Foysol Choudhury

21 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what specific issues regarding public transport services have been raised by black and minority ethnic (BAME) people.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The National Transport Strategy, developed through a collaborative process with stakeholders, including BEMIS the National Ethnic Minorities umbrella body, recognises that feelings of safety and fear of violence can shape BAME people’s travel behaviour and th…

18 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which funding streams in the creative sector specifically encourage youth workers and community-based projects to deliver courses and projects that seek to build skills in the positive use of social media.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government believes it is important to ensure young people build skills in the positive use of social media. In December 2021, UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom published its approach to online media literacy, setting out the need to build media li…

18 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage constructive and positive use of social media among young people.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government believes it is important to support children and young people to have the knowledge and skills necessary to use social media in a positive way. We provided the Scottish Youth Parliament and the Scottish Children’s Parliament with over…

18 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many opportunities there are for youth work placements through the current Modern Apprenticeships scheme.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Official Modern Apprenticeship (MA) statistics are published by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) quarterly, including the number of starts. The following table shows the number of MA starts over the last five years on the Youth Work Framework: Year Starts…

18 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is in place regarding prioritising the reopening of youth and community facilities as a crucial part of the COVID-19 recovery.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: We are working collaboratively with Community Learning and Development providers to support safe practices and behaviours through the Advanced Learning COVID-19 Recovery Group and to deliver guidance that will support the Strategic Framework. This will includ…

18 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many individuals have been employed as youth workers in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01070 on 9 July 2021. 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/…

18 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what specific interventions are currently underway to ensure that BAME young people can access youth and community services that meet their needs locally.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government believes that all young people in Scotland should have access to youth work services at the right time, and in the best place, for them. Various groups representing young people with protected characteristics, including young people fr…

18 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage youth work as a career, including any specific support for those seeking to leave their current employment in a different sector.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Scottish Government is taking steps to encourage youth work as a career by offering targeted qualifications and professional learning opportunities, building awareness of the sector, and offering support to gain qualifications. Skills Development Scotland (S…

9 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure that local authorities are able to fund their Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans to prevent homelessness.

Answer · Shona Robison: The majority of funding local authorities receive for preventing and responding to homelessness is provided through the annual local government finance settlement. On top of that, we have committed £53.5 million to local authorities to support the development…

8 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03941 by Keith Brown on 11 November 2021, which organisations were represented at the roundtable on 4 November 2021, and how concerns about the reported rise in incidents of drink spiking and spiking by injection are being addressed across the secto…

Answer · Keith Brown: On 4 November 2021, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans chaired a roundtable on spiking to discuss how we can achieve the right balance of targeted and universal intervention to ensure the safety of the public. Twenty-six partners attended includin…

8 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in each NHS board area to roll-out single hormone closed loop systems to people with type 1 diabetes who fit the criteria outlined by NHS Scotland.

Answer · Maree Todd: Our Diabetes Improvement Plan contains a commitment to increase access to diabetes technologies such as closed loop systems for everyone who would benefit from these life changing therapies. The closed loop system is a new technology and the additional £14.6 …

8 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional support, including technical operating support, will be available to ensure equality of access to a closed loop system for people with type 1 diabetes who would benefit from the device.

Answer · Maree Todd: Our Diabetes Improvement Plan contains specific commitments to support increased access to diabetes technologies, with significant focus on equity of access to care and services. We expect clinicians and NHS Boards to follow all relevant clinical guidelines a…

8 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-02394 by Maree Todd on 15 September 2021, what action it is taking to address reported disparities in access to flash glucose monitors and insulin pumps in economically deprived and minority ethnic groups.

Answer · Maree Todd: We are committed to improving outcomes for people living with diabetes across Scotland. Our Diabetes Improvement Plan contains specific commitments to support increased access to diabetes technologies, with significant focus on equity of access to care and se…

8 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding is in place to support the roll-out of single hormone closed loop systems to eligible adults and children with type 1 diabetes.

Answer · Maree Todd: Additional funding of £14.6 million was allocated to NHS Boards in January 2022 to support increased access to diabetes technologies, including closed loop systems. The Scottish Government also provides baseline funding to NHS Boards and it is for individual…

8 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many type 1 diabetics in each NHS board area will be eligible for the proposed closed loop system initiative, as recommended by the Scottish Health Technologies Group in its report of 28 January 2022.

Answer · Maree Todd: The information requested is not collected centrally. There are a number of factors which clinicians will use to determine individual suitability for closed loop systems and other diabetes technologies. We expect clinicians and NHS Boards to follow all relev…

8 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current incidence rates are for diabetes in each NHS board area, broken down by race and ethnicity.

Answer · Maree Todd: The information requested is not held centrally. The Scottish Diabetes Survey provides an annual summary of key issues and trends in diabetes care and treatment in Scotland. The 2020 Survey was published in January of this year and can be found by following …

8 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is addressing reported inequalities in access to flash glucose monitors and insulin pumps for adults and children with diabetes.

Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06441 on 28 February 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-commit…

8 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent children being infected with COVID-19 in schools, in light of reports of recent studies that suggest a link between COVID-19 infection and the development of type 1 diabetes in children.

Answer · Maree Todd: The safety of children, young people and education staff remains our overriding priority. All school pupils have already been impacted dramatically over the course of the pandemic so we remain committed to minimising any further disruption to learning. New d…

7 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03941 by Keith Brown on 11 November 2021, which organisations were represented at the roundtable of 4 November 2021, and how any concerns about the reported rise in incidents of spiking drinks or by injection are being addressed across the sector.

5 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what mental health support is available for (a) adults and (b) children and young people with cystic fibrosis (i) in general and (ii) who are receiving treatments such as Kaftrio.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone living in Scotland with Cystic Fibrosis is able to access the best possible care and support for their mental health. As Cystic Fibrosis is a complex condition that affects individuals in differe…

3 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to ensure that children aged 12 to 15 who have not currently received their second dose of a COIVD-19 vaccine will be able to travel to European countries with their families during the February mid-term holidays, in light of some countries requiring this age grou…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: NHS Scotland is offering 2 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to all children and young people aged 12 to 17 years. The second dose will be offered from 12 weeks after the first dose. Children and young people aged 12 to 15 years have been sent second dose invi…

3 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-03246 by Tom Arthur on 1 October 2021, whether its estimate of the cost to local government of the increase in employers' national insurance contributions has changed, and, if so, what its current estimate is.

Answer · Tom Arthur: Our initial estimate of £31m is still relevant. However, this will be revised in the next couple of months as further detail becomes available on Local Government staffing costs.

3 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05473 by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2022, what the key findings were, as they apply to Scotland, of the Department of Health and Social Care-led rapid review on pulse oximeters; what the outcomes were of the roundtable that NHS Scotland participated…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Scottish Government officials met with officials from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on the 10 February 2022 to discuss the outcome of the roundtable meeting with experts in the clinical field, including from NHS Scotland, held on 19 January …

2 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support businesses in the outbound travel industry in rebuilding their customer base in the coming year.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government recognises the severe impact the necessary measures to protect public health during this pandemic has had on businesses, particularly those in the travel sector. The easing of some international travel restrictions has renewed confide…

2 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place to address the impact of various public health restrictions on the outbound travel industry in Scotland.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government is aware of the impact the necessary public health restrictions have had on businesses, including the outbound travel industry. Since the start of the pandemic, businesses have benefitted from more than £4.4bn in support from the Scott…

1 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will update the Parliament on its plans to support global action on loss and damage; what the timescale will be of any action plan or strategy, and how it will consult stakeholders in (a) Scotland and (b) the Global South on this matter.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government is taking action on loss and damage. On the 23rd February, The First Minister and I hosted a roundtable of international leaders and experts, including colleagues from the Global South, on Loss and Damage. The roundtable articulated th…

1 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is planning to build on its leadership role in the Under2 Coalition and progress the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration in the run-up to COP27 in Egypt.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Scotland will continue to play a leading role in the Under2 Coalition and we will use our position as co-chair to drive climate ambition and delivery from all non-party governments, states and regions towards net zero, which prioritises a just transition and …

1 Feb 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding how its international development programme can help to support less developed countries that are at the forefront of climate damage.

18 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to address any differential impact of COVID-19 on black and ethnic minority people.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: We know minority ethnic groups have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. In June 2020, the government established an Expert Reference Group on COVID-19 and Ethnicity to provide recommendations on how we could better respond to the needs of minority e…

18 Jan 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions education ministers have had with ministerial colleagues regarding the development of a student housing strategy that includes rent controls and student tenancy rights for every student in Scotland.