Parliamentary questions
Tess White
414 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
8 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on developing the new NHS app in each year since 2022.
Answer · Neil Gray: As set out in the answer to question S6W-35981 on 31 March 2025, delivery of the health and social care online app for Scotland is being taken forward by NHS Education Scotland (NES) as part of the wider Digital Front Door programme. The majority of costs to …
8 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the planned NHS app will be available to patients in the North East Scotland region, and what services it will offer.
Answer · Neil Gray: As described in the NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan (https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-scotland-operational-improvement-plan/pages/1/) and the answer to question S6W-35982 on 28 March 2025, the health and social care online app rollout will begi…
26 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many dedicated palliative care inpatient beds there have been in each of the past five years, broken down by acute hospital.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government does not hold this data centrally. However, Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes limited provisional information relating to ‘Acute hospital activity and NHS beds information’ in their annual and quarterly reports, releva…
26 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many psychiatric care units there have been in each of the past six years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The information requested is not held centrally. The member is welcome to review the latest Mental Health Inpatient Census 2024 which can provide an overview of beds available, and occupied by, ward type for NHS Scotland mental health facilities. NHS Assure m…
11 Jun 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with agricultural organisations regarding any increases in production costs as a result of new transmission infrastructure.
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many secondary schools are currently running the Equally Safe at School programme, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Kaukab Stewart: Our Equally Safe at School (ESAS), developed by Rape Crisis Scotland and Zero Tolerance, applies a whole school approach to inequality and gender-based violence in schools. Please see a breakdown in the following table of how many secondary schools are curren…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what (a) it is doing to combat coastal erosion at Montrose, with reference to dredging and (b) its position is following the 2021 publication of the Dynamic Coast report, Adaptation and Resilience Options for Montrose Bay.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government continues to support Angus Council to address the erosion issues affecting the sand dunes in Montrose through the Coastal Change Adaptation Fund.Dredging license applications from Montrose Port Authority have been carefully considered …
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with Police Scotland to ensure that staff networks advocating for sex-based rights, such as Police SEEN, receive recognition and the opportunity to review and inform internal policies, in light of the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Mi…
Answer · Angela Constance: Operational matters and internal policies are the responsibility of the Chief Constable, who is committed to ensuring all staff voices are heard. The Scottish Government expects Police Scotland to support a diverse and inclusive workplace where all staff netw…
20 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Mother and Baby Unit options appraisal report from NHS National Services Scotland will be published.
Answer · Maree Todd: I have been considering the Mother and Baby Unit Options Appraisal from NHS National Services Scotland. This has been impacted by financial restrictions, which have limited capital spending on new developments in Boards.As those pressures may begin to ease so…
12 May 2025 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the announcement that NHS Grampian has been escalated to stage 4 of NHS Scotland's National Performance Framework for finance, leadership and governance.
6 May 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake a review of Historic Environment Scotland before the end of the current parliamentary session.
28 Apr 2025 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the interim update from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission on the practical implications of the recent UK Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers.
15 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the additional £2.6 million in funding announced for National Treatment Centre Highland, how many procedures will be allocated to patients from NHS (a) Grampian and (b) Tayside as a result of the anticipated increase in capacity.
Answer · Neil Gray: The allocations of activity at National treatment Centres (NTCs) for the year 2025-26 have been made. Please see table below:NHS GrampianSpecialityProcedureAllocationOrthopaedicsFoot and Ankle70OrthopaedicsJoints600OphthalmologyCataract1753NHS TaysideSpeciali…
15 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Care Inspectorate will provide data on the unmet demand for childcare, in addition to providing existing data on the number of settings and places available.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Care Inspectorate does not hold data on unmet demand for childcare.The Care Inspectorate publishes a detailed list of registered services every month. The latest version can be found here: https://www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/publications-statistics…
15 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the recommendations in Transport Scotland's March 2023 report, Women's and girls' views and experiences of personal safety when using public transport.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The report on women and girls’ safety on public transport recommends measures to enhance security and comfort. These include better lighting, surveillance, greater staff presence, clear reporting, use of technology, public awareness campaigns and strict…
15 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when in 2025 it will publish a medium-term financial strategy.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government’s seventh Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) will be published week commencing 23 June 2025, alongside a Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan.Publishing in June will allow the MTFS to reflect the outcome of the UK Spending Revi…
15 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking with (a) Police Scotland and (b) the NHS to raise awareness of the dangers of purchasing weight loss injections from illegitimate or unauthorised sources.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is taking this issue seriously. As well as regular meetings with the Medicines Healthcare and products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer (CPO) has met with Police Scotland and Healthcare Improvement Scotland an…
15 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it expects work on the National Treatment Centre Grampian Project to recommence.
Answer · Neil Gray: The 2025-26 Scottish Budget provides additional investment of £139 million for NHS infrastructure. This provides increased core capital funding for NHS Boards and, as a first step to lifting the capital pause, allows work on the replacement of some acut…
15 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish an updated infrastructure investment plan.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) was published in 2021 and was intended to cover the period 2021-22 - 2025-26. However, as announced in the Scottish Government’s Medium Term Financial Strategy, the current IIP has been extended by a period of on…
15 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support small businesses, following the reported concerns of the Federation of Small Businesses over the "perfect storm" of rising energy and labour costs, increased administrative burdens and trade tariffs.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Economic growth is and always will be a clear priority for the Scottish Government and we are committed to ensuring Scotland is one of the best places to do business. FSB are is a key voice for small business and work closely with the Scottish Government to s…
15 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential risks of battery energy storage system sites, in light of reported concerns over public health and fire safety.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Safety is paramount in the delivery of all energy infrastructure, including Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).Where the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) receives information about a proposed BESS site, they refer those duty holders (site operators)…
9 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is carrying out to introduce a criminal law in respect of non-fatal strangulation.
Answer · Angela Constance: As detailed in our programme for Government for 2025-26, we are committed to carrying out a comprehensive assessment of the law in relation to non-fatal strangulation to determine if there is further action that needs to be taken.
9 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the board's reported financial situation, what its position is on how NHS Grampian will repay its reported loan from it of £92.2 million.
Answer · Neil Gray: NHS Grampian are escalated to Level 3 of the NHS Support and Intervention Escalation Framework for financial management and position and the Board continue to receive tailored support from the Scottish Government.Outstanding brokerage must be repaid to Scotti…
8 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to update The Prison and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2011.
Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:There are currently no plans at present to update The Prison and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 2011.SPS focus remains on…
8 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting NHS Grampian to implement placental growth factor (PlGF) testing for pre-eclampsia, and when it expects the test to be available.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has provided funding for implementation and ongoing delivery of placental growth factor- (PLGF-) based testing and we have confirmed that this will be allocated to NHS Boards on a recurring basis to ensure that all women who require ac…
7 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35620 by Neil Gray on 20 March 2025, whether it will provide details of the work that Healthcare Improvement Scotland is undertaking to standardise the reporting of incidents of rape and sexual assault in hospitals and on the NHS estate, and when th…
Answer · Neil Gray: Health Improvement Scotland are working with all NHS boards and partner organisations to standardise the reporting of adverse events, and have developed a national framework which was published in February 2025.This also includes a standard review process thr…
7 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when waiting lists for i-Sgoil will reopen; what the current average waiting time is for a place; whether it has had discussions with local authorities about the availability of the programme for pupils who cannot attend school, and whether any financial resources have been allocate…
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: At a national level, the Scottish Government funds the National e-Learning Offer (NeLO) to provide a range of resources to support learning across the curriculum. This includes the piloting of the i-Sgoil service to provide online support for young people who…
7 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the "stirring up hatred" provisions of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 to include "sex" as a characteristic.
Answer · Angela Constance: As set out in the answer to question S6W-37425 on 2 May 2025, the Scottish Government will lay before the Scottish Parliament in September a proposed draft of an SSI to add the characteristic of “sex” to the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) …
7 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35645 by Natalie Don-Innes on 26 March 2025, when it expects the findings and evaluation of the early adopter community work to be published, and whether an expansion of early learning and childcare will take place before the end of the current parl…
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: It is our aim to publish final outputs from the evaluation of the early adopter community (EAC) work in the second half of 2026.As outlined in our previous answer, due to the significant financial challenges facing the Scottish Government as a result of budge…
7 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the impact of childcare costs on (a) women's participation in the workforce and (b) Scotland's fertility rate.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: Supporting families through access to high quality, affordable and accessible childcare is critical to the First Minister’s mission of eradicating child poverty. That is why, since 2021, the Scottish Government has prioritised investment of £1 bil…