Kenneth Gibson

4 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment by the Minister for Public Health and Sport on 28 February 2017 (Official Report, c. 80), that, subject to the business case being approved in April, implementation of the accredited endometriosis unit in the west of Scotland would follow "without further dela…

Answer · Aileen Campbell: I met with representatives from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to discuss progress and next steps. The board have confirmed that they will recruit initially a locum obstetrics & gynaecology consultant with a special interest in advanced laparoscopic surgery an…

1 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on people being given homeopathic treatments who may suffer harm by not being given non-homeopathic medicine that has a proven efficacy.

Answer · Shona Robison: The prescribing of any medicines/treatments, including Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM) such as homeopathy, is a clinical decision taken in consultation with patients based on clinicians’ competencies and awareness of the medicines/treatments con…

1 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10593 by Shona Robison on 29 August 2017, what assessment it has made of the effectiveness and suitability of homeopathic treatments.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government holds no record of having funded any research into the efficacy of homeopathic treatments and has never received any applications for any funding on the subject. It is for individual NHS Boards to decide which complementary and altern…

1 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how (a) much has been spent on and (b) many people have been treated with homeopathic treatments by each NHS board in each of the last three years.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally.

3 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on clinical evidence for the efficacy of homeopathic treatments compared to a placebo.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held by the Scottish Government. The prescribing of any medicines/treatments, including Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAM) such as homeopathy, is a clinical decision taken in consultation with patients based on clinicians’…

16 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the impact of alcohol use.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government’s alcohol strategy, Changing Scotland's Relationship with Alcohol: A Framework for Action, is well regarded internationally and contains over 40 measures to tackle alcohol misuse. The Framework has been shown to have a positive impact …

5 Jun 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what improvements have been made to the rail infrastructure in, and rail services to, North Ayrshire since 2007.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: North Ayrshire has benefited from significant Scottish Government investment which has delivered new and additional train services, new rolling stock and investment in its stations. These include, amongst other things: A 50% increase in services which provid…

22 May 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on how the coalitions that have been recently formed across local authorities will impact on the provision of local services.

8 May 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the impact of its welfare reforms on communities in North Ayrshire.

8 May 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister, in light of the local government elections, whether the Scottish Government will act to randomise the ordering of candidates by surname on ballot papers at future elections.

28 Apr 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to Scotland's population rising to an all-time high of 5.4 million.

19 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-00864 by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 April 2017, how many jobs are expected to be lost in Scotland’s renewables industry as a result of the reductions to UK-wide feed-in tariffs.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The reductions to the UK-wide feed-in tariffs by the UK Government will impact future deployment of renewables at a small-scale. The Low Carbon and Renewable Energy (LCRE) sector is a key driver of economic growth and employment in Scotland and across the UK.…

19 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the percentage change has been in the level of railway (a) services and (b) rolling stock in each year since 2007; what the per capita investment was in the last year for which figures are available, and what information it has regarding how this compares with England.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government's record investment of £5 billion in the current control period is unprecedented, this recognises the valuable contribution our railways make to the wider economic outcomes. This has led to a high number of new services, rolling stock …

18 Apr 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason only six Scottish hospitals offer endometriosis patients the opportunity to undergo a procedure known as laparoscopic helium ablation, and what plans it has to extend this treatment to all NHS board areas.

Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Boards take decisions on whether to adopt technologies based on evidence of their safety and proven clinical and cost effectiveness. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has said that further research is required to support the use of thi…

10 Apr 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the environmental impact will be in Scotland of reductions to UK-wide feed-in tariffs.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The reductions to the UK-wide feed-in tariffs by the UK Government will impact future deployment of renewables at a small-scale. However our flagship Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) will continue to support our community and local energy ambitio…

27 Mar 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what further initiatives the Scottish Government will take to boost tourism, in light of a 15.6% increase in attendance at Scotland’s visitor attractions in 2016.

22 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many council houses have been built in each year since 1997.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The following table is based the most recent quarterly official statistics on local authority new build housing completions to end December 2016, that were published on 14 March 2017 and are available at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Re…

20 Mar 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how mental health can be affected by unemployment.

Answer · Maureen Watt: We recognise that there is strong and well established evidence on the impact that unemployment can have on the mental health of those affected. Employment is important to people, not just in providing an income to live on, but also helps to give an individua…

13 Mar 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact air pollution is having on human health, flora and fauna in Scotland.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Although emissions of air pollutants have fallen significantly over recent years, poor air quality continues to have an impact on the health of vulnerable individuals and on sensitive ecosystems. The sensitivity of individual plant species to nitrogen pollu…

6 Mar 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses in North Ayrshire pay no rates because of the Small Business Bonus Scheme, and how many will be exempt in 2017-18.

20 Feb 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies that warns that Scotland could face substantial budget reductions following the renegotiation of the fiscal framework in 2021.

Answer · Derek Mackay: Scottish Ministers will, in re-negotiating the Fiscal Framework, seek to achieve a funding settlement which maximises the resources available to deliver Scottish Government priorities and is fair to the people of Scotland. The Fiscal Framework is clear that…

13 Feb 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding the impact on employees in Scotland of the proposals to reduce the pensions of workers in the nuclear decommissioning estate.

Answer · Derek Mackay: There have been discussions about the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's pensions consultation as a part of regular official-level communication with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the UK Government.

30 Jan 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much additional funding it will provide to North Ayrshire Council in 2017-18 to improve educational attainment.

25 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been registered with an NHS dentist in the NHS Ayrshire and Arran area in each year since 2007.

Answer · Shona Robison: The following table shows the number of people registered with an NHS dentist in NHS Ayrshire and Arran in each year since 2007. Number of registrations in NHS Ayrshire and Arran in each year2 since 2007. NHS Board Year2 Number of Registrations Ayrshir…

23 Jan 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the UK Government’s welfare reforms have had on North Ayrshire's economy.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The UK Government’s welfare changes are impacting across the whole of Scotland. By 2019-20, the cuts are expected to take £1 billion per annum out of the Scottish economy. This inevitably has a major impact on low income households and a knock on impact on lo…

23 Jan 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on the UK Government's new industrial strategy.

5 Dec 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact its forthcoming budget will have on Ayrshire.

28 Nov 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that the UK Government has informed local authorities that, from 1 December 2016, people who apply for, or renew, a taxi driver licence must provide proof of their right to work in the UK, even if they were born here.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The UK Government’s 2016 Immigration Act introduced a wide range of new duties including embedding checks into the licensing of taxis and private hire cars across the UK from 1 December 2016. Immigration control is reserved to Westminster despite when there i…

14 Nov 2016 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the recent survey by Nielsen that indicates that 69% of spirits sold in Scotland fall below a minimum unit price of 50p.

7 Nov 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact is on Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service of having to make VAT payments.