Parliamentary questions
Jackie Baillie
9,379 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote financial literacy to young people in schools.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of Financial Education in equipping learners with key life skills. Financial literacy is embedded in the curriculum in Scotland through numeracy and maths, business studies and personal and social education cl…
5 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has awarded to credit unions in each of thelast five financial years.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government does not hold a central record of all financial support provided to credit unions. Where funding has been provided, it has generally been through broader third sector or financial inclusion programmes such as those delivered by Social …
5 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the (a) Association of British Credit Unions Limited (ABCUL) and (b) Scottish League of Credit Unions, and what issues were discussed.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Scottish Government officials met with the Association of British Credit Unions Limited in December 2024 (and are due to meet them again in August) and with the Scottish League of Credit Unions in February 2025. Officials and Ministers have also met with indi…
5 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage young people to save money using schemes run by credit unions.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government is supporting work to encourage young people to develop good financial habits and increase engagement with credit unions. This includes collaboration with partners on initiatives aimed at improving financial education in schools and he…
5 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what types of support, including financial support, it provides to credit unions.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government regularly engages with the credit union sector in Scotland. At the most recent meeting of the Financial Services Growth and Development Board (FISGAD)in June, representatives of the sector confirmed they are working with Scottish Finan…
4 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of NHS Forth Valley delivering the BE FAST (balance, eyes, face, arms, speech, time) stroke awareness campaign in its accident and emergency department, whether it is considering rolling out the campaign to other NHS boards’ accident and emergency departments.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government does not plan to instruct NHS Boards to utilise BE FAST in emergency departments. The use of FAST is supported by both Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland and Stroke Association.
4 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the delivery of the BE FAST (balance, eyes, face, arms, speech, time) stroke awareness campaign in NHS Forth Valley’s accident and emergency department.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has not received any information regarding the delivery of a BE FAST stroke awareness campaign; therefore, no assessment has been made.
1 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reported findings by the British Society for Haematology that 19.7% of consultant haematologists in Scotland are due to retire in the next three years.
Answer · Neil Gray: Following work with stakeholders to review the number of specialty training places needed to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need, since 2014 the Scottish Government has funded the creation of hundreds of additional specialty training pl…
1 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve recruitment and retention levels among the blood cancer workforce.
Answer · Neil Gray: Whilst the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, responsibility for operational matters - including the staffing of individual services – rests with individual health boards based on national, regional and loca…
1 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to boost the cancer workforce, and whether haematology professionals are included in any such plans.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government undertakes annual reviews of the number of specialty training places needed in order to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need. Since 2014, the Scottish Government has funded the creation of hundreds of additional s…
1 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings laid out in the British Society for Haematology’s 2025 workforce report, The Haematology Workforce: A comprehensive view.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government welcomes the insight provided by the British Society for Haematology in this report and recognises the challenges facing haematology services and our overall workforce.The Scottish Government is responsible for setting the strategic po…
30 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what practical and financial steps it will take to stimulate myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) research.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office (CSO) funded with other health research organisations the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership that has published priorities for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) res…
30 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that NICE-compliant specialist services for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) are introduced by NHS boards, and that these services comply with the principles contained in the delivery plan for ME/CFS to ensure that people in Sco…
Answer · Jenni Minto: There are no devolved elements of the UK Government’s delivery plan on ME/CFS. It covers the population of England only.We are unable to formally endorse the Plan due to differing healthcare systems and statutory structures.However, the 2025-26 Scottish…
30 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will implement and fund the devolved elements of the delivery plan on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).
Answer · Jenni Minto: There are no devolved elements of the UK Government’s delivery plan on ME/CFS. It covers the population of England only.We are unable to formally endorse the Plan due to differing healthcare systems and statutory structures.However, the UK Government sh…
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, with reference to Kidney Care UK’s report, Left to get on with it: The real impact of inadequate psychosocial support in kidney care, which was published in June 2025, whether it will conduct a national audit of psychosocial service provision for people living with kidney dis…
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government welcomes Kidney Care UK’s recently published report and its important findings and recommendations. These will be carefully considered and reflected as appropriate in future policy planning for long term conditions like chronic k…
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients in each of the last five years have been unable to receive mechanical thrombectomy within the clinically recommended time window due to the lack of 24/7 provision.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The information requested is not held centrally.
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it collects data on stroke patients who were clinically eligible for thrombectomy or thrombolysis but did not receive treatment due to the lack of 24/7 service availability, and if so, whether it will publish this data.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The information requested is not held centrally.
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted a workforce assessment to identify the staff that would be required to deliver thrombectomy services on a 24/7 basis.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has not conducted a national workforce assessment for the staffing requirements of a 24/7 thrombectomy service, although regional planning groups have previously assessed the staff in various roles required to deliver a 24/7 thrombecto…
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of stroke patients who have experienced worsened clinical outcomes due to delays in receiving thrombectomy or thrombolysis treatment arising from limited service hours.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government does not hold information regarding clinical outcomes in relation to delays in receiving hyperacute stroke care. We remain committed to implementing a high quality and clinically safe thrombectomy service that is available across Scotl…
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have received mechanical thrombectomy treatment in each NHS board area in each of the last five years.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for Public Health Scotland.
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients in each of the last five years were assessed as eligible for thrombolysis within the recommended four and a half hour window but did not receive the treatment due to the unavailability of staff or services outside of standard operating hours.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The information requested is not held centrally. Thrombolysis is available 24/7 across Scotland.
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many interventional neuroradiologists are currently employed by NHS Scotland, and how many are required to deliver a 24/7 thrombectomy service.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is responsible for setting the strategic policy direction for NHS Scotland and its workforce, including interventional neuroradiologists.Operational matters, including the staffing of individual services, are the responsibility of each…
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients in each of the last five years were assessed as eligible for mechanical thrombectomy within the recommended six-hour treatment window but did not receive the procedure due to the unavailability of local thrombectomy services.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The information requested is not held centrally.
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated cost is of establishing a 24/7 thrombectomy service across all relevant hospitals in Scotland.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government does not currently have an estimated cost for the provision of a 24/7 thrombectomy service.The Scottish Government remains committed to implementing a high quality and clinically safe thrombectomy service that is available across Scotl…
18 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many funeral directors have registered with the Funeral Sector Register.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Regulation 4 of the Burial and Cremation (Inspection) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 makes provision for the Scottish Ministers to establish and maintain a register of relevant bodies and provides a power to publish the register or any information contained in t…
18 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many funeral directors there are in Scotland.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Burial and Cremation (Inspection) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 (the Inspection Regulations) make provision for the Scottish Ministers to establish and maintain a register of relevant bodies and provide a power to publish the register or any information con…
15 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the 2024-25 edition of the Annual Report: Inspectors of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Section 93 of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 requires each Inspector to prepare and publish an annual report. The time period for each report is dependent on the appointment date of each Inspector. The current Inspector’s appointment began…
15 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made hiring funeral inspectors, as set out in the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Ministers appointed inspectors of burial, cremation, and funeral directors under section 89 of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 on 1 October 2023 and 1 October 2024. There is currently one Inspector of burial, cremation, and funeral d…
15 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to monitor whether the funeral industry standards set out in the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 are being upheld.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Minsters are committed to the modernisation and improvement of the regulation of burial, cremation, and funeral services. The Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 (the 2016 Act) provides for Ministers to make regulations in connection with bu…
30 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether a new reporter will consider the planning appeal for the proposed development at Lomond Banks, in light of it being called in by the Scottish Ministers.
Answer · Ivan McKee: A reporter from the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) was appointed to examine the proposed development in January 2025 and following our recent recall for ministerial decision on the appeal, will now produce a report to Ministers, with recom…