Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-37692

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 May 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 27 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken on (a) each of the actions under priority 1 and (b) action 4.1 under priority 4 of the Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme: Delivery Plan: October 2023 – April 2025.

We are committed to upholding human rights and enabling people who lack capacity to live well, with choice and control over their own lives, as well as any care, treatment, or wider assistance they might need. We are grateful to those who responded to our Adults with Incapacity (AWI) consultation last year, the analysis of which was published in January 2025. We are now moving from consultation to collaboration and will establish an AWI Expert Working Group and Minister-led Oversight Group to understand policy, practical and resourcing implications more fully ahead of legislative reform. One of the key areas for further development, drawing on the valuable feedback already gathered, will be Supported Decision Making.

Question reference: S6W-37554

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 whether it will write to the UK Government to seek clarity on what steps can be taken to expand access to tovorafenib.

The regulations for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines are reserved to the UK Government and are the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). For a medicine to be routinely prescribed in the UK, it firstly needs to receive a marketing authorisation. This process ensures the safety, quality and efficacy of medicines placed on the market in the UK. It is the responsibility of individual pharmaceutical companies to apply to the MHRA for a marketing authorisation.

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-37552

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 4 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will write to the UK Government to expedite the review being conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on tovorafenib, to ensure that it can be made available to patients in Scotland as soon as possible.

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-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-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.

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