Parliamentary questions

Ken Macintosh

1,334 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

1 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects the Scottish Patient Safety Programme to reduce any excess mortality associated with weekend emergency admissions.

Answer · Shona Robison: Patient safety is our top priority, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Through our sustainability and seven day services programme, work is being taken forward to remove any inappropriate variations in care in the evenings and at weekends for patients who are…

1 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce any excess mortality associated with weekend emergency admissions.

Answer · Shona Robison: The sustainability and seven day services evidence and analysis sub-group considered the issue of excess mortality and weekend hospital admissions. On the basis of the evidence currently available it concluded that there is no obvious link between mortality a…

1 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the conclusion of the study, Weekend admissions as an independent predictor of mortality: an analysis of Scottish hospital admissions, by Handel, Patel, Skingsley, Bramley, Sobieski and Ramagopalan that “there is still a significant excess mortality associated wit…

Answer · Shona Robison: The British Medical Journal (BMJ) study paper Weekend admissions as an independent predictor of mortality (BMJ 2012) highlights a reduction in mortality over the course of the study, which ran from 1999 to 2009 with the cause for any apparent increase in mort…

30 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the needs of pupils for whom English is an additional language and whether these are being met.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: It is for education authorities to assess the needs of pupils for whom English is an additional language. The Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 (as amended) requires education authorities to identify, meet and keep under review the additional support n…

30 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many school pupils have been recorded as having English as an additional language (EAL) in each of the last five years, and how many staff have been trained in teaching EAL pupils.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The number of pupils who have been recorded as having English as an additional language (EAL) in each of the last five years is shown in the following table. The level of English language competence for these pupils ranges from ‘New to English’ to ‘Competent’…

25 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the findings were of the Demonstration Project and how it plans to follow up on the project.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The summary findings of the Demonstration Project show that the current emphasis in relation to recruiting and retaining volunteers needs to be widened to reflect a more sophisticated view of the volunteers, and the complexities of their motivations and needs…

25 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people regularly volunteer.

Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-28663 on 9 December 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Scottish Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parli…

25 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people have volunteered in each of the last four years.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Household Survey indicates that levels of volunteering have remained relatively stable over the last four years, with around three in ten adults providing unpaid help to organisations or groups. The survey also indicates that three in four (75%) …

23 Nov 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the reduction in its overall funding over the last seven years compares with that for local government.

20 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what new security measures it is taking to protect places of religious worship, including mosques and Muslim community centres, following the Paris attacks.

Answer · Michael Matheson: As indicated in my answer to question S4W-28625 on 14 January 2016, we are determined that the terrorist threat will not undermine our commitment to a diverse and open society built on a liberal democracy and shared values and the most important challenge for…

20 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to promote positive and supportive attitudes toward the Muslim community following the Paris attacks.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government continues to have a high level of engagement with Scotland’s Muslim communities and has been actively engaging with the Muslim communities, including the Muslim Council of Scotland, to hear their concerns and send a strong message on t…

20 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure the safety of the Muslim community following the Paris attacks.

Answer · Michael Matheson: We are determined that the terrorist threat will not undermine our commitment to a diverse and open society built on a liberal democracy and shared values and the most important challenge for us all is to work towards creating cohesive and resilient communiti…

20 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there has been a quantifiable rise in anti-Muslim activity or violence in Scotland following the Paris attacks.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government recognises that international events, including the rise of the so-called Islamic State and the terror attacks recently in Paris, have negatively impacted on Scotland’s faith communities, especially Scottish Muslim communities who can …