Parliamentary questions

Paul O'Kane

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

26 Apr 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent report by the charity, Magic Breakfast, showing that four in 10 Scottish schools have no breakfast provision at all and that breakfast provision in Scotland reaches the fewest disadvantaged pupils per school of any UK nation.

20 Apr 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on its Covid Recovery Strategy of its future plans for contact tracing.

19 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the highest ever number of medical students have been told that there are no places for them in NHS junior doctor training in 2022.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Oversubscription to the UK Foundation Training Programme occurs on an annual basis as a result of there being more applicants than available places. The rate of oversubscription is influenced by various factors, the most prominent of which being changes made …

18 Apr 2022 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the reported recent outbreak in cases of hepatitis in children across Scotland.

29 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it undertook with (a) optometrists and (b) audiologists prior to the publication of the National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care in Scotland.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: In delivering the National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care, we worked in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders across Health and Social Care including the CoSLA as co-producers to agree the scope and content. This included on-going en…

23 Mar 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to support local authorities in providing adapted housing.

11 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide clarification and further details of the Changing Places toilets funding in its Programme for Government, and when the investment of £10 million, over the current parliamentary session, will be available.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has committed to invest £10 million over this parliamentary term in our Programme for Government. As part of our commitment to increasing opportunities for disabled people, this funding will increase the number of changing places toile…

9 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to respond to the findings of the Fraser of Allander Institute research programme into the socio-economic outcomes for people who have a learning disability and their family carers, included in the report, Invisible no more.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government ambition is that everyone who wishes to is able to access fair and sustainable employment, which is why we have committed to at least halving the employment gap between disabled people and the rest of the working age population by 2038…

9 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many day services for people who have a learning disability are currently open, and how many hours of service they are delivering as a percentage of commissioned delivery.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of day services to adults with learning disabilities, their families and carers. Last year, I wrote to local authorities, encouraging services to re-open in line with Covid-19 guidance as soon as possible. De…

9 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been delivered to the providers of day services for individuals who have learning disabilities regarding re-opening safely as COVID-19 restrictions are eased.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Covid-19 guidance regarding the provision of building-based day services, which includes services specifically for adults with learning disabilities, was published on 16 November 2020 and has been regularly updated. I wrote to the health and social care sec…

9 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, aligning with the recent independent review it commissioned of the Scottish Strategy for Autism, what plans are in place to carry out an independent review of its Keys to Life strategy, which was launched in 2013, and the impact the strategy has had on the lives of people who have learn…

Answer · Kevin Stewart: We have no plans to conduct an independent assessment of the Keys to Life Learning Disability strategy. We worked with people with a learning disability and autistic people in planning and publishing our Towards Transformation Learning Disability and Autism p…

9 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is monitoring access to day services provision for adults who have learning disabilities as COVID-19 restrictions are eased.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government works in partnership with the Care Inspectorate, which maintains information on the operating status of social care services including day services. Decisions regarding access to day services are made at a local level by the relevant H…

9 Mar 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle antisocial behaviour on Scotland's railways.

28 Feb 2022 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what urgent steps will be taken to address lung disease in Scotland, in light of the reported comments of Asthma + Lung UK Scotland that “the state of lung health in Scotland is shameful, with over 7,000 people dying a year".

10 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on how accessible the COVID-19 booster vaccination programme is for people who have a learning disability, including on the accessibility of information about how to access the programme, and whether it will provide details of the system that is in place to identify …

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Adults and children with a learning disability who were coded in their GP systems as such, have now been invited for vaccination as at-risk groups. Criteria from the Green Book (GB) was used to develop queries to run across GP IT systems to identify and extra…

10 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional support it is providing to ensure that anyone with a learning disability, who wishes to, can access the COVID-19 booster vaccination programme, including through home visits where required.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to the earlier question S6W-06595 on 1 March 2022. In addition, procedures are in place for when the nature of an individual’s condition means they cannot travel, so that a home appointment can be organised. On the first insta…

10 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that everyone with a learning disability has access to clear and understandable information about the COVID-19 booster vaccination programme, including the provision of easy read information.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06595 on 1 March 2022. 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…

10 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether everyone who has a learning disability has now been identified via GP practice data in relation to the COVID-19 booster programme, in light of the announcement in February 2021 that people with a learning disability were to be included in priority group 6 for the vaccine, and wha…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Adults and children with a learning disability who were coded in their GP systems, have now been invited for vaccination as at-risk groups. Criteria from the Green Book (GB) was used to develop queries to run across GP IT systems to identify and extract data …

9 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support patients to access GP services in Inverclyde.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is providing funding of £30 million to support GP practices in Inverclyde and the rest of Scotland to continue providing a high level of care to patients through this winter and into the next financial year. The funding will help with…

9 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what capital investment plans are in place for the delivery of new health and social care centres in Gourock and Port Glasgow.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not create investment plans for specific healthcare facilities in particular health board areas. The creation and implementation of such plans is properly the role of the local health board, in this case NHS Greater Glasgow and Cl…

8 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the (a) Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and (b) Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport last met the (i) Chair and (ii) Lead Clinician of the National Advisory Committee responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Respiratory Care Action Plan.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care has not met with the Chair or Lead Clinician of the Scottish Respiratory Advisory Committee. Respiratory policy falls under the portfolio remit of Ms Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Public Health, Women's Health …

7 Feb 2022 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent National Records of Scotland report, Healthy Life Expectancy in Scotland, showing that healthy life expectancy has decreased in each of the last four years for females, and in each of the last three years for males.

2 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to installing defibrillators in all schools.

Answer · Maree Todd: Decisions on whether to install defibrillators in schools are a matter for Local Authorities to consider at the local level. Scottish Government recognises the important role of defibrillators in the chain of survival from Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHC…

2 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) training in schools.

Answer · Maree Todd: Scottish Government is a key partner in the Save a Life for Scotland (SALFS) partnership. Since 2015, the SALFS has equipped more than 640,000 people in Scotland with CPR skills. Over the same time period the rate of people surviving an Out of Hospital Cardia…

26 Jan 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider a complete ban on fox hunting.

15 Dec 2021 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS boards require pregnant medical staff to work in settings where there are patients with COVID-19.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Department for Health and Social Care guidance for pregnant women in the workplace, covers NHS staff in all settings in Scotland and we have taken steps to ensure it is applied. The guidance clearly states that all pregnant staff must have a workplace ris…

8 Dec 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many tenants in the West of Scotland have used the Tenant Grant Fund and Tenant Hardship Loan Fund.

2 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will develop a stand-alone strategy for carers, and, if so, when the strategy will be published.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: We recognise the incredible contribution that Scotland’s unpaid carers make to our communities and know that the pandemic has added significant additional pressures. We are committed to giving a strong voice to unpaid carers, listening to their needs and acti…

2 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will develop a stand-alone and cross-cutting strategy for unpaid carers that will incorporate COVID-19 recovery and social care winter planning.

1 Dec 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the Omicron variant on the implementation of its COVID-19 recovery strategy.