John Scott

3 May 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking in light of reports that 65% of adults in Scotland are either overweight or obese.

13 Mar 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to make the contact phone number for the Procurator Fiscal’s office in Ayrshire more accessible by ensuring that callers are only charged at local call rates.

Answer · James Wolffe QC: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has plans underway to migrate to a new 0300 telephone number range. 0300 numbers were introduced by Ofcom specifically for use by public sector bodies and charities to reduce the cost of calls for consume…

8 Mar 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s reported under-recruitment of 30 consultants will adversely impact on its ability to safely operate the Combined Assessment Unit at Ayr Hospital when it opens in May 2017.

25 Jan 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the revised Scottish Wide Area Network project will be completed and delivered in full.

17 Oct 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the role of local authorities and communities directly in public service decision-making.

28 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing the recycling of crutches, walking sticks and other support aids to help save the NHS money.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government issued Guidance on the Provision of Equipment and Adaptations in 2008, which emphasises the importance of recycling community equipment. We have also published a report highlighting the benefits and potential savings to be made through…

27 Sep 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to reduce waiting times for initial hospital appointments following GP referrals in NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

23 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether addressing the drop-out rate at universities is part of its Programme for Government.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The programme for government set out a number of measures which aim to support retention. Since 2006-07 the percentage of UK domiciled full-time first degree entrants not continuing after their first year at a Scottish university has fallen from 10.6% to 8.…

23 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when its new water rescue policy will be implemented.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The development and implementation of responding organisations’ policies and procedures for water rescue lie with the organisations themselves. Different aspects of water rescue in Scotland may involve the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Police Scotland, th…

23 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it took over summer 2016 to help reduce the drop-out rate of students (a) at the University of the West of Scotland and (b) in other institutions.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government’s Programme for Government, published in September 2016, set out measures aimed at improving retention rates across the sector. The Scottish Government has continued to work with universities and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to e…

6 Sep 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage the recycling of household waste.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 require separate collection of dry recyclable materials and food waste. As well as introducing these regulations, we are taking a range of actions to support and encourage recycling. For example, between 2011 and 2015, f…

20 Jun 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the forestry and timber processing industry regarding new charging levels being phased in over the next five years for Pollution Prevention and Control permits.

7 Jun 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the results of information gathered by local authorities on schoolchildren show about their career path aspirations, other than attending college or university.

22 Feb 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to reduce waiting times in NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

19 Jan 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to the University of the West of Scotland to reduce the drop-out rate, particularly among first year students.

1 Dec 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Ayrshire and Arran to discuss primary care out-of-hours services.

28 Oct 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential costs of tax avoidance if it was to increase income tax rates.

Answer · John Swinney: Tax avoidance is not welcome in Scotland and this is demonstrated in our robust approach to tackling potential avoidance of the fully devolved taxes. The Scottish Government wants to encourage a culture of responsible taxpaying where people and companies pay …

30 Sep 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will take to ensure the longevity and success of STEM courses and encourage female participation in them.

Answer · Angela Constance: Colleges have long acknowledged the importance of responding to the need for STEM courses. We have already seen increases in the number of science, maths and engineering full-time-equivalent female students in our colleges since 2006-07. Our Developing Young …

31 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many consultants are due to retire in the next five years in each NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: Scotland currently has record high numbers of consultants. Under this Government, consultants across Scotland have increased by 38.2% to 5,024.3 Whole Time Equivalent. We are working with NHS Boards to ensure safe, effective and high quality healthcare is del…

31 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many unfilled consultant posts there are in each NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: The number of unfilled consultant posts broken down by NHS Scotland Board as at June 2015 is published by ISD Scotland and is available on the workforce statistics website at: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2015-09-01/Consu…

31 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the number of junior doctors graduating meets the demand in hospitals, broken down by hospital.

Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Ministers set annual undergraduate intake targets for Scottish Medical Schools each year based on meeting the requirements for postgraduate Foundation training posts in Scotland. This takes account of the identified needs of Health Boards whilst also…

11 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what investment in support of the dairy farming industry is planned by (a) it and (b) its agencies.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has provided farmer-owned dairy co-operative First Milk with a grant of up to £416,000 towards the upgrading of the regionally important Campbeltown Creamery. The creamery provides the sole market for the Kintyre peninsula’s remaining …

11 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action to support dairy farmers is being taken by (a) it and (b) its agencies.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government recognises the difficulties faced by dairy farmers during the current period of global market volatility, which impacts on the domestic dairy sector. All parts of the dairy supply-chain, including processors, retailers and the food ser…

16 Mar 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with the bid for a spaceport to be located in Scotland.

4 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients in each NHS board have been treated by Medinet staff in each of the last four years.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is not available centrally. The Scottish Government policy is very clear that NHS boards should use NHS funding to build sustainable capacity. The use of the private sector should only be used in the margins to deal with short-term …

4 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost to each NHS board has been of using services provided by Medinet in each of the last four years.

Answer · Shona Robison: The specific information is not available centrally. Six boards have used Medinet during 2013-14 and the costs are provided in the following table: Board Cost (£) Forth Valley 271 Grampian 358 Highland 25 Lothian 5,627 Tayside 305 The Scottish G…

4 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards are using the services of Medinet to reduce waiting lists and times.

Answer · Shona Robison: There are six boards that have used Medinet during 2013-14. The boards are Borders, Forth Valley, Grampian, Highland, Lothian and Tayside. The Scottish Government policy is very clear that NHS boards should use NHS funding to build sustainable capacity. The …

4 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that NHS Ayrshire and Arran's audiology services receive sufficient support.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: It is a matter for NHS Ayrshire and Arran to determine the level of support to provide for its audiology services in order to meet the needs of the local community through both its own audiology departments and in collaboration with other providers in the are…

4 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the financial impact will be on NHS Ayrshire and Arran if Action on Hearing Loss Scotland's Hear to Help service ends on 31 March 2015.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The NHS Ayrshire and Arran audiology service currently provides assessment, diagnostic, fitting, review and repairs services for both children and adults and this will continue.

4 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it provides to third sector organisations that support audiology services in Ayrshire.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Scottish Government funding totalling some £2 million from 2013-15 has been allocated equitably to local partnerships across Scotland charged with the implementation of the National Sensory Impairment Strategy. The Ayrshire and Arran Local Partnership will r…