Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-33678

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on recent drug-related deaths in rural areas, including Aberdeenshire, and what steps it is taking to reduce these figures.

National Records of Scotland publish annual accredited official statistics on drug-related deaths in Scotland. The latest release, covering 2023, is available at https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/drug-related-deaths-in-scotland-in-2023/. The accompanying data file provides a more comprehensive breakdown of the statistics, including by both NHS board area and local authority area.

The Scottish Government publishes a quarterly report to provide an indication of current trends in suspected drug deaths in Scotland. The data in this report is operational information from Police Scotland who compile figures on the basis of reports from police officers attending scenes of death. This is management information and not subject to the same level of validation and quality assurance as Official Statistics. The latest release, covering July to September 2024, is available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/suspected-drug-deaths-scotland-july-september-2024/. The accompanying data file provides a more comprehensive breakdown of the figures, including by Police Division.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to reducing drug deaths and harms. Through the National Mission we are seeing success across a wide range of actions designed to save lives and reduce harms. The total funding proposed for alcohol and drugs, including health board baseline funding, is over £150 million in 2025-26. This includes maintaining £112 million funding for Alcohol and Drug Partnerships, continuing to fund grassroots organisations through £13m via the Corra Foundation, and supporting a wide range of activity - including supporting residential rehabilitation.

Question reference: S6W-33544

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it is addressing any issues in relation to the recruitment and retention of mental health professionals in rural areas.

Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan (2023) set out actions to support employers in ensuring that the needs of rural communities are met through national work to develop a Health and Social Care Rural Workforce Recruitment Strategy which will also take into account the mental health and wellbeing workforce.

As part of this national work and in collaboration with NHS Education for Scotland’s (NES) Centre for Workforce Supply and the National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care, we will develop a sustained model of direct support that will provide employers with the help they need to improve recruitment success.

Question reference: S6W-33475

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many surgical procedures have been cancelled in each of the last five years due to a lack of surgical screws or other necessary equipment, broken down by NHS board.

The number of cancelled operations under ‘non-clinical/capacity reasons’ is the most granular level of detail that’s provided from PHS’s website, breakdown as follows:

	12 months to November
NHS Board	Nov-24	Nov-23	Nov-22	Nov-21	Nov-20
NHSScotland	6370	6095	6038	4397	4621
NHS Ayrshire & Arran	417	400	342	146	418
NHS Borders	271	163	226	118	84
NHS Dumfries & Galloway	361	355	348	205	166
NHS Fife	293	397	347	215	198
NHS Forth Valley	387	247	123	121	99
NHS Grampian	806	599	848	734	654
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde	973	995	1231	784	782
NHS Highland	562	366	519	439	466
NHS Lanarkshire	346	367	314	175	244
NHS Lothian	1447	1562	1136	809	1014
NHS Orkney	46	0	39	107	87
NHS Shetland	61	72	21	15	2
NHS Tayside	89	160	172	189	193
NHS Western Isles	18	24	13	15	16
NHS Golden Jubilee	293	388	359	325	198

Question reference: S6W-33543

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many mental health services are currently available in rural areas, and what percentage of these are delivered via digital platforms.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Decisions around the provision of mental health services is a local responsibility, planned by Integrated Joint Boards and delivered through a mixture of NHS, local authority and third sector organisations. The availability of service, including via digital platforms, will vary depending the local population needs and will be guided by clinical decision making.

Question reference: S6W-33476

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many surgical procedures have been cancelled in each of the last five years due to a lack of available surgical kits, broken down by NHS board.

The number of cancelled operations under ‘non-clinical/capacity reasons’ is the most granular level of detail that’s provided from PHS’s website, breakdown as follows:

	12 month to March (Financial Years)
NHS Board	Apr-23	Apr-22	Apr-21	Apr-20	Apr-19
NHS Scotland	6049	6544	4960	2572	7501
NHS Ayrshire & Arran	375	399	231	85	658
NHS Borders	194	216	166	38	151
NHS Dumfries & Galloway	390	352	253	104	306
NHS Fife	339	407	274	97	365
NHS Forth Valley	375	156	154	36	227
NHS Grampian	598	871	713	496	899
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde	987	1189	980	565	1145
NHS Highland	397	478	468	226	738
NHS Lanarkshire	392	332	220	91	572
NHS Lothian	1440	1499	782	502	1657
NHS Orkney	0	0	120	64	84
NHS Shetland	69	37	20	2	30
NHS Tayside	116	188	228	95	324
NHS Western Isles	20	16	9	15	30
NHS Golden Jubilee	357	404	342	156	315

Question reference: S6W-33489

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 30 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of compulsory purchase orders issued in each of the last five years were contested, and how many of these contests resulted in changes to the original orders.

The Scottish Government regularly publishes a register of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) submitted to the Scottish Ministers for confirmation since 2012: https://www.gov.scot/publications/compulsory-purchase-order-register/. The current register, published in December, includes CPOs received up to the end of October 2024.

Whilst the register of CPOs does not include information on whether orders submitted for confirmation were opposed, it does indicate where orders were confirmed with modifications.

Question reference: S6W-34166

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to support doctors who have been victims of assault in the workplace.

Question reference: S6W-34144

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many speeding offences on trunk roads the procurator fiscal decided to take no further action in relation to, in each year since 2018, broken down by the (a) reason for the decision and (b) trunk road.

Question reference: S6W-34112

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how often emergency telephones on the A90, including the section north of Dundee, have been used in the past five years.

Question reference: S6W-34105

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 26 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many cat’s eyes are installed on the A90, broken down by the (a) section north of Dundee and (b) other sections.

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