Parliamentary questions

Meghan Gallacher

343 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown by local authority area of the 11,000 hectares that have reportedly been planted with trees in the last year.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Scottish Forestry has published a breakdown, by local authority area, of new woodland creation planted in the last full financial year.

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many miles of road have been constructed as a result of (a) commercial forestry and (b) windfarm developments in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: It is not possible for the Scottish Government to quantify nor confirm the total mileage of all roads constructed anywhere and by anyone for these purposes in each of the last ten years. However, on Scotland’s national forests and land, Forestry and Land Scot…

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of birds that have been killed in the last 10 years due to windfarm activity.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government does not hold complete information on the number of birds killed by windfarm activity. Prior to consent, surveys are undertaken in relation to the impact any proposed windfarm would have on bird populations. The survey results then det…

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what volume of wood has been imported into Scotland in each of the last five years, also broken down by the country it was imported from.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The detailed information requested is currently being collated and I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib number 63053).

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the questions relating to sexual activity, which are contained within the Health and Wellbeing Census for schools in 2021-22, are appropriate for S4 students.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The questions in the census are derived from existing health and wellbeing surveys which have been tested and ethically approved. The questions are completely age and stage appropriate. Local authorities are required by law to plan for children's services in …

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received complaints from local authorities in relation to the Health and Wellbeing Census for schools in 2021-22, and, if so, which local authorities have raised concerns.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government has received no complaints from local authorities in relation to the Health and Wellbeing Census. Local authorities administer the Census in their schools to help identify the issues children and young people are concerned about and t…

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government who designed the questionnaire for the Health and Wellbeing Census for schools in 2021-22.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The information requested is available from https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/factsheet/2020/02/health-and-wellbeing-census/documents/health-and-wellbeing-census-frequently-asked-questions/health-and-wellbeing-census-freque…

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it provided final approval to the list of questions contained within the Health and Wellbeing Census for schools in 2021-22.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The list of questions was compiled by a national Health and Wellbeing Questionnaire Content Group was derived from existing health and wellbeing surveys which had already been tested and ethically approved. A list of topics covered by the Census is available…

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering any proposals to rewrite or remove questions contained within the Health and Wellbeing Census for schools in 2021-22.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: There are no proposals to rewrite or remove questions contained in the Health and Wellbeing Census. I also refer the member to the answer given to S6W-04878 on 17 December 2021 regarding the appropriateness of the Census questions. All answers to written Pa…

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the power to investigate wildlife crime should be extended to the Scottish SPCA, and what assessment it has made of any impact such an extension would have on Police Scotland resources.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: We set out our commitment to establish an independent taskforce to consider whether the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA) should be given extra powers to investigate wildlife crime in both the 2021-22 Programme for Gove…

3 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Scottish SPCA in relation to (a) powers to investigate wildlife crime, (b) any offers of assistance by experienced Scottish SPCA inspectors to investigate wildlife crime and (c) the setting-up of a taskforce to review the extension of wildlife powers and …

Answer · Mairi McAllan: As stated in the answer to question S6W-04876 on 20 December 2021 we have committed to establishing an independent taskforce to consider investigatory powers of the Scottish SPCA. The taskforce’s remit will cover the Scottish SCPA’s role in investigating wild…

30 Nov 2021 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of childminders in Scotland.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Care Inspectorate’s most recent data showed that as of December 2019, 4,752 childminding services were operating. This is a decrease of 356 from 2018, reflecting a downward trend in recent years. We are funding research by Ipsos MORI to explore the fact…

9 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to ensure that the roll-out of 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare allows for flexibility in order to meet the individual needs of every child.

Answer · Clare Haughey: All local authorities are now offering 1140 hours of funded early learning and childcare (ELC) to all eligible children. Figures published in October 2021 by the Improvement Service show that at the end of August 2021, nearly 91,000 children in Scotland were …

9 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to ensure universal access to early learning and childcare as part of the roll-out of the 1,140 hours of funded provision.

Answer · Clare Haughey: As of August, all councils are offering 1140 hours of funded ELC to all eligible children, making high quality early learning and childcare available to families and saving parents up to £4,900 per year for each eligible child. Up to 130,000 children are expe…

9 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what is being done to ensure that sustainable hourly rates are being paid to private, voluntary and independent sector providers as part of the roll-out of 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The payment of sustainable rates to providers in the private, third and childminding sector to deliver funded early learning and childcare (ELC) is a key aspect of Funding Follows the Child. To support this the landmark multi-year funding agreement reached by…

9 Nov 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the roll-out of 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare for two-year-olds.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The expansion programme has been governed through the Joint Delivery Board (‘the Board’). More information on the role of the Board can be found here: Early Learning and Childcare Joint Delivery Board - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . Information on roll-out is …

3 Nov 2021 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that those who are entitled to and require a COVID-19 vaccine passport exemption letter can receive one.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Evidence shows that vaccination is the most effective way to keep you, your friends, family, and community safe and we encourage everyone to consider getting the vaccine. Billions of vaccinations have now been administered globally and we are confident about …

29 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To as the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of any (a) positive and (b) negative findings from the first phase of the pilot programme on the right to deferral for P1 children, and how it plans to take any reported concerns into account in the rest of the implementation process.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government is commissioning an evaluation of the pilot approach to early learning and childcare (ELC) access for children who defer Primary 1. We anticipate that full evaluation findings covering year 1 and 2 pilots will be published in spring 20…

29 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will report on the findings from the five pilot local authorities regarding extra funded childcare from 2021, and if so, whether it will include any feedback from parents who were able to automatically defer their child’s school start date.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government is commissioning an evaluation of the pilot approach to early learning and childcare (ELC) access for children who defer Primary 1. The evaluation research will include data collection with a sample of parents in pilot local authoritie…

27 Oct 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are currently in place to ensure the protection and preservation of war memorials.

8 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to consult on legislation to extend the framework for the licensing of activities involving animals to include dog (a) walking, (b) grooming and (c) boarding services.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Programme for Government 2020-21 commits the Scottish Government to consult on legislation to extend the new framework that came into force on 1 September for the licensing of animal welfare establishments, dog, cat and rabbit breeding and pet sales to pe…

5 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to assess how autism diagnosis waiting times could be routinely recorded and published.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government is committed to implementing the National Neurodevelopmental Specification: Principles and Standards of Care for Children and Young People, published in September 2021, which specifies service standards that all children’s services s…

4 Oct 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will review the implementation date for changes to allow parents to defer their child's start at primary school.