Parliamentary questions
Pauline McNeill
2,364 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
23 May 2022 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to comments by Citizens Advice Scotland that one in five people are running out of money before payday.
20 Apr 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how its policies across government will support young people living in Glasgow to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
24 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many men were treated through the Caledonia System in 2021, and how many have been treated since it began.
Answer · Keith Brown: In the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021, 379 men were required to attend the Caledonian System as part of a Community Payback Order (CPO). In total, 1100 men were provided with the opportunity to access the programme in this period. Prior to 2…
24 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recently announced increase in resources, approximately how many men it forecasts will be treated through the Caledonia System in 2022.
Answer · Keith Brown: During 2022, we will take forward necessary preparatory work to support the national rollout of the Caledonian System with the aim of making it available to all 32 Scottish local authorities by the end of the parliamentary term. The size of a local authorit…
21 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the next steps are in taking forward the recommendations of the report, Misogyny - A Human Rights Issue.
Answer · Keith Brown: On the day the report was published on 8 March, the First Minister welcomed the recommendations and thanked Baroness Helena Kennedy and the working group for their efforts over the past year. The First Minister made clear the issues raised in the report are p…
15 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in commissioning and completing independent research on the legal aid sector and levels of remuneration, as recommended in Legal Aid Payment Review Panel - Report to the Minister for Community Safety, published in July 2021.
Answer · Ash Regan: The work on the payment panel research was paused due to other Covid-related work. The development of a specification for the gathering of vital data and evidence has resumed and we would hope to share this specification with the Law Society of Scotland and t…
14 Mar 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how its policies across government will support people living in Glasgow to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
14 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government in how many schools the Equally Safe at School programme is running, and whether any formal feedback has been gathered from pupils who have been involved in the programme.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: I can confirm that at present 48 schools have registered for access to ESAS materials and resources. While some of these schools are very active and have undertaken many ESAS activities, others are planning to begin the work next academic year and so are not …
14 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any action it is taking to reduce energy bills for households.
Answer · Michael Matheson: We are taking a range of actions, within our devolved powers, to help people facing the impacts of higher energy bills and other cost of living pressures. Our recent £290m support package includes an extra £10m to continue our Fuel Insecurity Fund, to help ho…
14 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any assistance it is giving households to install heat pump energy systems.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland (HES) Loan and Cashback scheme offers interest-free loans with cashback grant for renewable heating systems, including heat pumps. Loans of up to £10,000 are available, of which up £7,500 is available as non-repa…
14 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any research that it has carried out into the cost of heat pump energy systems.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: Capital and running costs of heat pumps vary depending on building type and characteristics. Over the last year, the Scottish Government has commissioned and published via ClimateXChange two research projects into the costs and performance of heat pumps: 1. …
9 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether all SQA staff, who wish to, will automatically be transferred to a role in the new body/bodies and, if this is not the case, whether it can provide details of the (a) process whereby they will be able to be redeployed across the public sector and (b) timescales for this to take p…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The current functions of SQA will continue and staff working in those functions will continue to carry out their work, as they currently do. We recognise and appreciate the valuable skills, experience and knowledge held by all staff across SQA, and a primary …
8 Mar 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it provides to Glasgow businesses that have been impacted by a loss of earnings as a result of street closures due to a variety of recent projects.
7 Mar 2022 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the number of young people under the age of 18 being sent to prison.
2 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting NHS boards to plan for and develop forensic community mental health teams.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Independent Review into the delivery of Forensic Mental Health Services in Scotland, published at the end of February 2021, made 67 recommendations for improvements to the delivery of forensic mental health services, including several on community forensi…
2 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will include prison data in the 18-week psychological therapies waiting time standard.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Psychological Therapies (PT) delivered in any service setting is already included within the 18-week PT waiting time standard and delivery of PT in forensic services should be counted in the PT standard. This is not consistently happening at the moment and to…
2 Mar 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the equity of provision of clinical psychology services across the prison estate.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government takes seriously the responsibility to ensure those going through the criminal justice system with mental health issues are appropriately supported, treated and cared for, while ensuring their rights are being maintained, especially dur…
2 Mar 2022 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will roll out the Equally Safe at School programme nationally.
24 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has a strategy to increase the number of retained fire and rescue service personnel.
Answer · Ash Regan: Recruitment and retention of voluntary and retained on-call firefighters is an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
24 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has made of the impact of fire appliances, both those staffed by wholetime and retained firefighters, being taken off the run due to staffing levels.
Answer · Ash Regan: As a national service, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service can deploy its resources in a flexible way to ensure that fire and rescue cover is maintained. Managing resources in the most effective way is an operational matter for SFRS.
24 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken following the rejection of the pay proposal for firefighters in 2019-20, whether an increase in pay for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service staff will be considered, and if so, when this will be implemented.
Answer · Ash Regan: Firefighter pay is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as the employer and representatives of their staff. The Scottish Government is not party to negotiations on firefighter pay.
24 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that householders comply with new legislation on interlinked fire alarms in domestic properties.
Answer · Shona Robison: The duty to ensure compliance with the new legislation on interlinked fire alarms in domestic properties rests with local authorities. The legislation provides flexibility for people to fit the necessary alarms in due course if they have been unable to do so …
24 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of any reduced crewing levels on fire appliances responding to fires.
Answer · Ash Regan: The management of fire appliances and their crewing are operational matters for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
24 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the results of any assessment it has carried out on the physical condition of the country’s fire stations.
Answer · Ash Regan: The assessment of fire stations and their condition is a matter for SFRS.
24 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the recruitment of (a) permanent full-time uniformed and (b) retained staff in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
Answer · Ash Regan: Staffing and recruitment are operational matters for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
24 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether additional funding will be made available to help the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in its response to the climate emergency, and, if so, how much funding will be made available.
Answer · Ash Regan: The Scottish Government has increased the funding for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) by £9.5 million for 2022-23. The Grant In Aid provided to SFRS is not allocated for specific purposes, it is an operational matter for SFRS to decide how the res…
24 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates that it will cost to ensure that all fire station buildings are in a good standard of repair.
Answer · Ash Regan: The Scottish Government allocates capital funding to SFRS and decisions on how this budget is spent is a matter for SFRS. The Scottish Government is in regular contact with SFRS over its capital and resource budget needs.
24 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the last condition survey was carried out on all fire stations in Scotland.
Answer · Ash Regan: Maintenance and decisions on fire stations is an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
24 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) wholetime, (b) retained and (c) control firefighters have been employed by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in each year since it was created.
Answer · Ash Regan: Recruitment of firefighters, whether whole-time, retained or control is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service therefore figures on recruitment are not held centrally. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) came into being as a national serv…
24 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional budget has been allocated to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for the coming years.
Answer · Ash Regan: The Scottish Government continued our commitment to support SFRS service delivery and modernisation with a further uplift of £9.5 million resource for 2022-23 bringing the total budget to £352.7 million.