Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 20 November 2024.
Annabelle Ewing
Scottish National Party
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the implications of the United Kingdom budget for its allocation of capital budget for health projects. (S6O-03984)
Shona Robison
Scottish National Party
The capital funding position remains challenging, and infrastructure projects remain under review. The Scottish Government is assessing the full implications of the UK autumn budget and we await the outcome of the UK Government’s spending review in late spring 2025. Full consideration will be given as to which projects are affordable and deliverable and can be included in our revised infrastructure investment plan pipeline.
Annabelle Ewing
Scottish National Party
The Cabinet secretary will be aware of my long-standing fight to get a much-needed new medical centre for Lochgelly—something that was first promised by the Scottish Government back in 2011. Given that I understand that there will be additional capital spend available and that decisions will quite properly be made according to priority, I put it to the cabinet secretary that it must surely be Lochgelly’s turn now.
Shona Robison
Scottish National Party
I absolutely agree that it is vital that spending is prioritised based on need and expected impact. We are working with all health boards, including NHS Fife, to consider infrastructure needs across all of Scotland to develop a whole-system national health service infrastructure plan. That will support the continued safe operation of existing facilities as well as determine the longer-term investment priorities. I am happy to continue to discuss that with Annabelle Ewing in the run-up to the revised infrastructure investment pipeline.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
