Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-04502

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding what support could be provided in Scotland to any Palestinian refugees resettled to the UK.

Question reference: S6O-04323

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to encourage the prescription of medicinal cannabis on the NHS for the relief of chronic pain.

Question reference: S6W-33841

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 January 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent IBD UK report, Crohn’s and Colitis Care in Scotland, and, in light of this, whether it will commit to allocating more resources to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) services to increase support and staffing for advice line services, with the aim that responses during a flare can be received by the end of the next working day, in accordance with the IBD standards.

Question reference: S6F-03730

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 January 2025
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2025

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government plans to make creating sexually explicit “deepfake” images and videos a crime.

Question reference: S6W-32991

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 17 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many children from Scotland have been sent to secure accommodation in (a) England and (b) Wales since 28 August 2024.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on children from Scotland’s local authorities placed in secure accommodation outwith Scotland.

The responsibility for the placement and management of Scottish children in secure accommodation on welfare grounds through the children’s hearings system, or on an emergency basis under the authority of the relevant local chief social work officer, or remanded under section 51 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, or sentenced on summary proceedings under section 44 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, lies with each relevant local authority in Scotland.

Scottish Ministers are responsible for the management and placement of children sentenced on solemn proceedings under section 205 and 208 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995. Currently legislation does not allow for the placement of these children elsewhere in the UK. Our records show that no sentenced child from Scotland has been placed in secure accommodation in England and Wales or elsewhere in the UK.

While there may be some exceptional instances where a placement outwith Scotland would be appropriate, this should only be in the best interests of that individual child. Where practicable and appropriate, the view of the Scottish Government is that children should be placed as near to their home as possible.

Question reference: S6W-32406

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring it carries out of the reasons for train delays and cancellations, and what that main problems are that lead to these.

The Scottish Government requires ScotRail and Network Rail in Scotland to co-operate in the management, monitoring and improvement of Scottish train performance. The Office for Rail and Road publishes performance data for Scotland on its website. Delays and cancellations to Scottish rail services can be caused by problems with infrastructure, rolling stock, availability of staff (including through industrial action) and delays introduced to the Scottish rail network by poor performance of cross-border rail services from England.

Question reference: S6W-32405

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Network Rail regarding the relatability of its services (a) in Scotland and (b) cross border.

Question reference: S6W-32401

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the performance of ScotRail has been (a) in each of the last five years and (b) since April 2024, including the number of cancellations; what regular monitoring of this it carries out; what its position is on whether the level of performance has been satisfactory, and what its reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S6W-32404

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when it last had discussions with ScotRail regarding expanding the (a) level and (b) frequency of Sunday services nationally.

Transport Scotland officials have regular discussions with ScotRail regarding various matters. ScotRail continuously reviews its services to best meet the passenger demand with the resource it has available.

Nationally, more services run on a Sunday in the December 2024 timetable than before Covid. In particular, for the Glasgow area, following the introduction of the new December 2024 timetable, late night Sunday services have been enhanced on the Springburn line in Glasgow, and from Exhibition Centre.

Question reference: S6W-32407

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 8 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with ScotRail regarding increasing passenger numbers in the context of reducing car journeys.

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