Parliamentary questions
Miles Briggs
4,209 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people have been reported to the Scottish Children's Reporter in each year since 1999.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) publishes annual statistics on referrals. Data on referrals going back to 2003-2004 is available on the SCRA website here: Online Statistical Dashboard - SCRA.If this is not sufficient for your purp…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many counselling sessions have taken place in schools in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Local Authorities have the statutory responsibility for education therefore the Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Local authorities may hold this information.As part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to invest in access…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school-aged children have been home educated in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Scottish Government does not collect the information on the number of children and young people in receipt of home education.Local authorities hold responsibility for ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children being home educated, and that the education th…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact that the reported increasing need for neurodevelopmental condition assessment, diagnosis and support has had on service capacity within secondary care mental health services.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government acknowledges that the increase in children, young people and adults seeking neurodevelopmental support and assessment across Scotland is creating challenges for services.Scottish Government officials are engaging with Health Boards acr…
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what review it has undertaken of the provision of school security measures across the school estate.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: It is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage their school estate and the Scottish Government expect them to exercise their statutory responsibilities and deliver a safe environment for all school users.
22 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many global clinical trials for new cancer treatments have not been initiated in Scotland due to the relevant genomic test not being available in NHS Scotland, in each year since 1999.
Answer · Neil Gray: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.The selection of countries and sites for global clinical trials for new cancer treatments is dependent on a complex range of factors, including the wider regulatory environment.The Scottish Gov…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have been provided with prescription drugs by teachers during school hours in each year since 1999, also broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The information requested is not held centrally.
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure that there is (a) a specific focus on and (b) accompanying ringfenced funding for kidney disease in the forthcoming long-term conditions framework.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with long term conditions including Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, eff…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of utilising home dialysis for patients with chronic kidney disease on (a) alleviating pressure on the NHS, (b) improving economic productivity and (c) delivering better patient outcomes.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with long term conditions including Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, eff…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a policy to ensure that a minimum of 20% of dialysis patients in renal centres receive home dialysis.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The decision to offer home dialysis to patients is primarily a matter for NHS Boards. As detailed in my answer to question S6W-37695 on 27 May 2025, we have acted to address any financial disincentives to the patient by the agreement of a national policy acro…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what data is collected on the number of patients that receive home dialysis in each NHS board.
Answer · Jenni Minto: This information is not routinely collected by Scottish Government. Information on patients receiving home dialysis is held by NHS Boards.
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to address any regional variation in the uptake of home dialysis among patients in renal centres, in light of reports that this ranges from 7.2% to 26.2% across different NHS boards.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The decision to offer home dialysis to patients is primarily a matter for NHS Boards. Last year, we agreed a national policy to reimburse patients for the additional electricity costs of home dialysis so that patients are not exposed to the impact of high ene…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have needed catheterising in each year since 1999, also broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The information you have requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to (a) local authorities and (b) other education bodies on preventing the unauthorised use of AI by pupils.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The SQA is actively addressing issues in respect of unauthorised use of AI in assessment by providing centres and candidates with guidance on appropriate use of AI in assessment: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) in assessments - SQA.While any reports o…
13 May 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the setting of budget allocations, what discussions the finance secretary has had with NHS boards regarding the National Resource Allocation Formula.
7 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to establish a working group to investigate and consider any health impact on women due to exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES).
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has the utmost sympathy to the women who were prescribed diethylstilbestrol (DES) and the impact it had on them and their families.However, Scottish Ministers have no plans to establish a working group on this issue as the regulation f…
7 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many "school hubs", for pupils to be in school but not in a classroom setting, have been in operation in each local authority in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: This information is not held centrally. Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, education is the responsibility of local authorities.
7 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which commissions funded by it have been assigned to the social research agency, The Lines Between, in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: (a) The following 14 contracts were awarded to ‘The Lines Between’ by the Scottish Government in Fiscal Year 2024-25:Research on Fishers Behaviour towards Compliance & Enforcement.Adult Disability Payment Review.Options Study for Developing a …
7 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many High Speed Trains are operating on the ScotRail network.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Whilst this information is publicly available, I can advise that 25 High Speed Trains are currently in operation on Scotland’s railway.
7 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) children, (b) children with disabilities and (c) children with additional support needs have received out-of-school support during the school holidays in each year since 1999.
Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Local authorities make their own decisions about how to prioritise the provision of holiday clubs based on local need.Although there is currently no statutory duty to provide school age childcare to all …
7 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid the social research agency, The Lines Between, in each year since 2021-22, broken down by project.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The spend on contracts awarded to ‘The Lines Between’ by the Scottish Government is set out in the following table. We do not hold information on spend related to specific projects.Fiscal YearSpend2021-22£121,086.902022-23£399,965.3620…
7 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many young people have received a private mental health diagnosis in each year since 1999.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not collect this data.
23 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what role alcohol and drugs partnerships have in preventing homelessness.
Answer · Neil Gray: Given that drug and alcohol related problems can contribute to loss of accommodation, the actions taken through Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) to provide recovery-based support can help prevent homelessness. To help align their contribution, ADPs bring …
23 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the publication of the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour's review report, what consideration it has given to its recommendations regarding preventing homelessness.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Independent Working Group’s report on Antisocial Behaviour raises many important issues, including housing related matters and homelessness. The Scottish Government, Police Scotland and COSLA are considering the recommendations and Ministers provide…
23 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the public sector equality duty is reducing inequalities for people (a) in housing need and (b) who are homeless.
Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government is committed to tackling inequalities and equality is the thread running through our homelessness strategy, Ending Homelessness Together.The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is not a duty to achieve any particular results, but a duty…
23 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions its ministers have had regarding whether the information sharing provisions within the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill are relevant to preventing homelessness.
Answer · Maree Todd: The provisions contained within Part 2 of the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill are proposed to allow for the sharing of information for the efficient and effective provision of public health and social care services. Within this context the provisions could enable…
23 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people presenting as homeless have attended (a) A&E and (b) GP surgeries in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government does not hold data on the number of people presenting as homeless to (a) A&E and (b) GP surgeries.
23 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people under the age of 65 have received free personal care in each year since the instruction of the policy in 2002, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Maree Todd: The extension of Free Personal Care to people under the age of 65, also known as Frank's Law, came into effect in April 2019.The Scottish Government do not hold data on how many adults aged 18-64 were paying for or receiving personal care prior to 2019.The Sc…
23 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) knee and (b) hip replacement operations have taken place out-of-area for patients at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in each year since 1999, broken down by in-area NHS board.
Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. More detailed information on the procedure(s) that is planned or undertaken for a patient will be held locally by NHS Boards.
23 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many attacks by dogs have been reported to Police Scotland in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The recording of reported dog attack data is an operational matter for Police Scotland. The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Police Scotland may hold information relevant to the subject matter for this PQ and the member may wish to ask for …