Johann Lamont

24 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what approach it is taking to tackle (a) homelessness and (b) rough sleeping.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: With strong statutory rights to housing for homeless households, we are focusing with local authorities and partners on preventing homelessness before it occurs. We are continuing to fund five local authority led Housing Options Hubs across Scotland to promot…

24 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with organisations in Glasgow regarding tackling (a) homelessness and (b) rough sleeping.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has ongoing discussions with organisations in Glasgow on homelessness and rough sleeping. Discussions are held with Glasgow City Council and the third sector to ensure that the Scottish Government is fully informed of Glasgow’s homeles…

21 Mar 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the local government budget allocation to Glasgow City Council since 2007.

17 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the (a) £260 million allocated to its resource budget and (b) £90 million allocated to its capital budget arising in Barnett consequentials from the 2017 UK Budget will be allocated to (i) supporting disabled people, (ii) supporting unpaid carers, (iii) programmes to ensure t…

Answer · Shona Robison: The Barnett consequentials arising from the UK Spring Budget have been added to the total resources available to the Scottish Government, and Scottish Ministers will decide on the allocation of these funds in due course. This Government will continue to prio…

13 Mar 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress it is making in implementing the recommendations of the Commission for Widening Access.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: In line with the recommendation made by the Commission, and informed by the statement from the First Minister in Parliament on 25 May 2016, the Government will publish a formal report on progress against the Commission’s recommendations in May this year. In …

13 Feb 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met groups representing survivors of child sexual abuse and what issues were discussed.

16 Jan 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that there is support for the range of needs of survivors of child sexual abuse.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The provision of support services for survivors of childhood abuse is the responsibility of local Health and Social Care Partnerships. However, the Scottish Government works alongside statutory, voluntary and third sector organisations to build greater capaci…

21 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry is expected to cost.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry is at too early a stage to provide an estimate of the overall cost of the Inquiry. The Inquiry proactively publishes its spend on a quarterly basis https://www.childabuseinquiry.scot.

21 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that child abuse survivors who were abused in communities have the same access to support as survivors who were abused in institutions.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The provision of support services for survivors of child abuse is the responsibility of local Health and Social Care Partnerships. To support improved access and the integration of services for survivors across statutory and third sector the Scottish Governm…

28 Nov 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has with local authorities regarding equalities issues.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government values its relationship with Local Government and engages with it in a variety of ways with regard to equalities issues. CoSLA is represented on the Equality Budget Advisory Group and Cllr Mary Montague, along with myself, co-chairs t…

3 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many supported factories and businesses there are.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government does not hold details of all supported factories and businesses that meet the definition within the Public Procurement Directive given effect into scots law by the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. Work is currently on-go…

3 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many supported factories and businesses have registered contracts.

Answer · Derek Mackay: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-03738 on 1 November 2016. 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/parliamentarybusines…

3 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will launch or support a national campaign to raise awareness of disability and tackle the associated stigma.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: We recognise that disabled people in Scotland continue to face negative attitudes, stigma and discrimination. We will raise awareness of disability and disabling barriers through the next phase of the One Scotland Campaign - which we will launch in 2017. This…

3 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes the contribution that disabled people can make to communities.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Protecting and promoting disabled people’s human rights is central to our approach to social justice. The Disability Delivery Plan, which we will publish in December, is part of our programme for a fairer Scotland. It will set out our ambitions, alongside a …

3 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the number of (a) internships and (b) apprenticeships for young disabled people in each (i) of its directorates and (ii) NHS board, and how it will encourage local authorities to do so.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government, through Developing the Young Workforce is encouraging all public sector employers, (Scottish Government included), to support the ambitions of our Youth Employment Strategy which aims to increase the employment rate for young disabled…

3 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote the Access to Work scheme to (a) employers and (b) disabled people.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: While we are critical of the decision of the UK Government not to devolve Access to Work to Scotland, it is an important scheme among others to support disabled people into and to sustain employment. We are actively promoting Access to Work to both employers …

1 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to recover the money that it provided to (a) Perth and Kinross, (b) The Highland and (c) Dumfries and Galloway Council to cover the costs of raising the income allowance.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-04420 on 15 November 2016. 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/parliamentarybusine…

1 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that 13,900 or more people who use social care services have been supported by its proposals to increase their applicable income allowance for care charges, as indicated in the letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport to the Public Petitions Committee o…

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government provided £6 million to local authorities in 2016-17 to enable them to increase the minimum income allowance threshold from 16.5% to 25%. The Scottish Government estimated that increasing charging thresholds from 16.5% to 25% would ben…

1 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what response it has made to plans by (a) Perth and Kinross, (b) The Highland and (c) Dumfries and Galloway Council to reduce their applicable income allowance for people under 65 who have to pay social care charges, following its provision of funding to each council to raise the basic i…

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is seeking clarification from The Highland Council and Dumfries and Galloway Council on the use of funding provided in the 2016-17 local government financial settlement to allow local authorities to increase income allowance thresholds…

1 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what response it has made to the seven councils, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Fife, Dundee, Falkirk, Highland and West Dunbartonshire, which have passed motions calling on the Scottish Government to take action on Frank’s Law.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government received correspondence from Falkirk Council in September 2016 on the extension of free personal care to under 65s with a diagnosis of dementia, and responded outlining the work being undertaken by the Scottish Government to review the…

7 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what effect the commitment set out in the Programme for Government to “implement all of the recommendations of the independent Poverty Adviser and...commence the socio-economic duty contained in the 2010 Equalities Act” will have on its policy on non-residential social care charges.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: ‘Shifting the Curve’, the report of the Independent Poverty Adviser published in January 2016, included a recommendation that the Scottish Government should introduce a socio-economy duty on public authorities. The Fairer Scotland Action Plan (October 2016) c…

7 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to consult with (a) disabled people and (b) people with long-term conditions on what would make non-residential social care charges fairer.

Answer · Shona Robison: In the Programme for Government, the Scottish Government committed to undertaking a feasibility study into the possibility of extending free personal and nursing care to those under the age of 65 with a diagnosis of dementia. As part of that feasibility stud…

7 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the decisions by Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee, Fife and Falkirk councils to support the Frank's Law campaign by passing motions to extend free personal care to people under 65.

Answer · Shona Robison: In the Programme for Government, we set out our intention to conduct a feasibility study to consider the possibility of extending free personal and nursing care to those under the age of 65 with a diagnosis of dementia. Local authorities have the ability to …

4 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress the expert group assessing all forms of electronic monitoring of sex offenders has made and when its findings will be published.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The expert Working Group on Electronic Monitoring in Scotland was established by the Scottish Government to consider a range of important issues, including how electronic monitoring can best be used at different points in the criminal justice system; how best…

4 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Police Scotland, (b) local authorities and (c) housing associations about reforming and modernising the system for managing sex offenders.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government has regular dialogue with Police Scotland, the criminal justice sector, and a wide range of stakeholders relative to the management of sex offenders to ensure that policy, guidance and legislation, including the National Accommodation …

2 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the study commissioned by the Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism in May 2015 to examine the role of the various pub models operating in Scotland and when the findings will be published.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Research into the tied pub sector is expected to be completed and published in autumn 2016. Its findings will be published on the Scottish Government website.

20 Jun 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help disabled people play an active part in their communities.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Over this parliamentary term, we will take forward a wide-ranging set of actions that will reduce the inequality experienced by disabled people and help dismantle the barriers which can prevent disabled people from making their full contribution to daily and …

7 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many men in Scotland have convictions for private consensual sex between adult males, and whether it plans to quash these convictions.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many men in Scotland have convictions for private consensual sex between adult males. This is because it is not possible to determine whether records of convictions for 'homosexual offences' prior to th…

26 May 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce the final 2016-17 budgets for NHS boards and integrated joint boards.

18 Jan 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many classroom assistants have been employed in secondary schools in each of the last five years.