Parliamentary questions

Fiona Hyslop

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

24 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support and remedies are available in Scotland for people who cannot get their powers of attorneys, that have been arranged in Scotland, recognised in other parts of the UK, and what additional steps the Scottish Government is taking to address this.

Answer · Maree Todd: In Scotland the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) Scotland is responsible for registering all power of attorney documents. If an individual has experienced any issues involving the recognition of a Scottish power of attorney in other parts of the UK they ca…

24 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with financial institutions across the UK to ensure that they recognise powers of attorney arranged in Scotland.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is working closely with the Office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) (OPG) who have responsibility for registering powers of attorney in Scotland to highlight the concerns about recognition of these with UK financial institutions. OPG…

24 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government in relation to cross-border recognition of powers of attorney arranged in Scotland.

Answer · Maree Todd: Scottish Government has not had any recent direct engagement with the UK Government regarding cross-border recognition of powers of attorney granted in Scotland. However, in previous meetings both parties have agreed the existing legislation allows for autom…

23 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what communication it has had with NHS Lothian regarding the proposed closure of the youth navigator service at (a) St John's Hospital in Livingston and (b) the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Scottish Government has contacted NHS Lothian, which has confirmed the Youth Hospital Navigator pilot at both hospitals was funded only for a fixed term of two years which ends this month. The pilot was included in an external evaluation of all youth work pro…

9 May 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the view of the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland that NHS Lothian should review its Children’s Rights Impact Assessment of the decision to end the Youth Navigator programme, which operates at St John's Hospital.

3 May 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last spoke with COSLA regarding what action local authorities are taking to improve bus service provision.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government is committed, in conjunction with bus operators and local authorities, to looking at ways of improving services to ensure that everyone has accessible public transport. We have increased the tools available to local authorities to revi…

26 Apr 2023 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on supply chain opportunities arising from Scotland’s offshore wind potential and ScotWind.

Answer · Neil Gray: I am absolutely delighted that today, Japan based cable manufacturer Sumitomo has announced plans to establish a manufacturing plant in Scotland to supply the country’s growing renewable energy sector. This is a real statement of intent that demonstrates the …

14 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to support commercial bus operators in maintaining essential but less commercially viable service routes, in order to ensure that communities have access to public transport and that these bus operators are reaching their net zero obligations.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Transport Scotland provides an annual subsidy through the Network Support Grant (NSG) to the bus industry, the aim of which is to keep fares more affordable and support bus operators to run services that might not otherwise be commercially viable. Transport …

4 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what protections are in place for anyone who has had unfounded allegations put against them during divorce proceedings, and who, as a result, must underatke costly legal proceedings.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The majority of divorce actions are undefended and therefore do not require the non-applicant party to incur the expenses involving in entering the proceedings. Where a divorce action is defended, either party may be eligible for civil legal aid. The cour…

4 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether any further consideration has been given to the introduction of a mediation bill, in light of the recommendations made in the 2019 report, Bringing Mediation into the Mainstream in Civil Justice in Scotland, which proposed introducing a mandatory requirement on parties to atten…

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government response to the recommendations of the Report of the Independent Review of Mediation in the Civil Justice System in Scotland was published in December 2019. As set out in that response, we confirmed our intention to work with key stake…

4 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates introducing its proposed bill to legislate to reform the regulation of legal services and whether it will include any provisions that would put into regulation any rules and guidance currently set out on a voluntary basis by the Law Society of Scotland.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on the 20 April 2023. Information about the Bill can be found on the Scottish Parliament website here . The powers of the Law Society of Scotland are already well es…

30 Mar 2023 · Inspired Question

To ask what the Scottish Government’s response is to advice received from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) in December 2022 that technical adjustments should be made to Scotland's annual emission targets in the 2020s to ensure such targets are aligned with revisions to international standards in carbon accounting.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: Today a document has been laid in Parliament [ref: SG/2023/43] outlining our response to this CCC advice and associated legislation which has been brought forward to adjust our interim statutory target for 2020s for technical reasons. Scottish Ministers note…

20 Mar 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the AR6 synthesis report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

10 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce the tender awards for the Climate Just Communities programme, and what percentage of the £36 million Climate Justice Fund will go towards this initiative.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15692 on 20 March 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-committee…

2 Mar 2023 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to undertake a programme of analysis to better understand Scotland’s energy requirements as it transitions to net zero.

Answer · Michael Matheson: In the 2021-22 Programme for Government and as part of the Bute House Agreement, the Scottish Government committed to undertake an in-depth analysis to better understand our energy requirements as we transition to net zero. Following a procurement process, EY…

28 Feb 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its initial assessment is of any potential impacts that the Windsor Framework may have on Scotland’s economy.

21 Feb 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that Scotland keeps as aligned as possible with European policy developments.

20 Feb 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the future role of women in driving entrepreneurial activity and economic growth, in light of the publication of the report, Pathways: A New Approach for Women in Entrepreneurship.

17 Feb 2023 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide an update on Ana Stewart’s independent review on women in entrepreneurship.

Answer · John Swinney: A report on the findings and recommendations of Ana Stewart’s review will be published on the Scottish Government website on 20 February 2022. The report “Pathways: A New Approach for Women in Entrepreneurship” sets out a series of recommendations aimed at c…

9 Feb 2023 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress NHS Lothian has made against the recommendations included in the British Academy of Audiology report to improve the Paediatric Audiology Service to ensure it is both safe and fit for purpose.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: NHS Lothian has made significant progress with regards to the BAA recommendations, they have provided sufficient assurance through evidence of significant progress against the plan, improved governance and culture, and sustainable changes that NHS Lothian wil…

2 Feb 2023 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the High Level Output Specification and Statement of Funds Available for Control Period 7, and how these align with the wider objectives for Scotland’s Railway.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Transport Scotland has published both the Scottish Ministers’ High Level Output Specification (HLOS) and the Statement of Funds Available (SoFA). The HLOS, funded by the SoFA, continues the Scottish Government’s record investment in Scotland’s Railway. This …

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to produce an equivalent for adults aged over 25 to its document, National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People: Principles and Standards of Care, published in 2021, which sets out the standards and availability of services that people aged up …

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has been working with the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) regarding diagnosis and support, providing funding of £650,000 for adult neurodevelopmental pathway pilots with four Health Boards - Fife, Borders, Lanarkshire and Hi…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with adults with undiagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as part of its proposed Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill, and when the findings of any engagement will be available.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Scoping work on the Bill took place between May and July 2022. As part of this, the Scottish Government ran a series of events to consider how people with lived experience view the Bill and to discuss potential key elements. We carried out 30 events with 18 d…

26 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration has been given to the needs of adults with undiagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as part of its proposed Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill.

25 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in increasing the number of patients accessing NHS dental care in West Lothian, following the reintroduction of a system of fee per item payments in an attempt to incentivise NHS dental teams to see patients.

Answer · Maree Todd: Information on dental activity is not held at a West Lothian level. Public Health Scotland presently publish information on activity at a national level and this shows that over 1.6 million NHS examination appointment were completed between April and October …

20 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the potential impact in Scotland of proposals to take child maintenance payments directly from people's wages, in a similar way to tax, in order to ensure that deliberate non-payment of child maintenance can be addressed, and w…

17 Jan 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any impact on Scottish agriculture, what its most recent assessment is of the UK–New Zealand free trade agreement.

12 Jan 2023 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the appointment of Business Advisers to the First Minister.

Answer · Ivan McKee: Ellis Watson has been appointed as a Business Advisor to the First Minister. He will work directly with the First Minister to identify the priorities of the business community and help shape the government’s support and response. The creation of the role demo…

11 Jan 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the continuing impact of Brexit is on Scotland’s key economic sectors.

9 Jan 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the implications for Scotland and the Scottish Government are following Met Office reports that temperatures in Scotland and the UK reached the highest on record in 2022.