Parliamentary questions

Martin Whitfield

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

22 Nov 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many high school pupil-to-pupil fights on school property have been recorded in each year since 2017.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: This information is not held centrally.

22 Nov 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many high school pupils have been suspended from school following a violent attack on a teacher or pupil in each year since 2017.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: There were 2,467 cases of exclusion (temporary or permanent) from publicly funded schools in Scotland during 2020-21 where the reason recorded was either physical assault using improvised weapon, physical assault using weapon or physical assault with no weapo…

22 Nov 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many assaults against high school teachers on school property have been recorded in each year since 2017.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Information on assaults against high school teachers on school property is not held centrally. The biennial Attendance, Absence and Exclusions data collection gathers data on the number and reasons recorded for temporary or permanent exclusions from school. …

16 Nov 2022 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what steps it is taking to improve safety for MSPs both within the Parliament and outwith the parliamentary estate.

26 Oct 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve air quality on Scotland’s most polluted streets.

13 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in delivering equity of access to mental health support services for college and university students.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: We have met the manifesto commitment to provide more than 80 additional counsellors in Further and Higher Education over four years as set out in our 2018-19 Programme for Government and reiterated in our 2021-22 Programme for Government. The commitment was a…

13 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the full £20 million of funding to support the roll-out of counselling provision, as committed to in the 2018-19 Programme for Government, has been delivered, and, if this is not the case, for what reason.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: This is the final year of our four year commitment to support over 80 additional counsellors in Further and Higher Education which we set out in our Programme for Government in 2018 and reiterated in 2021. We have exceeded that target, with 89 additional coun…

13 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason colleges and universities have reportedly not received confirmation of funding for counselling provision for the 2022-23 academic year.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Since 2019/20, the Scottish Government have invested more than £11.5 million to support our Programme for Government commitment to introduce more than 80 additional mental health counsellors in colleges and universities. We have now achieved that target, as t…

13 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Student Mental Health Action Plan, which is due to be published in 2023, will be underpinned by (a) sustained and (b) flexible levels of funding.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Student Mental Health Plan is currently being developed in consultation with stakeholders via the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Working Group, and is linked to the wider Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy that is also under development. The Plan wil…

12 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reconsider the decision to end the provision of free COVID-19 lateral flow test kits for vulnerable adults.

Answer · Maree Todd: Thanks to the progress we have made with widespread vaccination and new Covid treatments, which have reduced the severe health harms of the virus, the purpose of testing has changed from population-wide testing to reduce transmission to targeted testing to su…

12 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with VisitScotland regarding the promotion of tourism in the South of Scotland.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government has regular and ongoing engagement with VisitScotland to discuss the role they play in supporting and promoting Scottish destinations, including the South of Scotland. The Scottish Government also receives weekly written updates about …

6 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of its £500 million Whole Family Wellbeing Fund has been allocated in (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government provided £3.275 million in 2021-22 to local authorities and the third sector to provide direct support to families in financial crisis. This funding was targeted at families with children who are on the edge of care, or have experience…

6 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to measure and monitor the impact of its £500 million Whole Family Wellbeing Fund.

Answer · Clare Haughey: Given the scale of change and the associated ambitions, the Scottish Government has made a commitment to undertake a rigorous monitoring and evaluation of the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF) up to 2025-26. The evaluation process is divided into two sta…

2 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to providing financial support to businesses impacted by rising energy costs.

Answer · John Swinney: The Programme for Government sets out our response to the cost crisis, as well as our ambition to create a better future in the longer term. This includes working with the business community to identify further measures that can assist in addressing increased…

2 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with local authorities to roll out more Safe to School initiatives.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government is investing record levels of funding for active travel, in particular around schools and places of education. The £150m active travel budget for 2022-23 includes £12.3m of funding for behavioural change initiatives which local authori…

2 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many Safe to School initiatives have been established in the last year.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: In the last year our active travel delivery partners have focussed on building on established projects within schools and early education settings, as part of the continued efforts to promote walking and cycling as modes of travel for getting to and from scho…

2 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many Safe to School initiatives there currently are in Scotland that help children to safely cycle or walk to and from school in the morning and at home time.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: There are numerous initiatives currently in operation across the country that enable children to walk, wheel and cycle to and from school, through our Active Travel Delivery Partners (ATDPs). Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel event in April of this year had 360 sc…

1 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to prevent a future shortfall of first-year student accommodation for those aged 17.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government has no direct role in the provision of student accommodation nor any capacity within the private rental market. However, we are aware of the ongoing difficulties faced by students in accessing accommodation this academic year. We are …

1 Jul 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Environment Strategy for Scotland, which was published in 2020, and the UK Government’s targets to halt biodiversity loss by 2030, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of current wildlife tunnels and bridges in protecting Scotland's wildlife, and what steps…

Answer · Lorna Slater: Transport Scotland is responsible for the management and Maintenance of the trunk road network; all other roads are the responsibility of the relevant local authority. The protection of biodiversity and support for native wildlife are major considerations in…

8 Jun 2022 · Written Question

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01935 on 24 June 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…

8 Jun 2022 · Written Question

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of children and young people home educating. The current home education guidance recommends that local authorities should ordinarily make contact on an annual basis with families known to be hom…

8 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the process is for inspections and check-ups on those children who have been registered for home schooling.

1 Jun 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it plans to undertake into spoilt ballots at the 2022 local government elections.

25 May 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment the finance secretary has made of any impact on Scotland’s financial outlook as a result of the reduction to ScotRail services.

9 May 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether any adjustment has been made to the future budget for the Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme for the 2022-23 academic year, in light of the recent increase in the retail price of milk.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme expands and improves on the UK Nursery Milk Scheme, which it replaced in August 2021, promoting better health outcomes for children through a nutritious and varied diet. All pre-school child care settings who are reg…

27 Apr 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives from the hospitality sector.

22 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has made available for the creation and implementation of its Rare Disease Action Plan in (a) the current financial year and (b) each of the last five years.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government has made £100,000 available for 2022-23 for tests-of-change to improve care co-ordination for people living with rare diseases. Our Bridge to a Scottish Genomics Strategy project focused on expanding our genomics capabilities to suppo…

22 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its Rare Disease Action Plan.

Answer · Maree Todd: As part of our recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, we are reassessing all our priorities to take a systematic, person-centred approach to planning and delivering health and social care services for the people of Scotland. As we go through a process of reali…

20 Apr 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the agriculture sector plays a leading role in delivering a net zero Scotland.

11 Apr 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what measures it is taking in response to the reported growing threat of cyber crime.