Parliamentary questions
Elaine Smith
1,153 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it (a) promotes and (b) supports financial health checks for older people.
Answer · Angela Constance: In our Fairer Scotland Action Plan, we committed to developing a Financial Health Check service which will offer a personalised service to maximise incomes for older people in retirement. In October 2017, we ran the “You’ve Earned It, Why Not Claim It?” socia…
13 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16770 by Kevin Stewart on 29 May 2018, how it ensures that local authorities are building enough accessible housing for disabled people to meet demand, and what it considers a "reasonable target" should be under the refreshed Local Housing Strategy …
Answer · Kevin Stewart: We are currently refreshing the Local Housing Strategy guidance to make sure realistic targets are set at local level for the supply of wheelchair housing reflecting local needs and priorities. It is for local authorities to asses need and to identify an appr…
13 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-16751 by Aileen Campbell on 5 June 2018, how much has been spent in each local authority on the Active Schools programme in each year since 2015.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Sport Scotland publish their overall revenue investment into each local authority each year. This investment covers Active Schools as well as other areas such as Community Sport Hubs. At present this information covers financial years 2013-14 to 2016-17. spor…
17 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what resources it is allocating to tackling adverse childhood experiences.
Answer · John Swinney: As set out in the 2017-18 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government is leading a bold drive to reduce stressful and poor quality childhoods and support children and adults in overcoming early life adversity. We will embed a focus on preventing ACEs an…
17 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what minimum percentage of new-build affordable homes must be accessible to wheelchair users.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has not set a minimum percentage of new build affordable homes which must be accessible to wheelchair users. As the statutory housing and planning authority for their area, local authorities are responsible for assessing housing need a…
17 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to meet the demand for accessible housing for disabled people.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Housing is a priority for this Government and we firmly believe everyone should have a home that meets their needs. We are already taking action to ensure everyone has access to a home that is the right size, in the right location and flexible enough to suit …
17 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages the private sector to modify homes in line with the needs of disabled tenants.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government firmly believes that everyone should have a home that meets their needs. Whether that is a home that is the right size, in the right location or flexible enough to suit any requirements they may have in the future. Under the powers of…
17 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which body operates the provision of mid-market rents as part of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: No single body operates the provision of homes at mid-market rents as part of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. Mid-market rent homes are mainly provided by subsidiaries of Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), and in some cases by Charitable Trusts.
17 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the Rental Income Guarantee Scheme will have on the public.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Rental Income Guarantee Scheme (RIGS), launched last year, is part of a wider package of Scottish Government measures to support growth and attract investment in the emerging Build to Rent sector in Scotland. RIGS has sent a strong signal to investors and…
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many affordable homes in each local authority area have been (a) built and (b) demolished in each year since 2016.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: a) The Scottish Government publishes statistics on affordable housing completions each quarter, with the latest published set of figures covering the time period up to end December 2017. The next quarterly update, which will cover the quarter from January to …
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many affordable homes there have been in each local authority area in each year since 2016.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The information requested for 2016-17 is provided at page 13, Table 5 of the published Affordable Housing Supply Programme Outturn Report 2016-17 which can be accessed using the following link: https://beta.gov.scot/publications/affordable-housing-supply-pro…
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of its proposed 50,000 affordable homes will be accessible to disabled people.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: As the statutory housing and planning authority for their area, local authorities are responsible for assessing housing need and demand and setting out how the requirement for housing will be met, through their Local Housing Strategy and Strategic Housing Inv…
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what research it has carried out or plans on the causes, prevention and mitigation of adverse childhood experiences.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is currently exploring options for inclusion of ACEs questions in the Scottish Health Survey 2019, which will help us to understand better the prevalence of ACEs in adults in Scotland and how this can impact on people’s health and soci…
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it offers to local authorities to support children from low-income families in accessing leisure and sports activities outwith school.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: It is the responsibility of each local authority to provide local facilities for sport and leisure, and to set a fair pricing structure for these facilities. sport scotland undertake an annual review of local authority charges for sports participation in Scot…
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what travel subsidies it offers to low-income families.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government spends over £250 million a year to support the bus industry, allowing operators to keep fares at affordable levels, and provide free bus travel to older and disabled passengers. We also provide support to local authorities via the bloc…
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to help vulnerable parents integrate with their communities.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government wants to make Scotland the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up. The implementation of the National Parenting Strategy published in October 2012, is key to driving this ambition. Nearly six years on from pu…
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle social isolation.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government ‘s draft strategy to tackle social isolation and loneliness was published for consultation in January. Since then, we have held a number of community engagement events across Scotland to allow stakeholders and members of the public wha…
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many public libraries have been closed in each year since 2010.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The information requested is not held centrally. The member may wish to contact the Scottish Library Information Council which provides advice to local authorities and supports improvements in public libraries across our local authorities. Pamela Tulloch, Chi…
16 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government by what date the new minimum level school clothing grant will be introduced, and at what rate it will be set.
Answer · John Swinney: The new national minimum school clothing grant has been set at £100 and it will be made available to eligible families in time for the start of the 2018-19 academic year. We know the cost of a school uniform can be considerable for families, and we are delig…
11 Apr 2018 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the prescription of generic medicines.
28 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any NHS staff have had their wages reduced as a result of missing work during the recent period in which a red weather warning alert was issued.
Answer · Shona Robison: It is for NHS Boards as employers to manage individual staffing issues locally, but the Scottish Government has been clear in its communication with Boards that staff should suffer no detriment where they were unable to get to work during the recent red weath…
27 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13480 by Humza Yousaf on 3 January 2018, whether the tendering process for the construction of the new Forth Ports Training Academy has excluded applications from companies that have blacklisted workers for taking part in trade union activity.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not hold any information relating to the tendering process for the construction of the proposed new Forth Ports Training Academy in Grangemouth. This is a private sector initiative being taken forward by the company. The Scottish…
27 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14486 by Michael Matheson on 22 February 2018, whether all staff employed in Scottish Prison Service (SPS)-run institutions are directly employed by the SPS and, if not, how many are subcontracted to the private sector.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The vast majority of staff working in Scotland’s 13 publicly managed prisons are directly employed by the Scottish Prison Service. In additi…
27 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which (a) of its directorates and (b) local authorities have made a commitment that companies on their supply chain should (i) pay at least the living wage and (ii) commit to the Business Pledge.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Public bodies cannot make the payment of the real Living Wage or signing the Scottish Business Pledge a condition of contract award. However, all public bodies, including Directorates of the Scottish Government, are required to have regard to the Statutory Gu…
23 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that, before housing costs, relative child poverty rates have increased.
Answer · Angela Constance: Before housing costs, relative child poverty rates are now similar in Scotland and UK (both 19%), whereas after housing costs, Scotland (24%) continues to maintain a 6 percentage point lower child poverty rate than the UK (30%). However, there is no room for…
23 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that, after housing costs, absolute child poverty has not changed at 22%.
Answer · Angela Constance: Absolute child poverty has been broadly stable in the last five years, in Scotland as well as in the UK. Absolute child poverty in Scotland has been roughly 5 percentage points lower (22%) than in the UK (27%) for the last decade. However, there is no room f…
23 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of reports that poverty rates for retired older women are higher than those for males.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring a thriving third age for all older people. That is why the Fairer Scotland Action Plan committed to bringing forward a financial health check service with an older people strand: in order to maximise incomes in…
23 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of reports that 24% of households that have someone with a disability are living in poverty, which is higher than the 16% figure for households that have no-one with a disability.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is committed to tackling poverty amongst households where someone has a disability. That’s why Every Child, Every Chance: the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan focuses on priority families who are at higher risk of poverty, includin…
23 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of reports that people from minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to be living in poverty.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is committed to tackling poverty amongst minority ethnic communities. That’s why Every Child, Every Chance: the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan focuses on priority families who are at higher risk of poverty, including minority eth…
23 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that in-work poverty rates for working-age adults are at their highest since records began.
Answer · Angela Constance: In Scotland, 59% of working-age adults in poverty after housing costs were living in working households, compared with 66% in the UK. The Scottish Government is taking a range of initiatives aimed at tackling in-work poverty. For example, as set out in Ever…