Stuart McMillan

5 Mar 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to promote the use of wearable technology in care home and sheltered living settings to help prevent accidents.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government set up the world leading Technology Enabled Care (TEC) Programme to improve healthy and safe living using technology, including wearables. The upcoming shift from analogue to digital telephony systems also offers significant opportuni…

28 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports students with childcare costs when some, but not all, of their children qualify for funded hours.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Colleges are allocated childcare funding annually by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) as part of student support funds. These funds support students studying Further and Higher Education courses at college. The two elements of the funding are the Lone Paren…

28 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many childcare providers in receipt of college bursaries (a) meet the Care Inspectorate’s standards and (b) pay staff at least the Living Wage.

Answer · Maree Todd: All 3 and 4 year olds and eligible 2 year olds are currently entitled to 600 hours per year of funded early learning and childcare. The entitlement will increase to 1140 hours a year from August 2020. Discretionary support is also available to students who ar…

26 Feb 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to introduce a charge on disposable drinks cups.

5 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Transport Scotland benchmarks its performance against that of local authority roads departments and, if not, for what reason.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Transport Scotland does not routinely benchmark performance against Local Authorities. Transport Scotland measures road condition differently to Local Authorities and the purpose, usage, and levels of services for trunk and non-trunk roads are very different …

5 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it costs local authorities on average per kilometre to maintain the road surfaces for which they are responsible, and what the equivalent figure is for Transport Scotland to maintain the roads for which it is responsible.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Comparative figures for expenditure were published within the 2016 Audit Scotland report, Maintaining Scotland’s roads: A follow up report. These indicate that the average expenditure for all Scottish Local Authorities was around £4935 per km in 2014-15. Tran…

5 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Transport Scotland uses wet salt to grit roads instead of dry salt and, if so, for what reason.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Since 2007-08, pre-wetted salting has been used on all our Trunk Road Units. Pre-wetted salting involves spreading dry salt and brine in the proportion of 70% dry salt to 30% of fully saturated brine with a salt concentration of around 23%. The addition of t…

1 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many consultant ophthalmologists are employed in each NHS board; what information it has on the number employed in the private sector in Scotland, and what the (a) level and (b) specialisms are of each consultant ophthalmologist in position.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The number of Consultants specialising in Ophthalmology who are employed by each Board in NHS Scotland is available on the ISD Website: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2018-12-04/Medical-and-Dental.asp . The published data s…

29 Jan 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it gives to childcare providers in Inverclyde.

17 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity last met Peel Ports to discuss the (a) proposals for the regeneration of sites along the River Clyde and (b) city deal proposals for the Inchgreen drydock.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have not had any formal meetings with Peel Ports specifically to discuss these matters. However, a meeting is planned for 19 February 2019 to discuss Peel Port's plans for Inchgreen Drydock.  

16 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with consulates regarding the availability of foreign language skills in the tourism sector.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone working in our tourism sector has the skills to provide a high-quality and memorable experience for each one of our many visitors, including those who do not speak English as a first language. We …

16 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with representatives of the tourism sector regarding the availability of qualified tour guides with foreign language skills.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of language skills to the tourism sector, particularly in light of the high proportion of European and other international staff employed and the potential impact of Brexit on those people and skills. It engag…

16 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to progress the recommendation of the Community Eyecare Services Review to list dispensing opticians as optometrists.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government continues to support the Community Eyecare Services Review recommendation for dispensing opticians, who are key members of the community eyecare services workforce, to be nationally listed for the provision of some NHS eyecare services…

16 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken in response to the conclusion of Low Vision Services Review that well-organised community-based models with clear pathways secure more equitable and accessible services.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is currently developing options to deliver on the conclusions of the Low Vision Services Review. As part of this work Scottish Government officials will meet with colleagues from the Welsh national low vision service (Low Vision Servic…

14 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the proposals in the draft Budget could support healthcare provision in the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: In 2019-20, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will be supported with additional investment of £75.4 million, increasing the Board’s resource budget to £2,231.2 million. Frontline NHS Boards will also receive a share of £392 million to support reform and improve p…

14 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the proposals in the draft Budget could support social housing in the Greenock and Inverclyde Constituency.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Draft Budget announcement proposes an increase of £70 million to the funding available for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in 2019-20 - bringing the total to £826 million. These additional funds will help support partners to meet the Scottish Gove…

14 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the food and drink sector in the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: We continue to work with farmers, food producers and industry bodies to drive forward the Ambition 2030 food and drink strategy. Our Programme for Government sets out a range of new measures to support the sector, building on the range of work that is already…

14 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the proposals in the draft Budget could support town centres in the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government announced a wide package of measures in the budget to support town centres including maintaining a competitive business rates package which caps the increase in rate poundage below inflation; ensures that 90% of properties in Scotland …

11 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact of the proposed rail link between Glasgow Airport and Glasgow city centre will be on the number of daily rail journeys to and from Inverclyde, and what the economic impact of this will be on Inverclyde.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Transport Scotland and Network Rail are continuing to work collaboratively with the Glasgow Airport Access Project team as they reconsider the evidence base and transport appraisal work to address comments raised in an independent audit of the Outline Busines…

11 Dec 2018 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will confirm arrangements for the future provision of the publicly-funded Gourock-Dunoon ferry service, which is currently operating on the town centre-harbour route.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Gourock Dunoon Ferry Service tender was cancelled today. This decision follows careful consideration of Audit Scotland’s Report on Transport Scotland’s Ferry Services, published on 19 October 2017, which recommended that Transport Scotland should consider…

7 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress CalMac has made on delivering its commitments in relation to being awarded the Clyde and Hebrides contract following the tender process in 2016.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: As part of their bid to operate the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services, CalMac Ferries Ltd made a number of commitments covering a wide range of activities during the lifetime of the contract. By the end of contract year 1 the company reported that 282 (82%) …

4 Dec 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the health secretary last met the Chief Executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Both Ministers and Scottish Government officials regularly meet with the leadership of NHS Boards, including NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. I last met with the Chief Executive of NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde on 19 September.

27 Nov 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the education secretary has had with the minister for public health regarding CPR training in schools.

Answer · John Swinney: The health and education of our young people is a top priority for the Scottish Government. We work very closely across Government departments, and with our partners in education and health delivery to ensure that learning meets the needs of children and youn…

20 Nov 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement the Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations has undertaken with port authorities regarding the implications of Brexit.

24 Sep 2018 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to help improve recycling rates and the quality of recycling.

17 Sep 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to protect the printing industry.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: In relation to the Print Industry, Scottish Government has two Frameworks in place. The new Scottish Government Publishing, Print, Design and Associated Services will utilise an extensive supply chain across Scotland, including Printers, to help deliver its s…

10 Jul 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools have been (a) built and (b) refurbished in each local authority area in each year since 2007.

Answer · John Swinney: Prior to 2009-10 local authorities were not asked to specify whether a school was built or refurbished and information for 2007-08 and 2008-09 is outlined in table 1. In 2009-10 this information was collected for the first time, however, not all schools were …

29 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase the number of people undertaking training in mental health first aid in workplaces.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of good health, both physical and mental, in the workplace. Employers have a duty of care towards their employees and should take appropriate steps to ensure that mental health and wellbeing is protected and …

28 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff in each NHS board have challenged their new contract status as a consequence of the introduction of Agenda for Change, broken down by whether the challenges were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not held centrally . Information about employment status is held by the individual boards as employers.

28 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff in each NHS board have outstanding employment issues relating to Agenda for Change contracts.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not held centrally. Information about employment status is held by the individual boards as employers.