Parliamentary questions
Ken Macintosh
1,334 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is carrying out with Homes For Scotland and others in the housing sector to help develop a longer-term strategy.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government works with Homes for Scotland and other housing organisations on a regular basis to discuss options for support and development of the housing sector.
5 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason funding for the 2014-15 Help to Buy scheme was fully allocated within three months, and whether funds for the 2015-16 scheme can be brought forward.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: Help to Buy (Scotland) is a demand-led scheme, intended to support people to buy new homes, to support industry and to stimulate sustainable economic growth. The scheme has been successful with high demand levels. Recognising this, ministers increased the fu…
5 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assist people who applied to the Help to Buy scheme before 18 July 2014 but were unable to receive support because funds for the scheme had been fully allocated.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: All applicants looking for assistance to purchase a new home under Help to Buy (Scotland) up to close of business on 18 July 2014 are being assessed for support under the scheme. If their applications meet the requirements of the scheme rules, they will rece…
10 Jul 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it helps deaf people who use British Sign Language (BSL) in finding employment and what specific support it provides for work training programmes for BSL users.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of British Sign Language (BSL) to the deaf community in Scotland. BSL is a vital means of communication for deaf people. Scottish Government agencies and public bodies support the duties under the Equality Ac…
10 Jul 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many communication support workers there are and how it encourages the use of their services.
Answer · John Swinney: Communication support workers are not required to be registered therefore exact numbers are not known. Through Principles of Inclusive Communication - an information and self-assessment tool for public authorities, the Scottish Government recognises that a p…
10 Jul 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it helps deaf people who use British Sign Language to remain in employment.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of British Sign Language (BSL) to the deaf community in Scotland. BSL is a vital means of communication for deaf people and contributes to their ability to live fulfilled and independent lives. While employme…
10 Jul 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many doctor posts in accident and emergency departments are vacant, broken down by grade.
Answer · Alex Neil: In terms of consultancy vacancies, the most recent published information collected from NHSScotland boards as of 31 March 2014 indicates there were 16.0 whole time equivalent (WTE) consultant vacancies in emergency medicine. The funded establishment of consu…
10 Jul 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many ST1 specialist training posts in accident and emergency departments are filled.
Answer · Alex Neil: NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is responsible for trainee recruitment. In May 2014 NES advertised and filled all available 30 ST1 core emergency medicine vacancies for accident and emergency departments.
19 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many civil servants attended each of the Scotland’s Future public meetings.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Civil servants have attended Scotland’s Future public meetings in their role to support Scottish Government Ministers as part of their routine duties. The Scottish Government does not hold information on civil servants attending each event as there is no bus…
19 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-21284 by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 May 2014, what the total cost of the Scotland’s Future public meetings has been since 1 April 2014, also broken down by event.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The programme of events is ongoing and I will update parliament on costs when expenditure for 2014-15 is finalised.
19 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many members of the public have attended each of the Scotland’s Future public meetings.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As at 1 July 2014, the programme of Scotland’s Future public meetings has attracted an audience of over 3000 people.
19 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the government car service was used to transport ministers to Scotland’s Future public meetings.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Ministers have attended these events as part of their Government activities. Ministers have therefore used the government car service to attend these events in line with standard practice.
19 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it was decided where Scotland’s Future public meetings would be held.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We want to make sure that the public are as well informed as possible about the content of Scotland’s Future and the huge opportunities offered by independence. To facilitate this, the Scottish Government has organised a full programme of public engagement e…
19 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent civil servants were involved in the organisation and preparation of the Scotland’s Future public meetings, broken down by event.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Officials from across the Scottish Government have contributed to the organisation and preparation of the Scotland’s Future public meetings programme as part of their role to support Scottish Government Ministers. The Scottish Government does not hold inform…
18 Jun 2014 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the reason is for the 13% increase in complaints about hospital and community health services and 36% increase in relation to family health services between 2011-12 and 2012-13.
4 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to alleviate the cost of travel for young carers between school, work and home to fulfil their caring and education duties.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Young Scot National Entitlement Card gives one third off adult single fares on almost all local and long-distance buses in Scotland to 16-18 year olds or to full time volunteers under the age of 26. In addition, the card gives one third off most rail fare…
4 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional (a) funding and (b) bursary opportunities it will offer young carers who find it difficult to afford further education due to their caring responsibilities as highlighted by the Scottish Youth Parliament’s Care.Fair.Share campaign.
Answer · Michael Matheson: College students studying further education courses are being supported by record levels of student support, with investments of over £104 million this coming academic year. Young carers studying full-time further education courses at college can receive a De…
4 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will address anomalies in the administration of the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) identified by the Scottish Youth Parliament’s Care.Fair.Share Campaign that result in many young carers losing their EMA entitlement.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Following parliamentary question S4O-02985 answered on 6 March 2014, we have revised the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) guidance documents with a particular emphasis on the need for flexibility for vulnerable young people, including young carers. Thi…
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it (a) ensures that doctors are in posts that are appropriate to their grade and (b) avoids doctors in a lower grade covering higher grade posts due to a lack of suitable staff.
Answer · Alex Neil: It is up to individual NHS boards to ensure that doctors are appointed to the appropriate grade in accordance with the relevant grading criteria and undertaking work appropriate to that grade. Grading criteria for doctors are set out in their terms and condi…
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that medical students are given posts in the NHS on qualifying.
Answer · Alex Neil: As part of the NHSScotland workforce planning process, and to ensure continuity of supply of trainee doctors to meet the future needs of NHSScotland boards, Scottish Ministers control the numbers of funded medical undergraduate and postgraduate training place…
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many emergency medicine posts are unfilled, broken down by grade.
Answer · Alex Neil: Information on the number of unfilled emergency medicine posts by grade is not centrally available, although information on the number of vacancies for consultant emergency medicine posts is available. The following table shows current numbers of Whole Time E…
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many doctors left Scotland to work abroad in their Foundation Year (a) 1 and (b) 2 in each of the last five years.
Answer · Alex Neil: The information is not available in the format requested. Intake to foundation training is Scotland is 804 places, for years 1 and 2. No foundation trainee in Scotland can leave to do their foundation training abroad as Scotland has no arrangements to suppor…
8 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to suspend the use of all transvaginal mesh implants until further research into the safety and efficacy of these procedures is carried out.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20950 on 19 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
8 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is monitoring legal cases in the USA and elsewhere about the use of transvaginal mesh implants.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government is aware of legal cases in the USA regarding the use of transvaginal mesh implants.
8 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to suspend the use of transvaginal mesh implants to treat stress urinary incontinence.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20950 on 19 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
8 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reclassify transvaginal mesh implants to heightened risk status.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20950 on 19 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
8 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to suspend the use of transvaginal mesh implants.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-20950 on 19 May 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybus…
8 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many finalised settlement agreements it has been notified of since the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing's new procedures were set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual in October 2013 and what costs were involved.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government has been informed of no finalised settlement agreements since the requirement to consult was introduced on 1 April 2014. We have undertaken to report annually to Parliament on settlement agreements reached.
8 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many compromise/settlement agreements it has been consulted on since the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing's new procedures were set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual in October 2013.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government has been consulted on one agreement since the requirement to consult was introduced on 1 April 2014.
8 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing's letter to the Public Audit Committee dated October 2013, Managing early departures from the Scottish Public Sector, what guidance it has issued to NHS boards regarding the use of compromise/settlement agreements and confidentia…
Answer · Alex Neil: Since October, the Scottish Government has prepared and consulted on revised guidance on settlement agreements for public bodies, including health boards. This includes guidance on the use of confidentiality clauses. The guidance is currently being finalised …