Paul Sweeney

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the section of the M8 that passes through central Glasgow, between Junction 15 (Townhead) and Junction 19 (Anderston), generates noise levels in excess of 80 decibels, which is similar to the noise generated by the runway at Glasgow Airport, whether it will cons…

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government acknowledges the impacts of the M8, including noise, and the recent motion passed by Glasgow City Council to trial lower speed limits on the city centre motorway. I have asked Transport Scotland to liaise with Glasgow City Council rega…

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of GP surgeries currently have access to a dedicated community link worker.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has not prescribed a specific employment model for Community Link Workers. Local areas decide, on the basis of local need, how they are deployed and in which GP practices they work. As at March 2022, 76% of GP practices in Scotland ha…

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many mental health community link workers were recruited in each financial year from 2016-17 to 2021-22, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Maree Todd: Community Link Workers are generalists who support people with a range of social and economic issues which can include mental health. The Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF) funds Community Link Workers (CLWs) as part of primary care multi-disciplinary teams…

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 1,000 additional dedicated roles committed to support community mental health resilience in its 2021-22 Programme for Government it has funded to date, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Maree Todd: As a result of the difficult decisions which had to be taken through the Emergency Budget review, recruitment of the 1,000 additional roles to support community mental health resilience, ensuring every GP Practice has access to a mental health and wellbeing s…

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is on track to deliver its 2021-22 Programme for Government commitment that “by 2026, every GP practice will have access to a mental health and wellbeing service”.

Answer · Maree Todd: As a result of the difficult decisions which had to be taken through the Emergency Budget review, recruitment of the 1,000 additional roles to support community mental health resilience, ensuring every GP Practice has access to a mental health and wellbeing s…

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that young people with cancer have access to specialist psychological support (a) throughout and (b) beyond their treatment, wherever they live in Scotland.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Over the last year, the Managed Service Network for children and young people with cancer (MSN), reviewed the Psychology, Physiotherapy and Dietetic Resource. As a result, we agreed to make the existing provision of psychological service permanent to provide …

22 Mar 2023 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what discussions it has had in relation to access to translation services for cross-party groups.

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to its Health Inequalities Unit from 2020 to 2023, broken down by financial year.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The following table shows Scottish Government staffing costs for Health Inequalities (HI) policy functions from 2020 to 2023, and the total over this period.  April 2020-March 2021 April 2021-March 2022 April 2022-March 2023 Total (April 2020-March 2023) …

14 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the anticipated timescale is for the electrification of the City Union railway line in Glasgow.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: No date has been set for the electrification of the City Union line, however, in line with the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan this route will be considered for future electrification by Transport Scotland. The Decarbonisation Action Plan commits t…

13 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the responses to the 20% car km reduction route map consultation will be published.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The public consultation analysis of the responses to the draft route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car km in Scotland by 2030 will be published alongside the final version of the route map in the coming months.

8 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the UK's space industry regulatory framework is "not competitive", when it last engaged with the (a) UK Government and (b) Civil Aviation Authority regarding any potential impact on its ability to promote the space sector as part of Scotland's economic developme…

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government regularly engages with UK Government counterparts at ministerial and official level on many matters concerning the space sector, including the subject of regulation. Most recently I wrote to the UK Space Agency and my counterpart at th…

8 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that appropriate (a) lab space and (b) facilities are available in order to retain university life science spinouts in which there has been high investment.

Answer · Ivan McKee: a) For 2022-23, core funding for university research was increased to £299 million to maintain and strengthen Scotland’s excellent research base, with levels maintained for 2023-24. This funding is used for a range of purposes, including the provision of stat…

7 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many female veterans are currently serving a custodial sentence.

Answer · Keith Brown: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: Our records indicate that there are currently less than five female individuals in our care who have identified themselves as …

2 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown by (a) service and (b) NHS board of mental health spending in each financial year from 2016-17 to 2021-22, and, if it is the case that such data is not held, whether it will commit to improving data collation to enable the publication of such data by t…

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Net mental health expenditure is published on the Public Health Scotland website Scottish health service costs under data files mental health expenditure Excel workbook. This information is available for financial years 2011-12 to 2021-22 for each NHS Boar…

2 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it (a) measures and (b) tracks expenditure from its mental health budget.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government’s mental health budget is delegated to the Directorate for Mental Health within DG Health and Social Care. The Directorate manages the budget in line with the scheme of delegation as set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM)…

2 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it tracks the efficiency of mental health spending in its NHS budget.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: It is the responsibility of NHS Scotland to track mental health expenditure and ensure local budget decisions and use of the overall resources made available by the Scottish Government are used efficiently; effectively and deliver fit for purpose services in …

28 Feb 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the continued repair works to the M8 motorway in Glasgow, including on their financial implications.

27 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to upgrade the technology available in schools to support children and young people with dyslexia and visual stress.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We want all children and young people, including those with dyslexia, to receive the support they need to reach their full potential. The Additional Support for Learning Act places duties on education authorities to identify, provide for and review the additi…

23 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15004 by Richard Lochhead on 23 February 2023, whether it will work with Glasgow City Council to examine the technical feasibility of leasing or selling the air rights above the M8 in central Glasgow for commercial and/or residential development, as…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I am aware of Glasgow City Council’s ambitions for a proposed M8 ‘garden cap’. Given that this proposal is about the wider public realm and land-use within the city it is more appropriate that this work is led by the City Council. Transport Scotland will con…

23 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15004 by Richard Lochhead on 23 February 2023, whether it will work with Glasgow City Council, the Glasgow City Region Cabinet and COSLA, to determine the feasibility of raising capital for the proposed Levelling Up Fund projects through the issuing…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I appreciate the disappointment the Glasgow City Region will be experiencing following the UK Government’s decision not to support their bids for Levelling Up funding. Any borrowing by local authorities, whether it’s through the public works loans board or t…

22 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Breathing Space in providing its services to people experiencing mental health difficulties.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: In 2022/23, the Scottish Government provided £2.35million to NHS24 for Breathing Space; this forms part of our overall funding package to NHS24 (of almost £10million), to provide a range of advice and support to people experiencing mental health problems. Th…

22 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it (a) allocated in 2022-23 and (b) will allocate in 2023-24 to NHS 24, to support the delivery of the Breathing Space service.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has invested over £2.354 million to support the delivery of the Breathing Space service for this financial year. Breathing Space funding is part of wider funding, totalling just under £10 million, which is allocated to NHS 24 to supp…

22 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many post-foundation specialty training post vacancies for junior doctors in NHS Scotland have not been filled in each year since 2018.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The following table sets out how many training places were advertised per year from 2018-2022, the number of posts which filled successfully, the fill rate (%) and the number of unfilled posts.  Advertised Filled Fill Rate Unfilled 2018 1,125 958 85% …

21 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with its counterparts in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland regarding a UK-wide strategy to address levels of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders in the UK population.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: There are currently no plans to develop a UK-wide Strategy on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). However, Scottish Government officials have made contact with Wales and Northern Ireland, and have met with counterparts in England regarding FASD policy We…

21 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14985 by Ivan McKee on 21 February 2023, what (a) action it is taking and (b) (i) research and (ii) industrial capacity currently exists in Scotland, to take advantage of any industrial opportunity presented by flexible and transparent electronics f…

Answer · Ivan McKee: Scotland is home to several vibrant, growing and dynamic technology sectors, and the Scottish Government recognises their importance to our current and future economy. Our 10-year National Strategy for Economic Transformation seeks to strengthen Scotland’s po…

19 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to attract investment from the Lockheed Martin Corporation, in light of reports that Lockheed Martin is seeking to develop a satellite manufacturing facility in the UK.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government has identified space as a priority in our Inward Investment Plan and the National Strategy for Economic Transformation. We are committed to delivering the joint Scottish Space Strategy, developed in partnership with industry and acade…

13 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when a £2 cap for single adult bus fares will be introduced in Greater Glasgow, similar to that in operation in Greater Manchester.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government's concessionary bus travel schemes are the most generous in the UK, with free travel for under-22s, over-60s, and people with disabilities. The Partnership and Franchising powers in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 allow Local Transpo…

9 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding was allocated to the National Wellbeing Hub in the financial year (a) 2020-21 and (b) 2021-22.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The funding allocated to the National Wellbeing Hub was £141,759 in financial year 2020-21 and £203,362 in financial year 2021-22.

9 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff, including employees and volunteers, worked for the National Wellbeing Hub in (a) March 2020, (b) March 2021 and (c) March 2022.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government are not responsible for the staffing of the National Wellbeing Hub website. Funding is provided to NHS Lothian who are responsible for managing the website and the resourcing required.

9 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it plans to publish its Student Mental Health Plan.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government is currently working with partners to produce a Student Mental Health plan to be delivered in Spring 2023. The Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Working Group, that I chair, is driving this work forward. Membership includes NUS Scotl…