Liam McArthur

15 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what representations it has received in the last 12 months from (a) Cancer Research UK, and (b) other cancer charities, regarding arrangements for breast cancer screening for women aged 70 and over.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government has not received representation within the last 12 months from either Cancer Research UK, or any other cancer charities regarding breast screening for the over 70s. However, there is representation from cancer charities on decision-mak…

15 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what basis it took the decision to stop women aged 70 and over from self-referring for breast cancer screening.

Answer · Maree Todd: Following the pause of the breast screening programme in March 2020, there was a staged restart. This was based on expert clinical advice and the recommendations of the Scottish Screening Committee, and was agreed with Health Board Chief Executives as part of…

14 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00307 by Ivan McKee on 7 June, whether it will provide an update on whether dancing is permitted at weddings in level 0 protection areas.

Answer · Ivan McKee: Dancing is not permitted at weddings in level 0 of the levels framework. When we move beyond level 0, and out of the levels framework, almost all COVID restrictions will be removed for businesses and individuals. This will mean that dancing and singing at we…

11 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans for NHS Scotland to combine medical records in a database shared with third parties, similar to proposals set out by NHS Digital for England. 

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has no plans similar to those set out by NHS Digital for England. The national data opt-out policy applies to NHS England, and not NHS Scotland data. In England, there is legislation by which personal identifiable data, which would ot…

8 Jun 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with island tourism representatives regarding proposed legislation to regulate short-term lets.

4 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the timeline for the Islands Connectivity Plan.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The timeline for publishing the Island Connectivity Plan remains the beginning of 2023 when the current Ferries Plan (2013-2022) ends.  

3 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, to bring them in line with other forms of travel, what consideration it has given to reviewing social-distancing requirements on board ferries.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Physical distancing has been an important element in controlling the spread of COVID which is key to keeping our economy open and moving forward to recovery from the impacts of the virus. Much work has been undertaken by operators in order to safely maximise…

2 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to establish a new programme of international exchange; when it expects such a programme to be established, and for what reason this was not included in its plans for the first 100 days of the parliamentary session.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: We do not support the UK Government’s refusal to participate in Erasmus+. Although we are working on a new programme, this will not be able to replicate in full the benefits of Erasmus+. In-line with our manifesto commitments, we remain committed to both Era…

1 Jun 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to a recent survey stating that 29% of police officers are experiencing moderate burnout, and a further 16% are enduring high levels.

24 May 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to reform the roles of the Lord Advocate and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, in light of the resignations of the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General.

20 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the sport pathways for disabled people (a) nationally and (b) in the Highlands and Islands region, and what plans it has to improve existing pathways.

Answer · Maree Todd: As the National Agency for Sport, sport scotland is committed to inclusion underpinning everything it does, understanding the barriers people face and proactively addressing them so everyone has the opportunity to get involved in sport and physical activity. …

18 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to reducing social distancing requirements to one metre in places of worship.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: We acknowledge how challenging this past year has been for everyone in our society, including places of worship. We are grateful to all of Scotland’s faith and belief communities for all they have done to keep their congregations safe and to support our commu…

13 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consult with island communities ahead of the introduction of the proposed "Island Bond", and when it anticipates this will take place.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government has committed to developing a £5 million ‘Islands Bond’ offering 100 bonds of up to £50,000 to young people and families to stay in or to move to islands currently threatened by depopulation. In line with the Islands (Scotland) Act 201…

13 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to introduce Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) on Northern Isles routes.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government remains committed to reducing fares on Northern Isles ferry routes. Following engagement with European Commission officials in 2019, Transport Scotland officials were developing proposals to introduce RET. This work was rightly paused…

13 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a bursary for student paramedics in time for the start of the 2021-22 term.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is committed to the introduction of a bursary for student paramedics. It is presently working with the Student Awards Agency Scotland to examine the impact on operational and system functionality to support an introduction at the earli…

13 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to publish the Island Communities Impact Assessment for its new young person’s free bus travel scheme, and whether it will provide an update on its consideration of including ferry fares within this policy.

Answer · Graeme Dey: We are committed to carrying out an Islands Communities Impact Assessment for the new free bus travel scheme for young people prior to it coming into operation. Following a consultation on free bus travel for young people late last year, officials are now co…

13 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the (a) survey and remodelling work in the R100 North of Scotland lot area and (b) estimated timetable for the roll-out of superfast broadband in this area.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government provided Openreach with a finalised speed and coverage template (or SCT) for the R100 North lot contract at the end of March 2021 as outlined in response to S5W-36133 on 23 March 2021. The remodelling exercise to finalise their coverag…

17 Mar 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Orkney Islands Council and what was discussed.

11 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the proposed locations of the remaining nine Innovation hubs being launched as part of the S5G Connect Programme in 2021 will be announced.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Following the announcement of Forth Valley as the first innovation hub in 16 September 2020, the Scotland 5G Centre (S5GC) has confirmed that its second innovation hub will be located in Dundee. This new hub is a partnership between S5GC, Abertay University, …

11 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many devices have been allocated to each local authority as part of the Connecting Scotland programme and how many devices have been distributed in each local authority area in phase (a) one and (b) two of the programme.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The number of devices allocated to each local authority through the Connecting Scotland Programme Phase One is provided in Table 1 and Phase Two in Table 2. The Scottish Government agreed the approach to allocation with COSLA. The number of devices awarded b…

11 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to inclusion of free bus travel for under-22s in its budget, what steps it is taking to provide free ferry travel for under-22s who are living in island communities.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Budget that was agreed on 8 March 2021 includes a commitment to extending free bus travel to those living in Scotland under age 22. We will carry out an Island Communities Impact Assessment on the new free bus scheme before it comes into operatio…

11 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government further to the answer to question S5W-34670 by Paul Wheelhouse on 10 February 2021, whether it will provide an update on (a) discussions held to identify premises that can be progressed early in the build programme for the North Lot area and (b) plans to deploy 16 subsea cables to island…

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: As part of our regular dialogue with BT, we explore opportunities to accelerate work, wherever and whenever possible. However, delivery ahead of contractual milestones is ultimately a matter for BT to determine. 16 new subsea cables will connect to 15 Scotti…

11 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects survey and remodelling work in the North Lot area for the R100 Programme to be completed, and whether it will publish a roll-out plan that includes an estimated completion date for the North Lot area.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: As outlined in response to question S5W-36109 on 23 March 2021 from Lewis Macdonald, we have committed to provide Openreach with the finalised speed and coverage template (or SCT) no later than 31 March 2021 to allow them to finalise their coverage footprint.…

11 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has (a) received or (b) requested an update from Police Scotland or the Scottish Police Authority on the launch of the service-wide staff survey; whether the results will be comparable to the 2015 survey either (i) in part or (ii) in full, and on what date the results will be …

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The National Wellbeing and Engagement Survey launched on 2 March 2021 and is in 2 parts. Part A is open for four weeks and closes on 30 March. Part B launches on 6 April for a further 3 weeks and then closes on 27 April. Results are expected to be available …

11 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners are being held in (a) individual cells and (b) cells holding more than one person, and how many prisoners are sharing an individual cell intended for one person with someone else.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: The following tables detail the (a) average occupancy (b) Design Capacity and (c) the occupancy rate of each prison over the p…

11 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average number of hours per week that prisoners were engaged in purposeful activity has been in each of the last 12 months, broken down by institution.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, SPS introduced a number of significant restrictions on prison regimes to protect the hea…

11 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress towards Action 15 of its Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The most recent recruitment figures were published on the Scottish Government website ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/mental-health-workers-quarterly-performance-reports/ ) on 15 March. This sets out the number of Whole Time Equivalent posts recruited t…

11 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people convicted of possession, without intent to supply, of (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) cannabis, (d) amphetamines, (e) ecstasy and (f) other drugs in each year since 2016-17 received (i) a custodial sentence, (ii) a community payback order, including a requirement to carry ou…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The available information is provided in the following tables (one for each year), which has been produced from the Scottish Government’s criminal proceedings database . Requirements for Community Payback Orders are not held in the criminal proceedings datab…

10 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when free lateral flow antigen test kits will be available to all businesses, including those with fewer than 50 employees.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Testing for people who do not have COVID-19 symptoms was made available to everyone in Scotland on 26 April. Everyone can now access free lateral flow devices (LFD), for testing at home twice a week. To get a LFD test you can: order a test kit online at…

10 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) design capacity, (b) number of occupants and (c) occupancy rate was in each prison in each of the last 12 months.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: The following tables detail the (a) average occupancy (b) Design Capacity and (c) the occupancy rate of each prison over the p…