Sandesh Gulhane

5 Nov 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to address violence and disruption in schools.

28 Oct 2025 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made regarding the number of households whose council tax bills could rise as a result of the proposals in its consultation on the future of council tax.

23 Oct 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects all 15 of the proposed walk-in GP clinics to be fully operational.

Answer · Neil Gray: As set out in answer S6W-41307 on 13 October 2025, improving access to primary care is a key priority for this Government. We recognise the vital role that GPs, community nurses, pharmacists, dentists and other members of the primary care team play as the fou…

23 Oct 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated annual operating cost will be for the 15 proposed walk-in GP clinics.

Answer · Neil Gray: As set out in answer S6W-41307 on 13 October 2025, improving access to primary care is a key priority for this Government. We recognise the vital role that GPs, community nurses, pharmacists, dentists and other members of the primary care team play as the fou…

23 Oct 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many GPs will be required to staff the 15 proposed walk-in GP clinics, and what plans it has in place to recruit and retain the necessary workforce to staff these clinics.

Answer · Neil Gray: As set out in answer S6W-41307 on 13 October 2025, improving access to primary care is a key priority for this Government. We recognise the vital role that GPs, community nurses, pharmacists, dentists and other members of the primary care team play as the fou…

23 Oct 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects the proposed network of walk-in GP clinics to deliver the recently announced one million additional GP and nurse appointments.

Answer · Neil Gray: As set out in answer S6W-41307 on 13 October 2025, improving access to primary care is a key priority for this Government. We recognise the vital role that GPs, community nurses, pharmacists, dentists and other members of the primary care team play as the fou…

23 Oct 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government where (a) each and (b) the first of the 15 proposed walk-in GP clinics will be located.

Answer · Neil Gray: As set out in answer S6W-41307 on 13 October 2025, improving access to primary care is a key priority for this Government. We recognise the vital role that GPs, community nurses, pharmacists, dentists and other members of the primary care team play as the fou…

23 Oct 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether children who are born from first-cousin relationships have a higher risk of genetic conditions and other health defects.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government is aware of the medical research indicating that children born from first-cousin relationships may have a statistically higher risk of certain genetic conditions and congenital defects. The Scottish Government has no specific public he…

23 Oct 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported increased health risks for children born from first-cousin relationships, whether it will ban first-cousin marriages in Scotland.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government does not have any plans to ban first-cousin marriages in Scotland.

23 Oct 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make it a requirement for data on the number of patients receiving care in corridors in hospitals to be regularly collected and published. 

Answer · Neil Gray: We are clear that no patient should be treated in a space not fit for clinical care. To address the wider pressures that can lead to this, we are investing £200m through the Operational Improvement Plan to address high hospital occupancy and improve pat…

21 Oct 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of setting its forthcoming Budget, whether it will commit to allocating 10% of the total NHS budget to primary care, in light of reported concerns regarding a 6% real-terms reduction in spending on primary care since 2021-22 and under-investment being a key driver of GP practice…

7 Oct 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce "Jess’s Rule" in Scotland for patients who present three times with the same symptoms or concerns.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government does not know at this juncture, what the rolling out of Jess’s Rule will require in terms of implementation either by GPs or NHS England. We will be in a position to consider the benefits of the rule when we know more.However, th…

7 Oct 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will mirror changes to the GP contract that are equivalent to those being applied in England from 1 October 2025 that will require GP practices to keep their online consultation tool open throughout core hours for non-urgent requests and queries.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government are listening carefully to the views of Scotland’s GPs. Negotiations are ongoing with the BMA around further investment to support general practice.This investment will build on the new £15 million investment this financial…

7 Oct 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care last met with (a) Alzheimer Scotland, (b) Cancer Research UK, (c) Marie Curie, (d) Prostate Cancer UK, (e) Age Scotland, (f) MacMillan Cancer Support, (g) Parkinson’s UK, (h) Royal College of Psychiatrists, (i) British Heart Fou…

Answer · Neil Gray: Ministers and Scottish Government officials regularly engage with third sector organisations to support our commitment to person-centred, effective, and safe care for people living with long-term conditions. We remain committed to ongoing dialogue with these …

10 Sep 2025 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport regarding the extension of the current operating hours of the Glasgow Subway beyond 6.12 pm on Sundays.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Strathclyde Partnership for Transport is a Regional Transport Partnership, with a Board made up of members of local authorities who are the owner and operator of Glasgow Subway and they are responsible for decisions on operational matters, such as extending t…

8 Sep 2025 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that the synthetic drug, spice, has been found in vapes that are being sold to school children.

8 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider establishing a baseline offer for HIV peer support provision.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government recognises the value of peer support and continues to be guided by the consensus views of the HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Implementation group, alongside input from our third sector partners, as we consider opportunities to s…

8 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the adequacy of access to peer support services for people with HIV across Scotland.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is currently undertaking a programme of Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus local area visits to Scottish territorial NHS Boards which provides an opportunity to explore the levels of peer support available for people living with HIV.T…

8 Jul 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider introducing a national programme to re-engage the reported increasing number of people diagnosed with HIV who have disengaged with HIV care.

Answer · Jenni Minto: 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 (PHS) HIV in Scotland surveillance report, which is available at: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/…

19 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the proposed initiatives for emergency department opt-out testing for blood-borne viruses in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian will commence within the current parliamentary session.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is in discussions with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian to confirm appropriate timescales for commencing emergency department opt-out testing for blood-borne viruses, however it is important that preparatory work is undert…

19 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for how long each of the initiatives for emergency department opt-out testing for blood-borne viruses in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian are expected to run.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has committed to rolling out Emergency Department opt-out testing for blood borne viruses in the areas of highest diagnosed prevalence and elsewhere as the evidence develops and supports this. As this is a roll out rather than a pilot,…

19 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what funding has been allocated to support the initiatives for emergency department opt-out testing for blood-borne viruses in NHS (a) Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (b) Lothian.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is in discussions with NHS Boards to confirm the funding required to implement Emergency Department opt-out testing for blood-borne viruses. This includes necessary start-up costs, funding for tests and laboratory staff, other resource…

19 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported high levels of traffic and frequent congestion on routes leading to and from Glasgow Airport, what assessment it had made of the potential environmental impact of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, prior to the cancellation of the project.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Environmental Statement for the Glasgow Airport Rail Link was published by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport in 2006.Link to the Environmental Statement: https://web.archive.org/web/20070211160538/http://shandwick.fs-server.com/spt/uploaded/ufile425.p…

19 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it had made of the potential economic impact on the (a) city of Glasgow and (b) wider Scottish economy of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) project, prior to the cancellation of the project.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Stage 3 Report containing the Economic Impact and a separate Assessment of Wider Economic Benefits of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link were published by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport in 2005-2006.Link to the Stage 3 report containing Economic Impact:…

19 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what alternative projects it has planned to improve direct connectivity between the city of Glasgow and Glasgow Airport, in light of the cancellation of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) proposal, and what the timelines are for the delivery of any such projects.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), which was published by the Scottish Government in December 2022 to inform future transport investment in Scotland, identifies the Clyde Metro as one of its recommendations.The ongoing stage of developmen…

16 Jun 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve access to counselling services in rural and island communities, and whether it will consider targeted funding to support local provision.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government recognises the particular challenges that people in rural and island communities can face in accessing mental health support. We are committed to ensuring that everyone in Scotland has access to high-quality, person-centred mental heal…

14 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the university intake targets for medicine for the financial years 2019-20 to 2025-26, broken down by the number of students from (a) Scotland, (b) the rest of UK and (c) outside of the UK.

Answer · Neil Gray: The following table shows the intake targets for medicine from 2019-20 to 2025-26.For some, but not all, of the requested years, a minimum Scottish Domicile intake was set and where applicable this is indicatedAcademic Intake yearOverall targetScots/rUK/RoI(*…

12 May 2025 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to address the performance of NHS 24, in light of reports that nearly one in five calls to the service went unanswered last year.

30 Apr 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress made to improve access to and reduce waiting times for breast reconstruction surgery following cancer treatment.

15 Apr 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what support is available to teachers who experience physical violence or verbal abuse in schools.