Willie Coffey

22 Sep 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that the £20 reduction to universal credit could have on households in Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley.

1 Sep 2021 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the impacts of riverbank erosion and what support it provides for those who are affected by the erosion.

24 Aug 2021 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider establishing a compensation scheme for individuals who have been harmed by sodium valproate.

Answer · Maree Todd: I have enormous sympathy for everyone who has been harmed by sodium valproate and am committed to making sure the experiences suffered are much less likely to happen again. It is for the UK Government to consider redress through a compensation scheme. This is…

7 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress is being made with abolishing non-residential care charges.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has committed to removing non-residential social care charges in line with recommendations made by the Independent Review into Adult Social Care. We are now working with COSLA and other stakeholders to identify the most effective way o…

1 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the establishment of a digital fund for small businesses within the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley area and how that fund will be administered.

Answer · Kate Forbes: We are delighted with the progress on the reopening of the DigitalBoost Fund and will meet the 100 days deadline that we have set. This will be a national fund supporting businesses to increase their digital capacity and capabilities and we would encourage bu…

1 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on COVID-19 recovery funding support for town centres within the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley area.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government provides a wide range of Covid-19 recovery funding support for town centres in the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley area. To support sustained longer term renewal for our towns, villages and cities we have established a Place Based Invest…

1 Jul 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with establishing a National Care Service and what the impact of such a service would have on people living in the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley area.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: We are committed to establishing a National Care Service and will launch a full and comprehensive public consultation within the first 100 days of this Parliament. The consultation will allow stakeholders and members of the public from all parts of Scotland a…

25 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when COVID-19 testing kits will be supplied to standalone nurseries.

Answer · Maree Todd: We are currently gathering and verifying data for settings, in conjunction with local authority partners, to enable delivery of testing kits to standalone Early Learning and Childcare and School-aged Childcare settings as quickly as possible. We will confirm …

25 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to see a significant impact on the COVID-19 pandemic-induced backlog of elective surgery activity and a return to pre-COVID-19 levels of hospital waiting times, in light of the recent announcement of a further £60 million investment in waiting times recovery.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: In line with our framework for re-mobilising our health services, Re-mobilise, Recover, Re-design, Health Boards are following national and local clinical advice to safely and gradually prioritise the resumption of paused services, while also retaining suffic…

10 Feb 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will develop its international relations in the post-Brexit era.

13 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will regularly report the COVID-19 test positivity rate among supermarket and retail staff compared with the general population, and, if it does not collect this information, whether it will consider doing so.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Public Health Scotland (PHS) dashboard ( Dashboard - Data & intelligence from PHS (isdscotland.org) ) contains a range of management information including some information on likely exposure settings based on interviews conducted with people who have te…

17 Dec 2020 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish this year’s Annual Energy Statement.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government’s Annual Energy Statement was due to be published on 3 April 2020 but was delayed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will now be published on 18 December 2020.

24 Nov 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place to allow older people in areas subject to Level 4 restrictions to be visited by their family.

18 Nov 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on preparations for Scotland hosting the UEFA Euro championships in June 2021.

11 Nov 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress at the Office of the Public Guardian with respect to the processing of power of attorney applications.

Answer · Ash Denham: SCTS have increased the Office of the Public Guardian’s operational budget, allowing recruitment of 15 additional permanent staff, and development of a new IT system and an online public register. It is anticipated that over time these improvements will mean…

30 Sep 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will take forward a tourism recovery plan for Ayrshire, and what role it believes digital technology can play in assisting with this.

9 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent announcement that the culture and heritage sectors are to receive a £59 million funding package to protect jobs and help the industry weather the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, when access to this funding package will be available; how this is being communicate…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The £59 million funding package for the culture and heritage sectors comprises a number of different funds which have been designed to support parts of the culture and creative sectors which we know have been badly impacted by COVID-19. The funding is being …

9 Sep 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with Scottish Enterprise’s strategic approach to regional economic development in Ayrshire.

2 Sep 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the impact of vacant and derelict land on the environment, what action it is taking to tackle this.

19 Aug 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the action it is taking to support the Ayrshire economy, including the Ayrshire Growth Deal.

13 Aug 2020 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish this year’s Annual Energy Statement.

28 May 2020 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish further details on Scotland’s approach to reviewing the COVID-19 restrictions currently in place.

Answer · Michael Russell: The First Minister has today announced that, as a result of the efforts of the public in sticking with the restrictions of lockdown, sufficient progress has been made in supressing the virus to enable us to move to Phase 1 of COVID-19: Framework for Decision …

19 May 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how construction sites could reopen safely in order to allow its Affordable Housing Supply Programme to resume.

18 Mar 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether GPs, nurses and staff at medical practices are being tested for COVID-19, and also carers making home visits.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Our priorities for testing are directing testing capacity to save lives and protect the vulnerable; ensuring that critical staff can return to work as soon as possible; and monitoring and reporting of the spread and prevalence of the virus in the population a…

11 Mar 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on future arrangements for the Erasmus+ programme for Scottish and European students.

20 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley constituency has received from the CashBack for Communities programme since 2008.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Between 2008 and 2019, the CashBack for Communities Programme has invested £2.1 million in the East Ayrshire area, which includes the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley constituency, delivering over 60,400 activities to support disadvantaged young people. CashBack…

19 Feb 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether obesity rates in school-age children are reducing and what measures are being considered to make further progress.

12 Feb 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering a policy of granting a right of access for children to their grandparents in cases of family separation.

29 Jan 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the greatest challenges are in Scotland in tackling the climate emergency.

22 Jan 2020 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has in place to ensure that Scotland remains part of the digital economy in Europe post-Brexit.