Linda Fabiani

17 Sep 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what hospital departments have been under pressure due to high waiting times in each NHS board in the last three months.

Answer · Alex Neil: The information is not available centrally. However, all health boards experience pressures from time to time in delivering services as demand for services increase. To address this NHS boards are making available over £67 million to boost capacity across Sc…

17 Sep 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have waited over 12 hours to be seen at accident and emergency departments in each NHS board in the last year.

Answer · Alex Neil: The following table presents the number of attendances (new and unplanned returns) that were not seen within 12 hours by NHS board and by month for 12 months to June 2013. Number of attendances (new and unplanned returns) that were not seen within 12 hours b…

17 Sep 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have waited over (a) six, (b) nine, (c) 12 and (d) 24 weeks for an MRI scan in each NHS board in the last year.

Answer · Alex Neil: The specific information is not available centrally. Waiting times for MRI scans are published each quarter and show the number of patients on the waiting list on the month end census date and on how long they had been waiting. On 30 June 2013, 878 patients…

16 Sep 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to deal with the reported increase in waiting times for neurological services in NHS Lanarkshire.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government remain committed to ensuring patients get swift access to treatment. Whilst some patients are waiting slightly over the 12 weeks first outpatient consultation standard, I can reassure the member that patients with an urgent clinical ne…

9 Sep 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on implementing the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland.

30 Aug 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) the UK Government and (b) COSLA regarding the implementation of universal credit.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: Scottish Government Ministers have regular discussions with UK Government Ministers about implementation of the various welfare reforms including the implementation of Universal Credit. Scottish Government officials are working with COSLA officials to influen…

30 Aug 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle evictions resulting from non-payment of the so-called bedroom tax.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: I refer the member to the answer to questions S4W-12541 on 25 February 2013, S4W-13016 on 5 March 2013, S4O-01947 on 21 March 2013, S4W-14223 on 08 May 2013 and Bedroom Tax (Emergency Legislation) on 27 March 2013 and Bedroom Tax (Emergency Legislation) on 27…

30 Aug 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the average reduction in income per (a) household and (b) person in Scotland as a result of the UK Government's welfare reforms.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government will publish indicative case studies of the financial impacts of welfare reform on example households shortly.

26 Aug 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it gives to small businesses.

19 Jul 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact its decision to protect funding for the council tax benefit successor scheme for 2013-14 will have on the incomes of single female households.

Answer · John Swinney: Working in partnership with local government, we responded quickly to put in place transitional arrangements to plug the estimated £40 million gap in funding from the UK Government following their abolition of council tax benefit. This ensures that around 560…

27 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the changes to jobseeker's allowance announced in the 2013 Spending Review on (a) poverty, (b) child poverty, (c) food poverty and (d) temporary poverty in Scotland.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government does not produce projections of poverty and no specific assessments have been made of the impacts of welfare policies on poverty levels. The Scottish Government officials are liaising with HM Treasury and the Department for Work and …

27 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the cumulative impact of welfare reforms announced since 2010 on (a) poverty and (b) child poverty in Scotland.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government does not produce projections of poverty and no specific assessments have been made of the impacts of welfare policies on poverty levels. However, an assessment of the cumulative impact of welfare reforms over the five years to 2014-15 …

27 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the welfare reforms announced in the 2013 Spending Review on (a) poverty and (b) child poverty in Scotland.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government does not produce projections of poverty and has published no formal assessment of the Spending Review 2013 impacts on poverty. However, the distributional analysis published alongside the Spending Review sets out the cumulative impact…

10 Jun 2013 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the new system for disability living allowance will have on poverty in Scotland.

3 Jun 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it gives to the Scottish Association of Local Sports Councils and its member councils.

Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Government support to the Scottish Association of Local Sports Councils and its member councils is routed through sportscotland. For the year beginning 1 November 2012 to 31 October 2013 this investment will be up to 75% of its total costs.

7 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-10983 by Kenny MacAskill on 21 November 2012, how many (a) liabilities in relation to tribunals and (b) complaints against serving officers were taken over, broken down by transferring authority.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government does not hold any data on the number of tribunals and complaints that transferred over to the Scottish Police Authority and the Police Service of Scotland, as they were transferred under the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 (…

3 May 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the process is to appeal a historic finding of the Lands Tribunal for Scotland.

16 Apr 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many one-bedroom properties there are, also broken down by tenure, and how many of these are allocated to people deemed to be homeless.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: There are an estimated 312,000 one bedroom properties in Scotland, 165,000 of which are in the social rented sector. The following table provides a further breakdown by tenure. An estimated 20,000 one-bedroom properties become available for let each year in …

16 Apr 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met South Lanarkshire Council and what was discussed.

3 Apr 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to enable people with restricted vision to access computer aids for visually impaired people.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: There is a range of services available to support and assist people with a visual impairment to access computer aids. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, as amended, places duties on education authorities to identify, plan, m…

4 Mar 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Our whole Zero Waste approach recognises the value of materials and the need to waste less and recycle more. We are taking decisive action on several fronts. The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 are driving a step change in recycling and keeping materials o…

25 Feb 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it is giving to the task force set up by South Lanarkshire Council in relation to the proposed closure of the Rolls-Royce plant in East Kilbride.

28 Jan 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent progress Healthcare Improvement Scotland has made in inspections of care for older people.

21 Jan 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the environmental benefits are of using LED lighting in commercial applications.

14 Jan 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussion it has had with Rolls-Royce and South Lanarkshire Council in response to the announcement of the planned closure of the Rolls-Royce East Kilbride plant.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government’s main economic development agency, Scottish Enterprise, has been in ongoing discussions with Rolls-Royce about the proposal to move its East Kilbride operation to Inchinnan and the potential areas of support for safeguarding the overa…

7 Jan 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the impact of changes to child benefit will be on families in Scotland.

12 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the UK Government’s proposed underoccupancy penalty on the socially rented sector in Scotland.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: Our latest estimate of the overall impact is that: 105,000 households will be affected by the under occupancy penalty. Of these, 83,000 will be under-occupying by one bedroom and the remaining 22,000 by two or more rooms. With around 586,000 households in …

10 Dec 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Lanarkshire.

Answer · Alex Neil: Scottish Ministers and officials regularly meet with representatives of all Health boards, including NHS Lanarkshire.

26 Nov 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its proposals for the third national planning framework.

19 Nov 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what help is available to ensure that children with complex additional support needs reach their full educational potential.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (as amended) places duties on education authorities and other agencies to identify, plan and make provision for the additional support to children and young people who have an additional supp…