Parliamentary questions
Douglas Lumsden
1,891 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting local authorities and communities to develop storm and wildfire resilience plans, and what progress has been made in their implementation.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government works closely with categorised responders, who are responsible under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 for assessing the risk of an emergency occurring, maintaining plans to ensure they can continue to perform their functions in case of…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the criteria that the new owner of Glasgow Prestwick Airport must maximise the employment potential of the airport means that there would be no immediate redundancies, should the airport be sold.
Answer · Kate Forbes: I wrote to the Economy and Fair Work Committee on 25 June 2024 to confirm that a market testing exercise for Glasgow Prestwick Airport was underway. Scottish Ministers’ longstanding position is that the airport should be returned to the private sector a…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation criteria it uses to assess the effectiveness of its social media management spending.
Answer · Shona Robison: Standard metrics particularly related to social media management include reach (how many people were reached), engagement (how many people engaged with the content) and or follower growth (how many people have chosen to associate with and regularly receive co…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many arrests have been made at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in each of the last five years, and what the primary reasons were for any such arrests.
Answer · Kate Forbes: Glasgow Prestwick Airport operates on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government and Ministers do not intervene in operational matters. Additionally, statistics regarding arrests in any location at a matter for Police Scotland.
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for the future of Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
Answer · Kate Forbes: I wrote to the Economy and Fair Work Committee on 25 June 2024 to confirm that a market testing exercise for Glasgow Prestwick Airport was underway. Scottish Ministers’ longstanding position is that the airport should be returned to the private sector a…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to keep people safe and secure at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, and how any such measures compare with those in other airports in Scotland.
Answer · Kate Forbes: Glasgow Prestwick Airport operates on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government and Ministers do not intervene in operational matters.
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that rural communities, including those in Aberdeenshire, are prepared for wildfires.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Remote and rural communities can be hugely impacted by wildfire incidents, which can cause significant environmental and economic damage. SFRS works closely with a number of key partners to establish a common understanding of the risk, prevention measures, an…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many social media managers it currently employs, and what the associated costs are.
Answer · Shona Robison: Please find below, the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) number of social media managers currently employed within the Communications division and the associated cost.Year: 2024/25Cost: £472,571*FTE: 10.9* 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2024. Costs for the financ…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what lessons have been learned from recent severe storms and wildfires in Scotland, and how these have informed updates to national emergency preparedness plans.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government works closely with the legally categorised emergency responder organisations who are responsible for assessing, planning, responding to and recovering from the consequences of emergency risks as identified in the National Risk Assessme…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on paid promotions and advertisements on social media platforms in each of the last five years.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-33748 on 29 January 2025. 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-an…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of its communications budget has been allocated to social media management and related activities in each of the last five years.
Answer · Shona Robison: Social media management includes the management of Scottish Government social media accounts across platforms, and the directly related services comprise organic content production and outreach to secure content from creators and influencers.The majority of t…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in developing a national wildfire preparedness strategy, and what specific measures have been taken to support rural communities at risk.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) wildfire strategy was created with partnership at its heart. The strategy was launched in 2023 and is supported by a planned spend of around £1.6 million over the course of three years. The strategy co…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional resources are being provided to emergency services to improve storm response capabilities, and how this compares to funding levels over the last five years.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Ensuring resilience and capacity to be able to respond effectively to adverse events, including weather, are operational matters for our emergency services.We continue our commitment to support the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to deliver the high s…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the development and use of early warning systems for wildfires and severe storms, and how these are being implemented in Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Efficient and effective dissemination of wildfire prevention information to the public is key to preventing wildfires. Before igniting any flames in a rural or outdoor setting, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) encourage everyone to check which area…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contracts it has awarded to external companies for social media management and related services in the last five years, and what the total cost was of any such contracts.
Answer · Shona Robison: Social media management involves the management of Scottish Government social media accounts across platforms, and the directly related services comprise organic content production and outreach to secure content from creators and influencers.The majority of t…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on training for staff involved in social media management and communications in each of the last five years.
Answer · Shona Robison: Requests for staff training are approved by senior management based on business need and value for money. Whilst total expenditure on staff training is recorded, we do not have a breakdown of spend only related to staff involved with social media management.W…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to raise public awareness about storm and wildfire preparedness in rural communities, including Aberdeenshire.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 provides the legislative framework for resilience activity in Scotland.Category 1 responders, including Local Authorities, are obliged under the Act to maintain arrangements to warn the public, and to provide information and a…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on the frequency and severity of storms that have affected Aberdeenshire over the last five years, and what plans it has to improve infrastructure resilience in the region.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government does not hold data on the frequency and severity of storms. This information is collected and held by Met Office.We have recently made available £5m per annum capital budget over 4 years to fund the extension of the public water …
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with landowners and communities to reduce wildfire risks in rural areas, and what funding has been allocated to these efforts over the last five years.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Wildfire Forum, which is chaired by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, includes Local Authorities, Regional Resilience Partnerships and other Agencies as members to assess wildfire risks and consider what mitigating actions might be taken.The …
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been allocated in each of the last five years to improve transport infrastructure for patients travelling to medical appointments from rural communities, and how the impact of such funding is measured.
Answer · Neil Gray: Transport Scotland invests in a variety of transportation projects and initiatives aimed at improving Scotland's transport infrastructure and promoting sustainable travel. This will include supporting bus services, including investing in zero-emission buses, …
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is implementing to ensure that rural NHS boards have the necessary infrastructure to manage electronic medical records effectively.
Answer · Neil Gray: Scottish Government implements a number of measures to support rural NHS Boards’ digital infrastructure. These include:The Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN)A Strategic Digital Fund -For a number of years the Scottish Government has provided additional n…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken since May 2021 to improve the digitisation of medical records.
Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-33304 on 24 January 2025. 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-committe…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what data it has on the outcomes of community optometry referrals in each NHS board in each of the last five years.
Answer · Jenni Minto: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. We would advise the Member to contact relevant Health Boards for this data.
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on the number of older adults in Aberdeenshire who are experiencing social isolation, and what steps it is taking to address this issue.
Answer · Kaukab Stewart: Although widespread across all ages and demographics, data tells us that disabled people, young people (16-24), people over 75 and those on low incomes are now the most at risk of social isolation and loneliness. The Scottish Government uses the Scottish Hous…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the (a) accuracy and (b) completeness of patient medical records, and what steps are being taken to address any discrepancies.
Answer · Neil Gray: It is the legal responsibility of the assigned Health Board or GP practice to act as the data controller for an individual's medical record. The data controller will monitor the data and rectify any discrepancies, in line with existing Data Protection legisla…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any impact of community optometry services on reducing hospital referrals for eye-related conditions.
Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-33638 on 27 January 2025. 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-an…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure that rural areas, including Aberdeenshire, are adequately equipped with healthcare resources to address future challenges posed by climate change.
Answer · Neil Gray: It is the responsibility of all Health Boards in Scotland, including those with rural communities, to ensure they put measures in place to address future challenges posed by climate change.The Climate Change Sustainability and Environment Team within NHS Scot…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting research and innovation in optometry to improve the early detection of eye conditions.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Under General Ophthalmic Services arrangements in Scotland, all community optometry practices are required to have a range of equipment (including a digital retinal imaging equipment) to support the early detection of eye disease.The SCONe project (https://cl…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the bidding process for Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
Answer · Kate Forbes: I wrote to the Economy and Fair Work Committee on 25 June 2024 to confirm that a market testing exercise for Glasgow Prestwick Airport was underway. Scottish Ministers’ longstanding position is that the airport should be returned to the private sector a…
16 Jan 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being implemented to reduce waiting times for older people's healthcare in rural and remote areas.
Answer · Neil Gray: The original basis for our National Treatment Centres (NTC) programme was to provide additional protected elective capacity and infrastructure to meet the needs of the elderly population. We opened two new NTCs in Fife and Highland in Spring 2023, while the N…