Brian Whittle

12 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any benefit of physical activity for disabled people.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government’s Physical Activity for Health Framework highlights the critical role of sport and physical activity for everyone, including disabled people. Grounded in the latest scientific evidence and key public health principles, the Framew…

12 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that data relating to the dental workforce in Scotland is collected and reported on a whole-time equivalent basis, in order to provide more accurate assessment of clinical capacity and not solely headcount figures.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government recognises both the importance of gaining a better understanding of Whole Time Equivalence (WTE) within the primary care dental workforce, and the potential limitations associated with existing headcount data. In response, a dental wor…

12 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to improving post-diagnosis support of people with interstitial lung disease, particularly in rural areas, and what role it believes the third sector has to play in providing those services.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring people diagnosed with lung conditions, such as interstitial lung disease (ILD), receive timely, high-quality post-diagnosis support, and values the vital role that third sector organisations play i…

12 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to develop the role of enhanced or Tier Two dental practitioners within NHS Scotland, and whether it will set out for such practitioners (a) a process for recruitment and training, (b) a national model or system to support their clinical operation, (c) how it will identi…

Answer · Jenni Minto: The 2018 Oral Health Improvement Plan set out the Scottish Government’s intention to introduce enhanced service practitioners, working within the General Dental Service (GDS) or primary care/ high street environment. The aim of this proposal was to supp…

12 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address reported concerns that 40% of people with disabilities are worried their benefits will be removed if they are seen to be more active.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government strongly supports the Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) Call to Action to enable disabled people to engage in sport and physical activity and address the finding that 40% of disabled people in Scotland are worried about losing their bene…

12 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address recent reports that 90% of people with disabilities do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government welcomes Scottish Disability Sport’s (SDS) National Survey and Call to Action. We acknowledge that disabled people are less likely to be active, and we remain committed to working with SDS and wider partners to reduce barriers to…

12 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact on childhood dentistry of the reported increased use of nicotine pouches by young people.

Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42570 on 29 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-committ…

12 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to undertaking a respiratory care audit across all NHS boards.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of robust data to inform service planning and improve outcomes for people with respiratory conditions, including interstitial lung disease (ILD). In 2023, we provided funding to Public Health Scotland to under…

12 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address reported inequality in sports participation for children living in a household with a disabled parent.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government acknowledges that households with a disabled family member often face challenges such as accessibility issues and increased poverty, which in turn can create barriers to participation. The Scottish Government’s devolved disabilit…

12 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered the collection of routine data on children’s use of tobacco, vapes and nicotine pouches, and whether it would consider publishing such data.

Answer · Jenni Minto: In 2023, we published the Tobacco and Vaping Framework, which set out the Scottish Government’s ambition to create a tobacco-free generation by 2034. Progress towards this goal is measured against five key indicators, two of which relate to smoking and …

9 Dec 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the role of the third sector in ensuring the sustainability of the NHS.

3 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent in total on its We Are Scotland campaign.

Answer · Kaukab Stewart: The total spend on the community cohesion We Are Scotland campaign is £660,000.

3 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much was spent on the advertising and promotion of St Andrew's Day on (a) radio, (b) television, (c) print media and (d) digital and social media in 2025.

Answer · Angus Robertson: The spend on the St Andrew’s Day campaign, in support of community cohesion at home in Scotland, and to promote Scotland as a country internationally as a place to live, work, visit, study and do business, was;£60,586 for radio£77,819 for di…

2 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41852 by Gillian Martin on 25 November 2025, what the (a) estimated cost and (b) average time taken is for the Energy Consents Unit to process a representation generated by the Object Now service in relation to the Kintore-Tealing overhead…

Answer · Gillian Martin: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42271 on 16 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-committ…

2 Dec 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41852 by Gillian Martin on 25 November 2025, whether it will provide the (a) lowest, (b) highest, (c) median and (d) mean figure for the (i) cost and (ii) time taken for the Energy Consents Unit to process a representation from a memb…

Answer · Gillian Martin: As previously stated in the answer to S6W-41852, the processing of a representation requires multiple members of staff of the Energy Consents Unit to undertake a combination of detailed administrative tasks. The time and cost taken to process representations …

28 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 in relation to the fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4), and what its position is on whether applications called in for considerati…

Answer · Ivan McKee: National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was approved by the Scottish Parliament in February 2023, before the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act commenced. Its implementation reflects children’s rights principles, including participation and wellbeing con…

26 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the increase in inflammatory bowel disease cases, in light of reported estimates that 25,000 people in the UK will be diagnosed in 2025 with Crohn's disease and colitis, and that Scotland has the highest prevalence in the UK, with one in 103 people affected.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government welcomes IBD UK’s report Crohn’s and Colitis Care in Scotland: A Vision for Change and values its contribution to improving care for people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).We are committed to ensuring that peop…

26 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to improve public-facing information on the specific symptoms of Crohn’s disease and colitis to support earlier diagnosis, including through the NHS 24 Online app and other tools.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of improving public awareness of the symptoms of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis to support earlier diagnosis and reduce stigma.We have worked with Crohn’s & Colitis UK and clinicians to…

26 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the £620,000 of funding that it has provided to improve the understanding of, and support for, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), whether it will provide information on how the money has been allocated and spent in the (a) financial year 2024-25 and (b) current fina…

Answer · Tom Arthur: In the financial year 2024-25, we provided £216,500 of grant funding to the FASD Hub in Scotland which provides support, training and advice to families, carers and professionals supporting children affected by FASD. This hub is the first of its kind in…

26 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the additional £500,000 allocated to enhance the support available to children and families as referenced on 1 October 2025 by the Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing, whether it will provide information on how the money has been allocated and spent in the (a) …

Answer · Tom Arthur: The additional funding of £500,000 is allocated in the current financial year, 2025-26 across a range of projects aimed at improving access to neurodevelopmental support for children, young people and their families. Further details about the projects r…

26 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the additional £500,000 allocated to enhance the support available to children and families as referenced on 1 October 2025 by the Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing, whether it will provide information on how this money will directly support people …

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government is providing an additional £500,000 funding in 2025-26 to improve access to neurodevelopmental support for children, young people and their families. In line with the National Neurodevelopmental Specification, such support is not…

13 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41171 by Gillian Martin on 27 October 2025, whether the Energy Consents Unit employs AI in its processes for dealing with representations by members of the public and, if not, whether it plans to do so.

Answer · Gillian Martin: The Energy Consents Unit (ECU) manages all representations through established administrative procedures and does not employ the use of AI.The ECU is actively working to make the representations process more efficient, including enhancing its website and port…

13 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-41171 by Gillian Martin on 27 October 2025, what the estimated cost is for the Energy Consents Unit to process a representation from a member of the public, also broken down by the time taken to do so.

Answer · Gillian Martin: Processing a public representation requires multiple members of staff in the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) to manually undertake a sequence of detailed administrative tasks. This involves logging the submission in the correct format, reviewing its contents for v…

12 Nov 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the growth of the domestic supply chain for energy infrastructure.

5 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that people with cleft lips or cleft palates are able to access appropriate dental treatment.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The National Cleft Surgical Service for Scotland (NCSSS) is hosted within NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and provides surgical, psychological and cleft specialist nursing input for the management of children with Cleft Lip and/or Palate.Cleft Care Scotland (…

4 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the forthcoming expansion of the Armed Forces Covenant, which might include an expansion into social care, what discussions it has had with (a) local authorities and (b) health and social care partnerships to ensure that the covenant is embedded in social care.

Answer · Tom Arthur: Ministers regularly meet with local authorities and Health and Social Care Partnerships where a spectrum of issues are discussed. However, there have been no specific meetings at this stage to discuss the expansion of the Armed Forces Covenant into social car…

4 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the forthcoming expansion of the Armed Forces Covenant, which might include an expansion into criminal justice, what discussions it has had with the Scottish (a) Courts and Tribunals Service and (b) Prisons Service to embed the covenant throughout its services.

Answer · Angela Constance: We welcome the UK Government’s announcement to expand the Armed Forces Covenant into further areas of Government activity including criminal justice. We note it is planned by the UK Government to provide for the necessary legislative detail for this app…

4 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the forthcoming expansion of the Armed Forces Covenant, which might include an expansion into early years and childcare, what discussions it has had with local authorities to ensure armed forces families are able to access childcare in their area.

Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant - that serving personnel and their families should face no disadvantage in accessing support and services in comparison to the civilian population as a result …

4 Nov 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the forthcoming expansion of the Armed Forces Covenant, which might include an expansion into early years and childcare, what discussions it has had with the Care Inspectorate to ensure that it considers the covenant in its inspections.

Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Care Inspectorate takes account of any national policy change, where it is appropriate to do so, when carrying out its regulatory and inspection function. The forthcoming expansion of the Armed Forces Covenant would therefore be considered if it required …

21 Oct 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-40975 by Jenni Minto on 21 October 2025, whether it has completed a risk assessment and evaluated any liabilities of independent prescriber pharmacists not having read/write access to patient records in 2026.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has not undertaken a risk assessment or evaluation of the liabilities of pharmacist independent prescribers who do not have read/write access to patient records. However, other organisations make clear the clinical and professional exp…