Elaine Smith

31 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has (a) sought and (b) received from NHS boards regarding how they allocated the (i) first £51.6 million and (ii) second £50 million tranche of funding to improve waiting times, and whether it will publish information on what each board delivered and within which serv…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Territorial NHS Boards received additional allocations of £51.6 million in 2017-18 and £50 million in 2018-19 to specifically reduce the number of patients experiencing long waits. This funding was allocated through the NHS Resource Allocation Formula (NRAC).…

31 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS boards are required to report to it a breakdown of how they allocated the first £51.6 million and second £50 million tranches of its funding to improve waiting times.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-21351 on 5 March 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/2…

30 Jan 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the trend in the number of college students since 2007.

24 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £500,000 committed to testing the Children’s Neighbourhoods Scotland programme in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan has been spent, and whether it will provide details of the nature of this research.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: ' Every Child, Every Chance ' set out that £2 million funding would be provided over the period of the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan (2018-22) to expand the innovative Children's Neighbourhoods Scotland programme. This programme is already being pilote…

24 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £7.5 million Innovation Fund committed to in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan has been spent; which organisations have received funding, including any that successfully bid for money via application, and how much each received.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Innovation Fund is a joint fund between the Scottish Government and the Hunter Foundation, each contributing £5m and £2.5m respectively over the life of Every Child, Every Chance . Following an application process eight organisations were successful in s…

24 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £500,000 committed to the Healthier Wealthier Children approach in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan has been spent, and whether it will provide details of the healthcare provisions that have been funded.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: In October 2018 the Scottish Government allocated funding totalling £250,000 to the 14 territorial Health Boards to embed or enhance the Healthier Wealthier Children approach. Further funding will be allocated within 2019-20 in line with the commitment made i…

24 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £1 million committed to research on children experiencing food insecurity in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan has been spent, and whether it will provide details of the nature of this research.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Every Child Every Chance included a commitment to invest “£1 million on new practical support for children experiencing food insecurity during school holidays.” and also stated that “new research will also help us understand what further action is needed at a…

24 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £750,000 committed to the Workplace Equality Fund in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan has been spent; which employers have received funding, and how they have spent it.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: There are 22 projects, involving a range of employers, receiving funding through the Scottish Government’s £750,000 Workplace Equality Fund. The Fund is being delivered by Impact Funding Partners, who were formally known as Voluntary Action Fund. With regard…

24 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £1.35 million committed to initiatives with colleges and the Student Awards Agency for Scotland’s (SAAS) outreach programme in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan has been spent; where the funding has been spent; which colleges have received funding; how many people …

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government Advanced Learning and Science Directorate has been allocated £1.35m, to be distributed over the course of the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan implementation period, to fund pilot projects based in further education settings and vi…

24 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £12 million committed to employment support in the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan has been spent; which organisations and agencies have delivered employment support using this funding; where the support has been delivered, and how many people have received support.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: As stated in the Programme for Government 2018-2019 the Scottish Government has commenced work to develop an intensive parental employment support. Building on the recent publication No One Left Behind, officials are working closely with Local Government and …

24 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20468 by Aileen Campbell on 9 January 2019, what action it plans regarding alleviating food insecurity that is identified during the collection and monitoring of the data.    

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government is dedicated to tackling the causes of food insecurity. We are integrating this objective across Government activity and have made food insecurity a key indicator in our National Performance Framework. At the same time, we are support…

5 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that there are sufficient foster carers in each local authority area to meet the needs of all children and families requiring services.

Answer · Maree Todd: Responsibility for recruiting sufficient foster carers to meet the needs of children and families in their areas lies with local authorities who run regular local recruitment campaigns. The Scottish Government provides funding to local authorities through the…

5 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that high-quality training opportunities and skills development are available for all foster carers.

Answer · Maree Todd: Responsibility for ensuring that high quality training opportunities and skills development are available to foster carers approved by them lies with the relevant local authority, independent or voluntary fostering agency. The new Health and Social Care Stan…

5 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place to ensure there are rights of representation for any foster carer attending a local authority investigative hearing.

Answer · Maree Todd: Guidance on "Managing allegations against foster carers and approved kinship carers - how agencies should respond" published in July 2013 specifies that Foster carers about whom a concern has been raised, must have access to independent legal advice and infor…

5 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made towards establishing a national register of foster carers.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government currently has no plans to establish a national register of foster carers in Scotland. It is the responsibility of each fostering agency to keep written records on the details of the foster carers who are registered with them.

5 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made on standardising foster care allowances across all local authorities.

Answer · Maree Todd: In November 2017, the Scottish Government established the National Review of Care Allowances to carry out a review of allowances for foster and kinship carers. The group published its report on 14 September, together with a recommendation that the Scottish Go…

5 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place to ensure there are common standards across all local authorities for the registration of foster carers.

Answer · Maree Todd: Common requirements apply through Regulation 22 of the Looked After Children (Scotland) Regulations 2009. Schedule 3 sets out the information that all local authorities must collect and present to a fostering panel when they are considering approving and regi…

14 Nov 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of high levels of faults and equipment failures, whether it is aware of any plans that Network Rail has to reduce Overhead Line Department coverage across Scotland.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Operational issues, including levels of staffing, are a matter for Network Rail, which is directly accountable to the UK Government. Network Rail is fully funded by the Scottish Government to deliver its current obligations, and we are committed to an increas…

14 Nov 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the transport secretary last met ScotRail Alliance and what was discussed.

7 Nov 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action the Environment Secretary is taking to enable people from deprived areas to access woodland areas.

31 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what factors it is taking into consideration to determine the extent of the additional resources that it will allocate to the victims of contaminated blood products, and whether the people affected and their families will be treated as a priority.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government has always worked hard to provide support for those infected with hepatitis c and/or HIV via infected blood or blood products and their families. The Scottish Government is taking into consideration the findings of the Clinical Review…

26 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has held with Knorr-Bremse RailServices following the company's proposals to sell shares in the business to Mutares.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Officials from Transport Scotland have made contact with Gemini Rail Services UK Ltd, the division of Mutares who have taken over Knorr Bremse RailServices and will be meeting representatives soon to discuss the future of the Springburn site, its staff and it…

26 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assurances it can give to workers at the Knorr-Bremse RailServices site at Springburn with regard to a commitment to the future of the site.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Officials from Transport Scotland have made contact with Gemini Rail Services UK Ltd, the division of Mutares who have taken over Knorr Bremse RailServices and will be meeting representatives soon to discuss the future of the Springburn site, its staff and it…

26 Oct 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Knorr-Bremse RailServices regarding the lease of the company's site at Springburn.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Officials from Transport Scotland have made contact with Gemini Rail Services UK Ltd, the division of Mutares who have taken over Knorr Bremse RailServices and will be meeting representatives soon to discuss the future of the Springburn site, its staff and it…

3 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-17668 by Michael Matheson on 1 August 2018, whether it will outline the specific actions that it has taken with employers in the ferry industry to ensure that they promote trade union representation and collective bargaining agreements.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The recent Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services tender reflected The Scottish Government’s Statutory Guidance on Addressing Fair Work Practices. The tender required bidders to outline their approach to union representation and collective bargaining. A similar ap…

8 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures released by NHS Forth Valley, which suggest that, between February 2017 to February 2018, it recorded a fall of almost 50% in meeting the child and adolescent mental health waiting times for treatment within 18 weeks of referral; what action it is taking t…

Answer · Clare Haughey: We are deeply disappointed that despite mental health being a key priority for this Government a number of NHS Boards, including NHS Forth Valley, are still not meeting the 18 week waiting times standard for access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Servic…

8 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of reports that, over the last year, there has been a fall nationally in meeting the child and adolescent mental health waiting times for treatment within 18 weeks of referral.

Answer · Clare Haughey: Young people’s mental health is a key priority for the Scottish Government, and when a child or young person experiences mental ill health it is vital that they are able to access the support and help they need, when they need it. However, increasing public a…

11 Jul 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15590 by Keith Brown on 17 April 2018, what recent assessment it has made of access to trade union representation at Scottish ferry companies operating in the Pentland Firth that it is currently negotiating with regarding inclusion in the Road Equiv…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has made no recent assessment of access to trade union representation at commercial ferry operators in the Pentland Firth.

11 Jul 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15590 by Keith Brown on 17 April 2018, what steps it is taking to ensure that all staff in the ferry industry have access to trade union representation.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The laws relating to employment, trade unions, their activities and membership/representation are currently a reserved matter and enforcement is therefore an issue for the UK government. However, the Scottish Government believes that a progressive approach to…

13 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many private sector rented homes in each local authority area are accessible for disabled people.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: This is a matter for individual local authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.