Kenneth Gibson

9 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it (a) is providing in 2018-19 and (b) plans to provide in each of the next five years to support the building of council (i) houses and (ii) flats in North Ayrshire, broken down by the number of units that it expects this to help build.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has Resource Planning Assumptions (RPAs) for councils across Scotland for the three years to March 2021 providing councils with the certainty they need to allow them to put future plans in place to meet the housing priorities in their …

8 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much will be invested in the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme in North Ayrshire, from its inception to completion, by each partner in each year up to 2021.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The management of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme is done at contract level so we do not break down programme expenditure by individual local authority area or assign it across the various funding partners. The funding is split acros…

8 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-02041 by John Swinney on 2 May 2018, what its position is on whether Scotland’s contribution to intellectual thought has been fully recognised, and whether it will ensure that Arthur Herman’s How the Scots Invented the Modern World is added to the s…

Answer · John Swinney: Scotland’s contribution to intellectual thought, in areas such as economics, geology, science, engineering, philosophy and literature - is well recognised here and throughout the world. The Curriculum for Excellence provides opportunities for young people in …

4 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many hospital acquired infections of (a) MRSA and (b) C. difficile there were in Ayrshire in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) the last year for which figures are available, also broken down by the number of deaths that resulted from these infections.

Answer · Shona Robison: Health Protection Scotland has reported data on both healthcare associated infections and community associated infections since June 2017. Data for clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and Staphylococcus aureusbacteraemia (SAB) are part of a suite of measure…

2 May 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken a cost-benefit analysis regarding the provision of a year-round, two-ferry service between Ardrossan and Brodick.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government conducted high-level cost-benefit analysis of various options for the Ardrossan – Brodick ferry service, as we did for all routes, a number of years ago while developing the Ferries Plan 2013-22. The final Ferries Plan stated that the…

25 Apr 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the education system is informed by the Scottish Enlightenment.

Answer · John Swinney: The concept of a broad, general education, committed to excellence and equity and founded on a core set of values are key features of Scotland’s education system today that were informed by the Scottish Enlightenment. The values of wisdom, justice, compassion…

18 Apr 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Police Scotland has shared its experience of tackling knife crime with the Metropolitan Police.

13 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much business rates relief has cumulatively saved businesses since 2007, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Derek Mackay: Non-domestic (business) rate relief has saved ratepayers around £4.5 billion cumulatively between 2009-10 and 2015-16. The following table sets out the cumulative amount of business rates relief awarded between 2009-10 and 2016-17 at a local authority level …

13 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average saving per property will be in 2018-19 as a result of its package of business rates, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government offers the most competitive business rates relief package in the UK worth an estimated record £720 million in 2018-19. As of 1 April 2018 over 251,000 properties were on the valuation roll. This means the relief package this year will…

12 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses in each local authority area will be exempt from business rates in 2018-19.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The following table shows the number of properties on the valuation roll for the most recent year that data is held (2015-16) that paid no business rates, for example because they were in in receipt of 100% rates relief. This figure excludes premises that ma…

20 Mar 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to grow the economy of Cunninghame North.

14 Mar 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce the factors that impact on child poverty.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government's commitment to tackling child poverty is made clear by our ambitious targets, set out in the Child Poverty Act, which was unanimously passed by this Parliament in November. As our targets demonstrate, we know that reducing poverty is …

6 Mar 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding building a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: There have been various ideas for bridges or tunnels between Scotland and Northern Ireland over the years although to date there has been no robust assessment of the costs or benefits of such proposals. It is clear that the delivery of any fixed link would be…

26 Feb 2018 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the dangers of teenagers in Ayrshire ingesting substances purporting to be the drug, MDMA.

13 Feb 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will take forward the Ayrshire Growth Deal, given that it has not yet received UK Government support.

6 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to healthcare practitioners to ensure that survivors of sexual violence receive healthcare that is sensitive to their needs.

Answer · Shona Robison: Healthcare and Forensic Medical Services Standards for people who have experienced rape, sexual assault or child sexual abuse were published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, in December 2017. These widely available standards are an important step toward en…

29 Jan 2018 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the Centre for Cities report, Cities Outlook 2018, which suggests that automation and globalisation could displace 230,000 Scottish jobs by 2030.

22 Jan 2018 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to increase the uptake of screening for early diagnosis of cervical cancer.

9 Jan 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage qualified teachers who have left the profession to return.

8 Jan 2018 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent reported concerns regarding City Region Deals.

3 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on NHS Dumfries and Galloway reportedly being the only mainland NHS board with no paediatric epilepsy specialist nurse.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, however the statutory responsibility for delivering or commissioning services at a local level lies with local authorities, NHS Boards and integrated health and …

3 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent MBRRACE-UK triennial report on UK maternal deaths, which reportedly found that, for 78% of women with epilepsy who died, improvements in their care were identified that may have changed the outcome, and what its position is on the evidence that there is…

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government welcomes the recent MBRRACE-UK report and is currently working with the clinical community in Scotland to deliver the recommendations of the report. We also look forward to working with The Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Ep…

3 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that women who are prescribed sodium valproate are (a) adequately counselled regarding the risks of taking the drug while pregnant and (b) supported to plan their pregnancies in order to minimise the risk of foetal abnormalities.

Answer · Shona Robison: Regulation for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines is currently reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) who operate on a UK wide basis. The Scottish Government has e…

19 Dec 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to promote cold water island tourism in 2018.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This year, the Scottish Government and our partners will continue to promote sustainable growth, right across Scotland, in the marine and coastal tourism sectors as we build towards the 2020 Themed Year of Scotland's Coast and Waters. We have recently publis…

5 Dec 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government by how much PFI/PPP payments will increase in 2018-19, given such payments and index-linked bonds include charges that increase with inflation.

4 Dec 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is tackling knife crime.

22 Nov 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering reducing its financial support for the Scottish Sports Association.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The SSA receive financial support from a number of sources including their membership which is made up of SGBs. We route funding to support our SGBs through Sportscotland and we do not provide core funding to the SSA. Decisions on the budget will be taken af…

15 Nov 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the Pupil Equity Fund is having on educational attainment in North Ayrshire.

Answer · John Swinney: Schools in North Ayrshire have received almost £4.4m of Pupil Equity Funding in 2017-18 to be spent at the discretion of Headteachers. Locally, we expect schools and authorities to make the best use of data they have and to incorporate details for evaluating…

25 Oct 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to grow the economy of North Ayrshire.

18 Sep 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the number of Higher exam passes in North Ayrshire in 2017 compared with 2016.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not hold the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) 2017 data set. As a national awarding body SQA only publishes data at a national level. Data is, however, provided annually to local authorities relating to the schools in their…