Roz McCall

15 Aug 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the longest wait for a Baby Box to be delivered has been since they were introduced.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government’s universal Baby Box programme, the only one in the UK, opened for registration on 15 June 2017. Nationwide delivery of Baby Boxes began on 15 August 2017 for all babies born and resident in Scotland. Where a parent has registered for…

29 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to (a) Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and (b) Stroke Association, in each year since 2018-19.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has provided Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland with £60,020 in 2019-20, £60,000 in 2020-21, £50,000 in 2021-22 and £59,085 in 2022-23 in relation to stroke, to support thrombectomy education training. The Scottish Government has provide…

29 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to stroke care in each year since 2018-19.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government provides baseline funding to NHS Boards, and it is for individual Boards to determine how best to utilise this funding to meet the needs and priorities of their local populations, including stroke care. The 2023-24 Scottish Budget deli…

20 Jun 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its progress towards meeting its 2030 target for widening access to university admission.

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on any economic impact of research and development collaborations between Scottish universities and higher education institutions in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Scotland’s research base has a global reputation for excellence which is strengthened by the extensive collaborations the sector undertakes both across the UK and worldwide. The research base delivers wide ranging benefits, including economic impact. We moni…

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest statistics published by Public Health Scotland, which show that, between January 2023 and March 2023, only 48.3% of those waiting for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in NHS Forth Valley waited between zero and 18 weeks for treatment.

Answer · Maree Todd: We recognise that performance in NHS Forth Valley is not satisfactory. We continue to offer tailored support to Boards, including NHS Forth Valley, in the form of advice from the Scottish Government CAMHS Professional Advisor, Quality Improvement Advisor, Dat…

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help mitigate the impact of any bus driver shortages in (a) Stirling and (b) Fife.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is aware of the shortage of drivers for buses, which is exacerbated by BREXIT preventing people from the EU coming here to work freely. We are working with bus operators and key industry stakeholders through the Bus Taskforce – while r…

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any clinical impact of appointment-only provisions in minor injuries units across NHS Fife.

Answer · Michael Matheson: A person can attend any minor injuries unit in NHS Fife subject to opening times, with or without an appointment. The Scottish Government continues to work with boards to reduce pressure on hospitals through the Unscheduled Care Collaborative programme, whi…

15 Jun 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Public Health Scotland's recently published statistics, whether it will provide a breakdown of the reasons why 225 referrals for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in NHS Forth Valley were not accepted between January 2023 and March 2023.

Answer · Maree Todd: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Aggregated data for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Waiting Times published by Public Health Scotland does not contain information on the reasons referrals were not…

13 Jun 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether muirburn is a crucial tool for preventing and controlling wildfires.

6 Jun 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the planning system can help to create a strong, prosperous and vibrant retail sector, including through business support.

30 May 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to accelerate the reopening of any sites that are currently closed due to inspections by Historic Environment Scotland.

24 May 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to boost the Scottish salmon industry.

16 May 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve transport options in rural areas.

10 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been paid to farmers and crofters as part of the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme so far in 2023, broken down by month.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Payments under the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme (SSBSS) 2022 commenced in March 2023, as set out in the Rural Payments Strategy for 2022. Approximately 99.36% of anticipated expenditure for this scheme has been paid to date. The breakdown of expenditu…

10 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is the case that it considers the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation to be the only measure of progress on widening access to further education, and, if so, what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) is currently the national measure of progress on widening access to higher education. This was recommended by the Commission on Widening Access in its final report, A Blueprint for Fairness, in 2016, and Minis…

10 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the short-life working group on widening access data, which is working towards ensuring that a wider range of indicators, including indicators of individual disadvantage, are used to set targets and measure progress on widening access to universi…

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Access Data Short-Life Working Group is currently due to report to the Access Delivery Group in September 2023.

5 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund, what progress it has made towards fulfilling its ambition that "at least 5% of all community-based health and social care spending will be invested in preventative whole family support measures by 2030".

Answer · Natalie Don: The Scottish Government remains committed to the ambition. We are working with partners to explore how we can enable the transformational change required to ensure that by 2030 at least 5% of all community-based health and social care spend across Scotland is…

3 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been killed in accidents on roads in the Mid Scotland and Fife region in each month since May 2016, broken down by road.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The following table shows the number of people killed in injury road collisions in the Mid Scotland and Fife region by year, month and road between May 2016 and December 2021. The statistics cover Clackmannanshire, Fife, Perth and Kinross and Stirling local a…

18 Apr 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the announcement of the Scottish Funding Council's indicative budget allocations for 2023-24.

10 Apr 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the steps that it is taking to tackle livestock worrying.

29 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many digital devices were distributed to school pupils through digital inclusion funding in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government provided £25 million of funding in 2020-21 to local authorities across Scotland to tackle digital exclusion, resulting in over 72,000 pupils receiving a device to support their learning. Individual local authorities across Scotland ha…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will fully implement the recommendations of the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessments in Scotland.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government will of course need to consider the recommendations in the final report before providing a formal response. The Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment, led by Professor Louise Hayward, will report to the Scottish Governmen…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether new qualifications and assessments will be in place for the start of the 2024-25 academic year.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment, led by Professor Louise Hayward, will report to the Scottish Government by the end of May 2023. The Review’s interim report was published on 3 March and includes a model for a new approach to qualificat…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent work it has undertaken to increase the number of English and Mathematics teachers.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We are committed to supporting the recruitment of more teachers and my predecessor recently set out measures to Parliament making it clear that we will provide £145.5 million in next year's budget to protect increased teacher numbers and support staff. In ad…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what risk assessments it has undertaken regarding any risk to health of asbestos in schools.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for ensuring that local authorities comply with the legislation and requirements, and this includes the assessment of risks from asbestos. The Health and Safety Executive undertakes school inspections to assess …

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is taking to support pupils and school staff whose mental health has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We recognise that children’s and young people’s mental health may have been affected during the pandemic and want to ensure that anyone who needs support can get access to appropriate services. We continue to prioritise support for mental health and wellbein…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the mental health impact has been on teachers and school staff as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government recognises the negative impact the pandemic has had on some people’s mental health and wellbeing, including teachers and school staff. This has been evidenced through several UK and Scottish studies. Since 2020, the Scottish Governmen…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the mental health impact has been on pupils as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government. We know that children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing will have been affected during lockdown, and schools have a key role to pla…

23 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received a progress report from NHS Forth Valley regarding its improvement plan, including any additional (a) culture, (b) leadership and (c) integration actions, following its escalation to stage 4 of the NHS Scotland performance escalation framework on 23 November 2022.

Answer · Michael Matheson: NHS Forth Valley provide a full progress update against their published Improvement Plan to the Assurance Board on a monthly basis. Material relating to the escalation is proactively published by both the Scottish Government and NHS Forth Valley. NHS Forth V…