Parliamentary questions

Roz McCall

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

26 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill, what safeguards will be put in place to ensure parity between care and non-care experienced children in the children’s hearing panel.

Answer · Natalie Don: Each child is considered in respect of their individual needs and risks when they are referred to the Principal Reporter, or where a children’s hearing is to be convened. The Scottish Government is not aware of evidence of inappropriate or unequal treatment b…

26 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill, what assurances it can provide that offenders housed in secure accommodation will be housed only with other offenders and not with others who are in secure accommodation for different care reasons.

Answer · Natalie Don: Scotland’s secure accommodation centres offer an integrated model of delivery, caring for children together in locked premises under high intensity supervision. This applies regardless of the route children have been placed there. When a child is placed in s…

26 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill, what repercussions there will be for an offender who does not accept continuing supervision or guidance once their compulsory supervision order comes to an end.

Answer · Natalie Don: Young people who have been supported and supervised under the children’s hearings system are not dealt with as ‘offenders’, as would be the case in the criminal justice system. There is no retributive focus for decision-makers in the children’s hearings syste…

24 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take regarding the reported temporary housing issues in Fife.

Answer · Paul McLennan: We are aware of the pressures in temporary accommodation that many local authorities, including Fife Council, are facing and are working with them on what support is needed to reduce their use of temporary accommodation. The Minister for Housing is due to mee…

24 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of the funding issue for the St Andrews rail link being resolved, when it anticipates that this project will be completed.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is providing £220,000 of support to the St Andrews Rail Link (StARLink) project through the Local Rail Development Fund (LRDF). Responsibility for the management and delivery of the project sits with the StARLink Campaign which is req…

17 Oct 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the delivery of its Stroke Improvement Plan.

28 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in the Mid Scotland and Fife region towards the interim target of ensuring that less than 18% of children are living in relative poverty.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government’s latest annual progress report on child poverty , published on 13 June 2023, sets out progress toward the meeting the child poverty targets and in implementing the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, ‘Best Start, Bright Futures’. …

28 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in closing the attainment gap in the Mid Scotland and Fife region.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Progress is being made. At a national level the poverty-related attainment gap remains narrower than it was pre-pandemic for National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers. We’ve seen good progress in primary school literacy and numeracy, with the latest data show…

21 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated towards the Parental Transition Fund.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The response to question S6W-21286, answered on 13 September 2023, notes that as a result of the devolved settlement and the Scottish Government’s powers, along with the interaction with reserved tax and benefits, it is not possible to deliver the Parental Tr…

21 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Parental Transition Fund aimed at tackling any financial barriers that parents face in entering the labour market.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-21286 on 13 September 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-commi…

12 Sep 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of the national allowance for foster and kinship care.

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following the First Minister's statement on the Programme for Government 2023-24, when the roll-out of free school meals to P6 and P7 pupils will begin.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As announced in the Programme for Government, the Scottish Government will work with COSLA in the coming year to prepare schools and infrastructure for the expansion of universal free school meal provision to Primary 6 and Primary 7 pupils. Expansion will tak…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following the First Minster's statement on the Programme for Government 2023-24, when the planned expansion of childcare for families with two-year-olds will be implemented.

Answer · Natalie Don: In the Programme for Government we committed to begin work to phase in an expanded national offer for more families with two-year-olds, focusing on those who will benefit most. We already offer 1140 hours of high quality, funded early learning and childcare t…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following the First Minister's statement on the Programme for Government 2023-24, when the minimum pay of £12 per hour for the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector will be implemented.

Answer · Natalie Don: In Programme for Government we committed to providing the necessary funding to enable childcare workers delivering funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) in the Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) sector to be paid at least £12 per hour from April 202…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following the First Minister's statement on the Programme for Government 2023-24, how often the Cabinet Sub-Committee for The Promise will meet.

Answer · Natalie Don: The details of the Cabinet Sub-Committee are currently being determined.

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following the First Minister's statement on the Programme for Government 2023-24, what powers the Cabinet Sub-Committee for The Promise will have.

Answer · Natalie Don: The details of the Cabinet Sub-Committee are currently being determined. As set out in the recent Programme for Government, the Sub-Committee will direct and support the cross-portfolio change required to improve outcomes for Scotland’s care experienced child…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following the First Minister's statement on the Programme for Government 2023-24, when the Cabinet Sub-Committee for The Promise, convened by the First Minister, will first meet.

Answer · Natalie Don: The first meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee for the Promise will take place when the membership and remit have been confirmed.

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its Programme for Government 2023-24, when the testing of "a new digital service to help parents and carers find, access and pay for childcare that best suits their needs" will begin.

Answer · Natalie Don: Insights gathered to date indicate that families find it difficult to navigate the childcare system. In response we have been considering what a digital service to simplify that process might look like. In the next year we will begin to co-design and prototy…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following the First Minister's statement on the Programme for Government 2023-24, when the trial of increased access to childcare from nine months old through to the end of primary school will begin.

Answer · Natalie Don: In the Programme for Government, we committed to developing the local infrastructure and services needed to provide childcare to families with children from the age of nine months to the end of primary school in ‘early adopter communities’ in six local author…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils from deprived areas in the Mid Scotland and Fife region have been accepted into university since 2021.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Latest Official Statistics covering the 2021-22 academic year show that there were 170 full-time first degree entrants aged 18 and under from the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland entering university from the Mid Scotland and Fife region. This number rises …

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when its new delivery plan for mental health and wellbeing will be published.

Answer · Maree Todd: We have been working closely with COSLA and other stakeholders over the summer and will publish the first Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan and accompanying Workforce Action Plan in Autumn 2023.

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many childminders it estimates left the profession in each year from 2018 to 2022.

Answer · Natalie Don: The Care Inspectorate publishes annual statistics on the numbers of childminders operating across Scotland. The most recent data, for 2021, were published in September 2022 and are set out in the following table. Year Number of registered childminding servi…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the First Minister's statement on the Programme for Government 2023-24, which "six early adopter council areas" will be given funding to increase access to childcare from nine months old through to the end of primary school.

Answer · Natalie Don: In the Programme for Government 2023-24 we committed to developing the local infrastructure and services needed to provide childcare to families with children from the age of nine months to the end of primary school in ‘early adopter communities’ in six local…

5 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many homes have been built in (a) Stirling, (b) Fife, (c) Perth and Kinross and (d) Clackmannanshire in each year since 2019.

Answer · Paul McLennan: A table showing the number of social and affordable completions by local authority area can be accessed using the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/affordable-housing-supply-programme-completions-updates/ The homes provided through the Affo…

5 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many public buildings in the Mid Scotland and Fife region have been identified as containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We have previously noted that it is for organisations responsible for buildings to make information on this issue available on affected buildings. For example local authorities have published information on RAAC identified within their school estate. Survey …

5 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many care experienced children have been excluded from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 2019.

Answer · Natalie Don: The Scottish government collects and publishes data on school exclusions every other year. The most recent exclusion statistics for looked after children by setting can be found in the 2020-21 Education Outcomes for Looked After Children Report. The results…

5 Sep 2023 · Written Question

Answer · George Adam: The Scottish Government responded to: (a) 2843 Freedom of Information requests within the statutory time limit in 2019 (b) 2864 Freedom of Information requests within the statutory time limit in 2020 (c) 3609 Freedom of Information requests within the stat…

5 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to mitigate any risks posed by the reported removal of four fire appliances in Fife.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Operational decisions on the number and location of appliances to keep communities safe are entirely a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Board and Chief Officer. SFRS has made changes to the number and location of fire appliances in Fife…

30 Aug 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve hospital services across NHS Fife.

15 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many Baby Boxes have been delivered late, after the birth of the child, since they were introduced.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the question S6W-20677 on 13 September 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/writ…