Seòmar agus comataidhean

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Testing questions body text for accordion

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 171 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-37553

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation it has made of whether tovorafenib can be made permanently available to patients in Scotland.

Tovorafenib does not currently have a marketing authorisation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It is the responsibility of individual pharmaceutical companies to apply to the MHRA for a marketing authorisation. If a marketing authorisation is granted, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) would welcome a submission for tovorafenib, however the decision on whether to submit a medicine for appraisal to the SMC, and the timing of that submission, is entirely for the pharmaceutical company that holds the marketing authorisation for the medicine to make.

Question reference: S6W-37551

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what efforts it can make to ensure that access to tovorafenib can be widened in Scotland.

Tovorafenib does not currently have a marketing authorisation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Before a company can place a medicine on the market in the UK it has to obtain regulatory approval by submitting data demonstrating the quality, safety and efficacy of the medicine in terms of treating a specified condition. This data is derived from clinical trials. If a marketing authorisation is granted, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) would welcome a submission for tovorafenib. The Scottish Government is aware that there is an international, phase 3 clinical trial looking at tovorafenib for the first line treatment of paediatric low-grade glioma which is open to people who meet the eligibility criteria. It is the responsibility of the clinician in charge of a patient’s care to advise on what treatment options may be available.

Question reference: S6W-36837

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has undertaken of any impact of non-residential social care charges on the uptake of social care by people eligible or already in receipt of social care.

Question reference: S6W-36838

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to abolishing all non-residential social care charges in the current parliamentary session, and, if so, by what date all such charges will be abolished.

Question reference: S6W-36839

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress on its work with COSLA in relation to abolishing non-residential social care charges in the current parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government continues to discuss options on non-residential social care charges with CoSLA and other partners whilst acknowledging the challenging financial context and ongoing pressure across the system. The charges people pay can vary across the country and it is important to fully assess impact within this complex delivery environment for people facing charges before agreeing the possible approach to removal.

Question reference: S6W-36860

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to deliver a pilot of the minimum income guarantee for unpaid carers, as set out in the recent proposal by Carers Scotland and IPPR Scotland.

The Scottish Government welcomes the work done by Carers Scotland and IPPR Scotland on a Minimum Income Guarantee pilot for unpaid carers.

We recognise the importance of unpaid care, which is why we made a Programme for Government commitment to work with the independent Minimum Income Guarantee Expert Group to model a Minimum Income Guarantee for unpaid carers.

The Scottish Government will carefully consider how this and wider work on a Minimum Income Guarantee for unpaid carers is incorporated into the independent Expert Group’s report and recommendations that we expect to see shortly.

Question reference: S6W-35283

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider the merits of a national HIV testing week for Scotland.

A national HIV testing week was carefully considered by the HIV Transmission Elimination Scoping Group, including clinical and public health experts, who did not recommend that it should be prioritised in the short to medium term. Based on the Group’s advice, our HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Plan 2023-26 sets out our approach to addressing stigma and promoting HIV testing on a consistent, year-round basis. However, the Scottish Government has committed to reviewing the potential costs and benefits of a national testing week once priority actions to expand capacity and improve access to testing have been progressed.

Question reference: S6W-35281

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what annual funding has been made available for HIV transmission elimination since that goal was set in 2020.

HIV transmission elimination is funded as part of the wider Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus (SHBBV) budget. Many of the interventions which support this have wider impacts on sexual health improvement and blood borne virus elimination.

Prior to the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Action Plan 2023-26, the SHBBV Framework was supported by approximately £2 million, to support delivery of the outcomes between 2018 and 2021. This funding came to an end in March 2021.

Due to the pandemic, during 2021-22 interim arrangements were made for third sector organisations to continue to receive funding under the Framework from an SHBBV budget of around £0.8 million, with an additional £0.5 million allocated as part of COVID-19 planning to support recovery actions.

The SHBBV budget is approximately £1.7m per year since 2023-24. This supports delivery of the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Action Plan 2023-26, including a range of projects focused on HIV transmission elimination (details of which were published with the Plan).

Other specific projects the Scottish Government has funded include the national HIV anti-stigma campaign (£250,000 in 2022-23), the development of an ePrEP clinic (£400,000 in 2022-23), emergency department opt-out testing pilots (£145,000 in 2023-24), online postal self-sampling for sexually transmitted infections and HIV (£119,000 in 2023-24 and £300,000 in 2024-25), the Terrence Higgins Trust HIV self-test service (around £120,000 per year) and a workforce education project led by Waverley Care to reduce stigma in health and social care settings (£95,000 in 2024-25).

Question reference: S6W-35282

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to fund an extension of emergency department opt-out HIV testing.

Question reference: S6W-35534

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 24 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the causes of the reported delay in implementing the fracture liaison service audit, and what steps it is taking to prevent further delays.

Tell us your views

Seòmar agus comataidhean

Questions and answers

Criathragan Hide all filters

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer

Answer