Parliamentary questions
Jamie Halcro Johnston
536 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of hours of palliative care that have not been delivered due to staff shortages in the last five years, broken down by (a) year and (b) NHS board.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Referral to specialist palliative care services for people living with serious health conditions and/or those who require specialist palliative care when they are dying is based on individualised needs assessments. As a wide range of specialist and generalist…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the current average waiting time is for patients requiring cataract surgery, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37715 on 28 May 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-committees/w…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting NHS boards to maintain palliative care provision in the context of any wider reported workforce pressures, particularly in remote and rural areas.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is in the process of producing a new palliative care strategy and delivery plan to help ensure palliative care is provided to everyone who needs it regardless of where they live. Both are underpinned by evidence on current service deli…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any national strategies or funding initiatives aimed at increasing the number of cataract surgeries performed.
Answer · Neil Gray: In January 2022, the Scottish Government commissioned the Centre for Sustainable Delivery to establish the Scottish National Cataract Short Life Working Group to address current challenges in cataract surgery in Scotland.This work has led to the publication o…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is addressing any regional disparities in waiting times for assessed social care packages, and whether it will provide a breakdown of what efforts are being made by each NHS board to reduce waiting times.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government understands the pressures faced and have invested a record £21.7 billion in health and social care in 2025-26, which includes almost £2.2 billion for social care and integrationHowever, it is important to note that while th…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients died while waiting to access specialist palliative care services in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The information requested is not held centrally.
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients waited longer than the recommended time for palliative care services to begin in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Jenni Minto: This information is not held centrally.Referral to specialist palliative care services for people living with serious health conditions and/or those who require specialist palliative care when they are dying is based on individualised needs assessments. As a …
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the longest recorded waiting time has been for a cataract operation in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Neil Gray: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.Public Health Scotland (PHS) uses the national waiting times datamart to collect electronic patient records covering the waits that patients experience waiting for treatment as an inpatient or …
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time has been for access to palliative care services in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Jenni Minto: This information is not held centrally.Referral to specialist palliative care services for people living with serious health conditions and/or those who require specialist palliative care when they are dying is based on individualised needs assessments. As a …
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average time has been between receiving a social care assessment and delivery of a social care package in each year since 2018, also broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not hold data which would answer this question.However, data up to 2022-23 on Social Care eligibility and waiting times is publicly available at Local Authority level via the following weblink:Social care: eligibility criteria and…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce waiting times for access to palliative and end-of-life care services across Scotland.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who needs it can access high-quality palliative care that is right for their circumstances.The Scottish Government published a draft palliative care strategy ‘Palliative care matters for all…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many delayed discharge incidents from hospital were attributable to a lack of available social care packages, in each of the last five years, also broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Neil Gray: A delayed discharge occurs when a hospital patient who is clinically ready for discharge from inpatient hospital care continues to occupy a hospital bed beyond the date they are ready for discharge. Information held nationally on delayed discharges can identi…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of delayed cataract surgery on patient wellbeing, including risks of falls, injuries and social isolation, particularly among older patients.
Answer · Neil Gray: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Such work may have been carried out by individual health boards as part of their planning processes.
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients (a) are currently waiting for cataract surgery and (b) have been on a waiting list for cataract surgery in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-37715 on 28 May 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-co…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what any shortfall in the social care workforce has been, in terms of hours of unmet care, since 2018, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maree Todd: While the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care support policy in Scotland, it is for local Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) to ensure that social care support services are in place to provide their population with the appro…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time has been for social care services in each year since 2018, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not hold data which would answer this question.However, data up to 2022/23 on Social Care eligibility and waiting times is publicly available at Local Authority level via the following weblink:Social care: eligibility criteria and…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of unmet care hours due to a shortage of carers in each year since 2018, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maree Todd: Health and Social Care Partnerships provide Public Health Scotland with a weekly snapshot of the current demand for Care at Home services. The data includes information on the total number of hours of care that people were waiting to receive, following an ass…
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the average referral-to-treatment times for patients receiving palliative care in (a) hospital, (b) hospice and (c) community settings for each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Jenni Minto: This information is not held centrally.Referral to specialist palliative care services for people living with serious health conditions and/or those who require specialist palliative care when they are dying is based on individualised needs assessments. As a …
14 May 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many palliative care nursing and medical posts have remained unfilled in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Information on the NHS medical and non-medical workforce can be found on the NHS Education for Scotland (NES) website on the following link: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence
13 May 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the cost to local authorities has been since May 2021 of dealing with planning applications and appeals relating to new energy infrastructure, such as wind farms, pylons and battery storage facilities.
30 Apr 2025 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the transport provision for communities across the Highlands and Islands has improved or worsened since 2007.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Since 2007 we have completed ten major trunk road upgrades, including on the A830, A82, A9, and A96, improving the safety and reliability of these routes for roads users across the Highlands, Islands and beyond.We opened new stations at Conon Bridge and Inver…
22 Apr 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any discussions it has had with the tourism sector and other stakeholders regarding amending the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024.
14 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average cost to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was of dealing with each wildfire incident in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
14 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to employers in the Highlands and Islands to enable staff to carry out retained firefighter duties during working hours.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Recruitment and retention of Wholetime and On Call firefighters is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Chief Fire Officer and Board.Many on call firefighters have primary jobs and have a primary employer. SFRS has an Employers Recognition…
14 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing a specific retention package for retained firefighters in remote and island areas.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Recruitment and retention of Wholetime and On Call firefighters is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Chief Fire Officer and Board.Terms and Conditions and pay of all firefighters are negotiated on a UK wide basis under a well-establishe…
14 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported challenges in the recruitment of retained firefighters in rural and island communities.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Recruitment and retention of Wholetime and On Call firefighters is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Chief Fire Officer and Board.In common with other fire and rescue services both across the UK and internationally there are recognised …
14 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has held with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service regarding additional incentives to support retained firefighter recruitment and retention in the Highlands and Islands.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Recruitment and retention of Wholetime and On Call firefighters is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Chief Fire Officer and Board.Terms and Conditions of all firefighters are negotiated on a UK wide basis under a well-established collec…
14 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average time spent by each fire station was in each of the last 10 years in engaging with stakeholders on reducing the risk of wildfires.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
14 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average time spent by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crew was on dealing with wildfire incidents in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Dealing with large outdoor fires can be physically demanding on crews and often lasts for prolonged periods. SFRS has well established welfare arrangements in place to ensure that crews receive regular r…
14 Apr 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding it has allocated to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in the Highlands and Islands to enhance its capacity to respond to wildfires.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The allocation of resources within the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is an operational matter for the Chief Fire Officer and SFRS Board. Scottish Government has not allocated funding to SFRS for the specific purpose of tackling wildfires, the £…