Parliamentary questions
Douglas Lumsden
1,891 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on any changes to eligibility rules or reimbursement rates for patient travel and accommodation in the last five years, and what impact these have had on the projected budget for 2025-26.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government provides the overarching guidance to NHS Boards for patient travel expenses reimbursement and there has been no change to that guidance in the last 5 years. The Scottish Government has committed to a review of this overarching patient …
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding (a) how many and (b) what proportion of patients registered with GPs in (i) Aberdeen City and (ii) Aberdeenshire who received care delivered by NHS (A) Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (B) Lothian in each of the last five years were offered a “Near Me…
Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The member may wish to contact NHS Grampian directly for this information.
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the types of clinical care areas for which patients registered with GPs in (a) Aberdeen City and (b) Aberdeenshire travelled to receive care delivered by NHS (i) Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (ii) Lothian in each of the last five years, broken down by sp…
Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The member may wish to contact NHS Grampian directly for this information.
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what the median waiting time at the point of referral was for patients registered with GPs in (a) Aberdeen City and (b) Aberdeenshire who travelled to NHS (i) Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (ii) Lothian, in each of the last five years, compared with patie…
Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The member may wish to contact NHS Grampian directly for this information.
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients registered with GPs in (a) Aberdeen Cityand (b) Aberdeenshire received secondary or tertiary care delivered by NHS (i)Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (ii) Lothian, in each of the last five years.
Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The member may wish to contact NHS Grampian directly for this information.
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it issues to NHS boards regarding (a) arranging and (b) funding patient travel and accommodation for elective and planned care delivered in a different board area, and what datasets it collects from boards on such transfers of care.
Answer · Neil Gray: Scottish Government guidance on the Patient Travelling Expenses Schemes can be found here: 1996-70.pdf. As set out, financial support for travel is available to eligible patients attending hospital appointments, and authorised escorts, and this can include tr…
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the number of unplanned readmissions within 30 days among patients registered with GPs in (a) Aberdeen City and (b) Aberdeenshire who travelled to NHS (i) Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (ii) Lothian in each of the last five years, compared with patients …
Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The member may wish to contact NHS Grampian directly for this information.
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what the (a) total cost was for all patients and (b) average cost was per patient registered with GPs in (i) Aberdeen City and (ii) Aberdeenshire who received secondary or tertiary care delivered by NHS (A) Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (B) Lothian in ea…
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. The arrangements set out in the question are operational matters for Health Boards and the information sought would require to be requested from the Boards.
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to use the discussions and outcomes from the COP30 UN climate summit in Belem, Brazil, to inform the finalisation and implementation of its draft Climate Change Plan, including any changes that it anticipates making to the actions and timescales set out in the draft plan up …
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41890 on 1 December 2025. 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-committe…
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what programme of (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral (i) meetings, (ii) roundtable discussions and (iii) speaking engagements the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy is scheduled to undertake at the COP30 UN climate summit in Belem, Brazil, and whether it will provide a list …
Answer · Gillian Martin: I was the only Scottish Minister in attendance at COP30 in Belem, Brazil. I was supported by three Scottish Government officials. The delegation attended COP30 in Belem from 10 - 13 November 2025. No Special Advisors attended.Details of all Ministerial engage…
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its priorities are for using its platform at the COP30 UN climate summit in Belem, Brazil, to contribute to international discussions on (a) climate finance, (b) climate justice and (c) the global debt crisis, and what specific outcomes it is seeking to achieve in each of these area…
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41890 on 1 December 2025. 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-committe…
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are for reporting to the Parliament on the outcomes of its participation at the COP30 UN climate summit in Belem, Brazil, including any (a) new commitments, (b) financial pledges, (c) international initiatives or partnerships entered into and (d) follow-up workstreams agre…
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41890 on 1 December 2025. 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-committe…
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with travel by the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy and accompanying officials to and from the COP30 UN climate summit in Belem, Brazil, and how this aligns with its policies on reducing emissions from …
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41890 on 1 December 2025. 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-committe…
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to use the discussions and outcomes from the COP30 UN climate summit in Belem, Brazil, to inform the finalisation and implementation of its draft Energy Strategy.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41890 on 1 December 2025. 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-committe…
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its objectives are for engagement at the COP30 UN climate summit in Belem, Brazil, with (a) activists, (b) civil society partners from the Global South and (c) partners in its Climate Justice Fund programmes, and how it will evaluate the outcomes of this engagement.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41890 on 1 December 2025. 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-committe…
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of its (a) ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials are attending the COP30 UN climate summit in Belem, Brazil, as part of its delegation, and for how many days each category of attendee is scheduled to be present at the summit.
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41890 on 1 December 2025. 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-committe…
13 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the total estimated cost to it of its delegation attending the COP30 UN climate summit in Belem, Brazil, broken down by (a) travel, (b) accommodation, (c) subsistence and (d) any other associated costs, and, for each of these categories, what the estimated cost…
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41890 on 1 December 2025. 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-committe…
5 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid in total in carbon levies on business flights in each of the last three financial years, broken down by ministerial portfolio.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The total amount of carbon levy collected in each of the last three financial years is as follows. The levy is calculated and paid back annually by the Scottish Governments travel provider. It is not broken down by Ministerial portfolio.2024-25 - £8,704…
5 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the money collected from the carbon levy on its business flights has been spent on in each of the last three financial years, broken down, for each funded project, by the (a) project name and location, (b) delivery partner, (c) carbon standard used, (d) cost, (e) verified or estimat…
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government carbon levy is collected annually and is accumulated until there is enough available funds to invest in carbon reduction projects on the core estate. In the last three financial years no carbon levy money has been spent.
5 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to MV Glen Sannox, what contractual arrangements are in place for the supply and bunkering of (a) marine gas oil and (b) liquefied natural gas; what provisions apply to fuel delivery, standing charges, storage or minimum offtake (take-or-pay) obligations when the vessel is u…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The provision, supply and procurement of fuel is a matter for CalMac as the operator and this is managed through existing contracts with their suppliers. For MV Glen Sannox this applies both to LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) and MGO (Marine Gas Oil), and while t…
5 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has approved the proposed “Heroes of Net Zero” campaign, and, if so, what the (a) objectives, (b) target audiences and (c) delivery timeline and key milestones are, and whether it will provide details of any forecast or actual costs for each financial year of the c…
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government has not proposed a 'Heroes of Net Zero' campaign, has not done so in the past and is not aware of any proposals to do so in the future. Therefore, we cannot provide a response to points (a), (b) and (c). It is worth noting that the Sco…
5 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40762 by Gillian Martin on 9 October 2025, what indicators it uses to evidence “a deeper level of engagement” at international events, and what evidence it will publish from the September 2025 programme in (a) Japan and (b) New York to d…
Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the Member to the answer detail for question S6W-40762, which sets out the key objectives for participation and engagements undertaken during Scotland’s programme in Osaka and Tokyo across the 6 months and also confirms the intention to publish …
5 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40762 by Gillian Martin on 9 October 2025, what carbon levy on business flights was charged and paid in respect of ministerial and official travel to (a) Japan between 15 and 19 September 2025 and (b) New York between 20 and 24 September 2025, broke…
Answer · Ivan McKee: The carbon levy collected in respect of Ministerial and official travel is listed in the following table. The levy is applied to Ministerial and official travel booked via the Scottish Governments travel agent.TravelerSegmentLevy AmountCO2 (Tonnes)Cab SecEdin…
5 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of Scotland’s percentage share of global greenhouse gas emissions in each of the last five years.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government remains fully committed to reaching net zero by 2045 and Scotland’s new draft Climate Change Plan (CCP) is clear that climate action presents a real and growing economic opportunity to create green jobs and boost investment. The …
5 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the cost of translation services has been to each NHS board in each of the last seven financial years.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.Whilst Scottish Government regularly review the financial positions of NHS Boards, data regarding spending on translation services is not collected.Each Health Board is responsible for their own…
4 Nov 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the culture secretary has met with STV following recent reports of its plan to close its North of Scotland news programme.
3 Nov 2025 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister when the Scottish Government will announce a timetable for improvement works on the A96 north of Inverurie, following the publication of its corridor review consultation report.
29 Oct 2025 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to increase the current threshold of 50MW for approval by its Energy Consents Unit of onshore electricity generating stations, to allow more decisions to be taken by local planning authorities.
20 Oct 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the potential impact on regional economies and employment, what assessment it has made of the extent to which projected transmission-related job opportunities are dependent on the consenting outcome for proposed overhead line projects within the current network upgrade program…
1 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had since 1 January 2024 with accommodation providers contracted by the UK Government, regarding the accommodation in Scotland of people seeking asylum, including those providing floating accommodation, broken down by the (a) name of provider and (b) dates of …
Answer · Kaukab Stewart: Scottish Government officials attend regular meetings of the Asylum and Refugee Partnership Board (ARPB) and associated Delivery and Procurement Group, at which representatives of Mears Group are generally also present. Mears Group is the current UK Governmen…