Parliamentary questions
Sharon Dowey
756 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Jul 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund has been spent to date.
Answer · Natalie Don: In 2022-23, £33.5 million of Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF) was provided by the Scottish Government to deliver transformational change to improve holistic family support so that families get the right support, in the right way and at the right time. T…
5 Jul 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund is meeting all of its aims, and whether any further assessment has been made of its impact on supporting families across Scotland.
Answer · Natalie Don: The Scottish Government has recently published an interim evaluation report of the first year of the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding: Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF): year 1 - process evaluation - interim report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . It explores …
14 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Climate Justice Fund, including details of what the money dedicated to this fund is being spent on.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: Through Scottish Government’s commitment of £36 Million over this parliamentary term, The Climate Justice Fund [CJF] continues to focus on supporting communities being impacted first and worst by the climate crisis. £7 Million of this has been committed to b…
7 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to ensure that women from the most deprived areas in Ayrshire and Arran attend their cervical screening appointment, in light of reported evidence suggesting that they are less likely to attend compared with those from the least deprived areas.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government remains committed to reducing inequalities across all screening programmes. That is why we have supported the Equity in Screening strategy, which will give direction and focus to tackling this issue across all screening programmes. How…
7 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to increase the number of women attending their cervical screening appointments in NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19040 on 22 June 2023. 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…
7 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the National Treatment Centre for orthopaedics at Carrick Glen.
Answer · Michael Matheson: We continue to support NHS Ayrshire and Arran in the development of the Full Business Case (FBC) for the new National Treatment Centre facility at Carrick Glen and look forward to receiving the case for consideration during 2023.
7 Jun 2023 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the final report of the independent review of the skills delivery landscape.
1 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11285 by Keith Brown on 25 October 2022, whether it will provide an update on its plans to create a Peace Institute by 2022, and what the (a) location, (b) cost and (c) remit of this body will be.
Answer · Angus Robertson: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02330 on 7 June 2023. The answer to oral Parliamentary Question is available on the Parliament's website, the Official Report can be viewed at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-repor…
31 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the delivery of a Scottish Education Exchange Programme within the current parliamentary session would mean that students will be on mobility programmes in the 2025-26 academic year.
Answer · Graeme Dey: In the Programme for Government 2021-22, the Scottish Government pledged to develop a Scottish Education Exchange Programme to support the international mobility of staff and learners. The Scottish Government will work as quickly as possible to provide infor…
31 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether a Scottish Education Exchange Programme is on course to be delivered within the current parliamentary session.
Answer · Graeme Dey: In the Programme for Government 2021-22, the Scottish Government pledged to develop a Scottish Education Exchange Programme to support the international mobility of staff and learners. The Scottish Government is working as quickly as possible to provide info…
19 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) core beds there are and (b) additional beds were brought in for COVID-19, across NHS Ayrshire and Arran, broken down by NHS facility.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Public Health Scotland publish Acute hospital activity and NHS beds information which shows the number of available staffed beds and percentage occupancy (Table 4) by financial year (2012-13 to 2021-22) and by quarter (2020 Q2 to 2022 Q1), by NHS Board and …
18 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the upgrading of a number of laybys on the A77.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Investigation work has been undertaken on the upgrade of 4 laybys on the A77 between Ayr and Stranraer. The designs to improve these 4 laybys will be completed by the end of this calendar year with construction anticipated early in financial year 2024/25.
18 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will fund the full dualling of the A77.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The dualling of the A77 was not recommended as an outcome of the South West Transport Scotland Study published in January 2020. Instead, options for targeted improvements and road safety measures were recommended and these were subsequently appraised and form…
18 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been spent on or invested in the A77 since the start of 2023.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has invested £5,793,617 on the management and maintenance of the A77 since January 2023. This figure includes all aspects of maintenance including major resurfacing, drainage improvements and routine maintenance activities such as vege…
18 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether further upgrading the A77 would provide local businesses with significant benefits.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government fully recognise that the A77 plays a vital role in supporting the local economy through facilitating the movement of goods, connecting people to employment and education opportunities, as well as providing businesses with access to the…
18 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Scottish Trunk Road Infrastructure Project Evaluation (STRIPE) in relation to the A77.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Transport Scotland is preparing to undertake an evaluation of the A77 Maybole Bypass Project which opened to traffic on 31 January 2022. The evaluation will be undertaken in line with Scottish Trunk Road Infrastructure Project Evaluation (STRIPE) Guidance, co…
18 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the upgrading of the (a) Whitletts and (b) Dutch House roundabout.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government recognises the strategic and economic importance of the A77 Trunk Road which was reflected in publication of second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) in December 2022. Under recommendation 40, safety, resilience and reliabili…
18 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on improvements to the A77 at Glengall.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Ground investigations for the slope stability works at A77 Glengall have been completed and initial design work to find a solution for slope stability have been undertaken. Further design work is now ongoing which is currently programmed to conclude in Septem…
18 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any internal financial analysis has been carried out of any economic cost of not fully dualling the A77.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Full dualling of the A77 was not recommended by the South West Scotland Transport Study (SWSTS), because of the significant cost and environmental impacts when compared with the other transport options for improving travel on this route. In addition, full dua…
18 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what finance options have been explored for the full dualling of the A77.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: No finance options have been explored given that full dualling of the A77 was not recommended as an outcome of the South West Transport Scotland Study published in January 2020. Instead, options for targeted improvements and road safety measures were recommen…
17 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its innovation strategy.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has been engaging with stakeholders across the country from industry, academia and the public sector to develop a National Innovation Strategy for Scotland, which will set out a roadmap to transform Scotland's economy over the next dec…
17 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its aviation strategy.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Work is ongoing across government to develop a Scottish Government aviation strategy. An online public consultation on developing the strategy concluded last year and we published an independent analysis of the responses. The consultation covered growi…
17 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to improve the (a) awareness and (b) survival rate of bladder cancer in Scotland.
Answer · Michael Matheson: A new Detect Cancer Earlier campaign – Be The Early Bird – was launched on 6 th March 2023 and ran for four weeks, aiming to reduce fear of cancer and empower those with possible symptoms to act early. The campaign has been developed with primary and secondar…
16 May 2023 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to improve patient access to dental services.
10 May 2023 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting the arts sector.
5 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17358 by Michael Matheson on 4 May 2023, by which date the Digital Prescribing and Dispensing Pathways programme will be rolled out across all NHS boards.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Digital Prescribing and Dispending Pathways Programme is currently in the planning and development stage, and I expect to be able to confirm the timetable for full roll out in due course.
3 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04293 by Graeme Dey on 25 November 2021, whether it will provide an update on these plans, and whether all planned secondary legislation is now in place.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04293 by Graeme Dey on 25 November 2021, whether it will provide an update on these plans, and whether all planned secondary legislation is now in place.The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 pr…
3 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many people under 22 in South Ayrshire have registered for a free bus pass through the Young Persons' (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, and what this is as a percentage of eligible under-22s in that area.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many people under 22 in South Ayrshire have registered for a free bus pass through the Young Persons' (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, and what this is as a percentage of eligible unde…
3 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to develop a new partnership with the hospice sector, and whether it has any plans to remunerate hospices for potential staff wage increases.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is considering the issues that the hospice sector raised at its meeting in March with the then Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and the then Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport, including immediate and long…
3 May 2023 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle homelessness in South and East Ayrshire.