-care-facilities-scotland-scoping-report-national-overview/ which details the findings of a scoping exercise to enable…

31 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS boards to establish more separate spaces in hospitals with maternity wards for patients experiencing miscarriage or baby loss.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government expects all women receiving maternity care to be treated with dignity and respect and is developing a Delivery Framework for Miscarriage Care, which includes the provision of separate private spaces in hospitals with maternity wards fo…

22 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support wool producers that use the services and skills currently available at New Lanark Mill, in light of reports of proposals to close the mill.

Answer · Angus Robertson: I would advise wool producers to engage with the British Wool Marketing Board, which is a public, non-financial corporation established by the British Wool Marketing Scheme (Approval) Order 1950. As the organisation can collect, grade and sell wool from acros…

22 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with New Lanark Mill regarding the reported proposals for it to close.

Answer · Angus Robertson: There was no formal consultation with Scottish Government or Historic Environment Scotland on the closure of the spinning mill, though Historic Environment Scotland had been aware of an ongoing review of the Trust’s various enterprises as part of its wi…

22 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what value it places on heritage industries like spinning and the wool sector.

Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government recognises the intrinsic value of traditional skills and practices within heritage industries, and their important role both in local communities and within our wider society.

17 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how often car deck space on sailings of the passenger Northern Isles Ferry Services between Aberdeen-Lerwick has been full in each of the last five years.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: To ask the Scottish Government how often car deck space on sailings of the passenger Northern Isles Ferry Services between Aberdeen-Lerwick has been full in each of the last five years.The number of sailings where vehicle deck space reached full bookable capa…

17 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29010 by Neil Gray on 28 August 2024, when the final Transport to Health plan will be published.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Transport to health Plan was published on 30 October 2024 and sets out 20 commitments on behalf of the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, and delivery bodies. The plan can be found here Transport to Health Delivery Plan - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

15 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have (a) applied for and (b) received the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary in each of the last five academic years, also broken down by type of course.

Answer · Neil Gray: Eligible Scottish pre-registration nursing, midwifery and paramedic science students receive funding through the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary Scheme (PNMSB) which is administered by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).Eligibility…

2 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to NHS boards to ensure that hospital helicopter landing sites are safe to use.

Answer · Neil Gray: As set out in the answer to question S6W-30423 on 22 October 2024, the Civil Aviation Authority has made a series of safety recommendations regarding hospital helicopter landing sites following a tragic accident in Plymouth, in 2022. The safety recommendation…

2 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will investigate what measures are needed to ensure that all hospital helicopter landing sites adhere to Air Accidents Investigation Branch guidance.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Civil Aviation Authority has made a series of safety recommendations regarding hospital helicopter landing sites following a tragic accident in Plymouth, in 2022. The safety recommendations apply across the UK and those that are applicable to Scottish sit…

2 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will work with HM Coastguard and NHS boards to ensure that all hospital helicopter landing sites will be available for medical emergency evacuations from vessels, including fishing boats, cruise ships and oil and gas supply vessels and installations.

Answer · Neil Gray: As set out in the answer to question S6W-30423 on 22 October 2023, the Civil Aviation Authority has made a series of safety recommendations regarding hospital helicopter landing sites following a tragic accident in Plymouth, in 2022. The safety recommendation…