Chamber and committees

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

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S7W-02110

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to evaluate the interactions between GP walk-in clinics and GP practices in delivering continuity of care.

A national monitoring and evaluation framework is being developed by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Public Health Scotland and NHS Boards. This will assess cost, activity, patient experience, workforce impact, health inequalities, clinical safety and wider system effects. The walk-in services are designed to provide an additional route for patients to access same-day care for minor illnesses. Itis hoped that this will free up capacity within GP practices to focus on patients with complex, longer term conditions which require continuity of care.

Question reference: S7W-02111

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £36 million allocated for GP walk-in clinics has been spent to date, and whether this funding will continue in the next financial year.

Question reference: S7W-02109

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are currently employed on a full-time basis in GP walk-in clinics, broken down by (a) GP, (b) nurse and (c) administration and other staff.

Question reference: S7W-01610

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-43870 by Jenni Minto on 26 February 2026, what progress has been made in establishing advisory groups led by clinicians for grouped long-term conditions, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID, and whether these groups have already met and issued recommendations for consideration.

Six Long Term Conditions Advisory Groups were established under the previous Government in March 2026. Advisory Group 5 focused on Long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/ CFS) and other post-infectious/ post-viral conditions.

The Advisory Groups provided recommendations by 7 May 2026 for the new government to consider. We are grateful for the work of all six Advisory Groups in developing their recommendations.

It is for Scottish Ministers to decide whether and to what extent any of the recommendations become government policy. We are carefully considering the Advisory Groups’ recommendations to inform our way forward for long term conditions. Our Programme for Government for 2026-27 will be put to the Parliament in due course.

Question reference: S7W-01824

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 3 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, since May 2024, how many clinical breast cancer patients are estimated to have undergone chemotherapy from which they derived no clinical benefit, and what steps it is taking to prevent such treatment that would be determined to be of no clinical benefit and to protect resources through the immediate expansion of genomic testing.

The Scottish Government does not hold an estimate of how many clinical breast cancer patients have undergone chemotherapy from which they derived no clinical benefit.

We are committed to ensuring that people with cancer receive the treatment most appropriate to their individual circumstances. The Scottish Government has commissioned the NHS Scotland Cancer Collaborative (NSCC) to develop National Clinical Management Pathways (CMPs). CMPs outline the patient with cancer journey from diagnosis onwards and support consistent decision-making across Scotland on optimal treatment options at the various points in a patient’s pathway. They help clinicians and patients to work in partnership to consider the likely benefits and risks of treatment options and allow people to make an informed choice about their care, as well as reducing waste, potential harm and regret about treatment decisions, in line with the principles of Realistic Medicine.

The process for the development and review of CMPs has been previously described in S6W-42977 on 20 January 2026.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering equitable access to genomic testing and precision medicines and continue to work with NHS Scotland partners to explore opportunities to expand our genomic testing provision in Scotland, in line with our strategy and resources.

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/written-questions-and-answers.

Question reference: S7W-01815

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the extent to which increased access to mechanical thrombectomy could reduce demand for inpatient stroke rehabilitation services in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Question reference: S7W-01823

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on patient outcomes of the reported two-year gap in routine access to Oncotype DX testing for node-positive breast cancer patients in Scotland compared with England and Wales, where NICE guidance was implemented in May 2024.

Question reference: S7W-01816

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out comparing the cost of implementing a "super rota" arrangement in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to improve patient access to mechanical thrombectomy with the cost to the NHS and social care system of providing additional rehabilitation, community support and long-term care for stroke patients who are unable to access mechanical thrombectomy when clinically referred for such a procedure.

Question reference: S7W-01814

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 17 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, pending the establishment of a full 24-hour, seven-day-a-week thrombectomy service, what discussions it has had with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) about the potential implementation of a "super rota" arrangement, similar to that operated by NHS Lothian, to reduce inequity in access to mechanical thrombectomy for stroke patients.

Question reference: S7W-01494

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 20 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported shortage of anaesthetists across NHS Scotland.

The number of Anaesthetic Consultants working in NHS Scotland has grown by 21.6% over the last decade and stood at 895.2 WTE as at 31 March 2026. Following annual reviews of the number of specialty training places needed to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need, the Scottish Government has funded the creation of approximately 850 additional posts across multiple specialities since 2014, including in anaesthetics.

The Scottish Government’s role is to provide strategic leadership for NHS Scotland to ensure a sustainable NHS workforce. Operational matters relating to staffing including recruitment to specific specialities such as anaesthetists, are the responsibility of individual NHS Boards and will depend on service needs, taking account of national, regional and local priorities. Boards are required to ensure that suitably qualified and competent staff are available in appropriate numbers to support safe, high-quality care and staff wellbeing, in line with the requirements of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019.