Parliamentary questions
Michael Marra
205 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
17 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the contractual remedies available to NHS boards where hearing aid batteries supplied through the national procurement framework do not meet the required standards, and whether it holds information on any such remedies having been exercised since the com…
13 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that patients can access diagnosis or treatment where no NHS board is able to accept a referral to the required specialist service due to capacity or workforce pressures.
Answer · Angela Constance: As set out in the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011, where a Health Board is unable to meet the Treatment Time Guarantee within its own area, it must take all reasonably practicable steps to arrange for the provision of the agreed treatment by—(a) anot…
13 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the funding of private specialist assessment or treatment in circumstances where an NHS board is unable to provide the required service and is unable to secure an onward NHS referral within a clinically appropriate timescale.
Answer · Angela Constance: Service delivery and patient care are the responsibility of NHS Boards and healthcare professionals locally. Clinical decisions on the care and treatment of individual patients are always matters of professional judgement for the responsible practitioner.In c…
13 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether current cross-board referral arrangements provide equitable access to specialist services across NHS Scotland, particularly in specialties where service provision is limited by workforce shortages.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework and Population Health Framework, published in 2025, set out an ambitious vision for transforming Scotland’s public services.To support this vision, NHS Boards are introducing a new collaborative, sub-…
1 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what public funding has been provided to Dundee Airport, broken down by (a) amount and (b) purpose, in each of the last seven years.
Answer · Tom Arthur: Funding from Transport Scotland to Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) for Dundee Airport in each of the last seven years is:YearResource (£)Capital (£)2019-202,183,000184,3172020-212,557,0001,394,0472021-222,505,000965,6802022-232,185,0…
1 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide information on the funding it has provided to support the provision of a landing slot for flights from Dundee Airport at (a) London Heathrow Airport and (b) London City Airport, including in which financial years such funding was provided.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government has not provided any funding for the provision of a landing slot from Dundee Airport to any London airport.
1 Jul 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the changes in the slots at London airports for flights from Dundee Airport, (a) what its response is, (b) whether it was consulted and (c) whether any revenue has been generated as a result of those changes.
Answer · Tom Arthur: Any changes in slot provision at slot constrained airports are a matter for the airlines involved. The Scottish Government was not consulted about any changes and has no information on whether any revenue was generated as a result of any changes.
24 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost of employing special advisers was in 2025-26.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: In line with the requirements of Section 16 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, the Scottish Government discloses to the Scottish Parliament the number and total cost of employing special advisers on an annual basis. The latest report, perta…
24 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the names of each special adviser it currently employs, broken down by (a) responsibility and (b) pay band.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government has published a list of the Special Advisers and their specific portfolio responsibilities at: Special advisers - gov.scotThe cost of employing Special Advisers during 2026-27, including pay band information, will be published in line …
23 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the correspondence that was referenced in the Member’s debate, Sustaining Jobs and Securing the Future of Scotland's Universities, on 18 June 2026, which was sent from the Minister for Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education to the University of Dundee.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: A copy of the letter I sent to the Interim Principal of the University of Dundee, dated 11 June 2026, has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 66746).
22 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its planned consultation on the use of smartphones in schools, (a) when it will be launched, (b) how long it will run for, and (c) when it will publish its response and any resulting guidance.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: As I set out in my statement to Parliament on 2 June, we will launch our consultation on a legislative approach to restrictions on mobile phones in schools within the first 100 days of this government.In line with Scottish Government consultation guidelines, …
17 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7O-00051 by Angela Constance on 11 June 2026, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of people waiting for gynaecology services in NHS Tayside are not treated within the Scottish Government's treatment time guarantee of 12 weeks.
Answer · Angela Constance: There were 37 inpatient or day case admissions during April 2026 that were completed over 12 weeks for NHS Tayside under the specialty of gynaecology, which equates to 49.3% of admissions exceeding the TTG. This compares to 44.9% of all gynaecology inpatient …
17 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7O-00051 by Angela Constance on 11 June 2026, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of people waiting for gynaecology services in NHS Tayside are treated within the Scottish Government's treatment time guarantee of 12 weeks.
Answer · Angela Constance: There were 38 inpatient or day case admissions during April 2026 that were completed in 12 weeks or less for NHS Tayside under the specialty of gynaecology, which equates to 50.7% admitted within the TTG. This compares to 55.1% of all gynaecology inpatient an…
17 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7O-00051 by Angela Constance on 11 June 2026, how many people are currently on waiting lists for gynaecology services in NHS Tayside.
Answer · Angela Constance: Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes statistics on stages of treatment waiting times for gynaecology by board and length of wait. The most recent report was published on 26 May 2026 and can be found athttps://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/stage-of-…
17 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7O-00051 by Angela Constance on 11 June 2026, whether it will provide a breakdown of the number of people waiting on gynaecology services in each of the last five years.
Answer · Angela Constance: Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes statistics on stages of treatment waiting times for gynaecology by board and length of wait. The most recent report was published on 26 May 2026 and can be found athttps://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/stage-of-…
17 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7O-00051 by Angela Constance on 11 June 2026, what services it defines under the term gynaecology.
Answer · Angela Constance: Gynaecology is the care of women with problems of the female reproductive system (ovaries, tubes, womb, cervix, vagina). Some gynaecologists specialise in urogynaecology (bladder incontinence), reproductive medicine (fertility problems and recurrent miscarria…
17 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7O-00051 by Angela Constance on 11 June 2026, what time period it references when it refers to a reduction in the number of people waiting for gynaecology services.
Answer · Angela Constance: The 1,348 to 11 refers to over 52 week waits for gynaecology in NHS Tayside from July 2025 to April 2026. This is from the most recent stats published on 26th May 2026 Stage of treatment waiting times – new outpatients, inpatients and day cases 26 May 2…
17 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7O-00051 by Angela Constance on 11 June 2026, how it defines specialities in health services.
Answer · Angela Constance: Specialty is defined as a division of medicine or dentistry covering a specific area of clinical activity and identified within one of the Royal Colleges or Faculties. A Discipline is a non-medical profession related to healthcare, for which formal training l…
4 Jun 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support will be made available to organisations in Dundee that have relied on Whole Family Wellbeing Funding to ensure that services can continue where existing funding has ended and replacement funding streams have not yet opened.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government has extended the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme (WFWF) into 2026-27, this includes providing £38.1 million for Children's Services Planning Partnerships (CSPPs) to continue the transformation of holistic whole family su…
3 Jun 2026 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of NHS Tayside’s recruitment freeze on patient care and waiting times across Dundee and the wider Tayside region.
26 May 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the shortage of consultant immunologists across Scotland, in light of reported concerns regarding reduced access to immunology and allergy services within NHS Tayside following the loss of the Board’s sole consultant immunologist in 2022.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government’s role is to provide strategic leadership for NHS Scotland to ensure a sustainable NHS workforce. Operational matters relating to staffing and the provision of specialist services, such as immunology and allergy services, are the…
26 May 2026 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there should be parity of access to justice for all former patients affected by the actions of Sam Eljamel, regardless of whether treatment was received through NHS Tayside or privately.
4 Mar 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on action it is taking to address the use of modified e-bikes and off-road vehicles in incidents of antisocial behaviour.
19 Feb 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the proposals in the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill on the NHS Scotland workforce, including whether staff choose to leave the NHS if the bill passes into legislation.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government continues to maintain a neutral position on Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, which is a matter for the Scottish Parliament to decide upon.In that context, the Scottish Government has been …
11 Feb 2026 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on any potential impact of prolonged, non-permanent senior leadership within the Police Scotland Tayside Division on operational effectiveness, workforce morale and public confidence in local policing.
27 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Glasgow City Council and (b) Historic Environment Scotland in relation to supporting the preservation of the category A-listed Egyptian Halls.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scottish Government has not had any recent discussions with either Glasgow City Council or Historic Environment Scotland regarding the Egyptian Halls.The Scottish Government delivers support for the historic environment through our sponsorship of Historic…
21 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost to the Scottish Government was to refer the decision to close St Pius X Primary School and Nursery in Dundee to the School Closure Review Panel.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The total costs to the Scottish Government, incurred, to date, in relation to the referral of Dundee City Council’s proposal to close St Pius X Primary School and Nursery to the School Closure Review Panel are £5,082.66. This figure reflects the f…
20 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its engagement with NHS Tayside regarding mental health services, in particular the proposed move of inpatient learning disability services from Strathmartine Centre in Dundee to Murray Royal Hospital in Perth, in light of the comment by the First Min…
Answer · Tom Arthur: The First Minister was briefed further in January 2026 on the proposed move of inpatient learning disability services from Strathmartine Centre in Dundee to Murray Royal Hospital in Perth. He asked that I wrote to all opposition parties to provide an update. …
15 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that officials amended the Screen Scotland funding lines in the Budget Level 4 workbook without ministerial approval, what information it has regarding whether officials have made other unauthorised amendments to the draft Scottish Budget 2026-27.
Answer · Shona Robison: No unauthorised amendments have been made to the draft 2026-27 Scottish Budget. Some narrative elements within the supplementary level 4 information within the Constitution, External Affairs & Culture Portfolio was edited, however, this was restored to th…
15 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) consultation it held with and (b) feedback it received from film houses, independent cinemas and representative bodies regarding any proposed budget allocations for film houses in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, in light of reports that an earlier published version of its draft…
Answer · Angus Robertson: As noted in my response to Mr. Marra’s PQ, reference S6W-43092 on 27 January 2026, the Scottish Government is absolutely clear on the value of cultural cinema, and we are continuing to engage with Screen Scotland and others to ensure that cultural cinem…