Parliamentary questions
Alison Johnstone
905 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition's recommendation that everyone over four should consume 10 micrograms of vitamin D daily.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government has updated its advice on vitamin D supplementation for ages 6 months and over in line with the new Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition recommendations on vitamin D. The revised guidance is set out in full at http://www.gov.scot…
26 Oct 2016 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to provide specialist training for social care staff to address the reported increase in care home residents with dementia.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government continues to provide national funding to NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) to increase specialist dementia training and increased capability for social care staff supporting people with de…
7 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the independent testing and certification system for textile products, Oeko-Tex, is a requirement in all relevant public sector tenders.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 introduced improved rules on social and environmental matters. Public bodies are able to include relevant social and environmental characteristics as part of the procurement process, this can include factors di…
7 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recommendation by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland in its paper, Young Person Monitoring Report 2015-16, that "Hospital Managers should ensure that a range of age-appropriate activities are available to a young person while they remain and in-patient…
Answer · Maureen Watt: Recommendations regarding availability of age-appropriate activities are actions for NHS Health Boards to respond to.
7 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the provision of specialist inpatient services for young people with (a) forensic mental health needs and (b) learning difficulties.
Answer · Maureen Watt: It is the responsibility of the NHS Health Boards to provide services appropriate to the needs of their local population. Currently, NHS Ayrshire and Arran are taking forward a proposal for a secure forensic Mental Health inpatient unit for young people to d…
7 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government its position on the recommendation by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland in its paper, Young Person Monitoring Report 2015-16, that "Ward managers should ensure that young people are informed how to seek independent advice within 24 hours of admission (and as often as required) a…
Answer · Maureen Watt: Recommendations regarding ward managers are for the NHS Health Boards to respond to.
7 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on young people having to use adult intensive psychiatric care units for treatment.
Answer · Maureen Watt: It may be clinically judged to be more appropriate to admit young people to adult wards or the young person and their family may have a preference for an admission to a local adult ward. Most of these admissions will be young people aged 16 or 17. It is the …
28 Sep 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether consultant posts that have been unfilled for more than six months are recorded as vacant by ISD Scotland.
Answer · Shona Robison: Consultant posts that have been unfilled for more than six months are recorded as vacant by ISD Scotland. We continue to work closely with NHS Scotland boards to support their staff recruitment efforts – that is why we have seen the number of Consultants inc…
18 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether plans to stop sanctions being applied to the participants of Scottish employability programmes will apply to permanent programmes scheduled to commence in 2018.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02962 on 7 October 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/…
18 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to a national roll-out of the Healthier, Wealthier Children programme.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Healthier, Wealthier Children (HWC) model is being rolled out through our commitment to enable NHS Scotland to support income maximisation because it is known that many families with young children and pregnant women are not aware of the benefits they are…
18 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of comments made by the Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities in an interview with the Daily Record on 10 September 2016, when it will announce plans to stop sanctions being applied to the participants of Scottish employability programmes when they c…
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: As was noted in the Parliamentary debate on Employability Services on 5 October 2016, the Scottish Government believes that devolved employment services will be better if they are voluntary, an approach consistent with other devolved skills and employability …
18 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what employability support will be available from April 2017 for people not eligible for the (a) Work First Scotland and (b) Work Able Scotland programme.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: There will continue to be a range of employability support in Scotland in 2017-18 for those who are not eligible for Work First Scotland and Work Able Scotland. This includes Scottish Government funded provision, such as the Employability Fund. Our national s…
18 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to use its new benefit top-up powers to increase the Employment and Support Allowance to ensure that it keeps pace with inflation, in line with its pledge in its amendment, S5M-00374.3, that disability benefits should be "increased at least in line with inflation to ensu…
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Employment and Support Allowance will remain reserved to the UK Government. Uprating is therefore a matter for that Government.
18 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to using its new benefit top-up powers to compensate recipients of the Employment Support Allowance work related activity component, who will lose £30 a week from April 2017.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We have made clear that our priority is the safe and secure transition of the benefit areas that are being devolved to Scotland. To support that, we are currently consulting on how we might use our new social security powers.
18 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to using its new benefit top-up powers to tackle child poverty by increasing Child Benefit.
Answer · Angela Constance: Tackling poverty and inequality is a key priority for this Government and we will look seriously at all measures that have the potential to reduce child poverty in Scotland. A huge amount of work is underway to consider options on what we might do differently…
5 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is incorporating proposals to increase the provision of bike sheds in its "work with Heads of Planning Scotland identifying how permitted development rights could be extended" as indicated in its document, Review of Planning Scottish Government Response.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: We are committed to working with Heads of Planning Scotland to identify the scope for significantly extending permitted development rights, and to consider where such changes can most effectively be targeted. We will bring forward our detailed proposals for c…
1 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01888 by Humza Yousaf on 29 August 2016, for what reason it has not provided an answer with regard to on-board cycle facilities and whether it will now provide the information requested.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to my previous answer S5W-01875 on 7 September 2016, in relation to the West Highland Line. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.…
30 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it will put in place for support workers in care at home and housing support services who, from 2017, are required to register with the Scottish Social Services Council.
Answer · Mark McDonald: It is the responsibility of individual registered workers to pay their registration fees and of their employers to support them to develop the skills needed for their roles. The Scottish Government is providing resource to enable delivery of the living wage c…
30 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to meeting the cost of membership registration for support workers in care at home and housing support services who are required to register with the Scottish Social Services Council from 2017.
Answer · Mark McDonald: The responsibility of individual registered workers to pay their registration fees has been in place since registration first started in 2003 and we have no plans to change this. Scottish Government does however contribute towards meeting the costs involved i…
10 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Governmen, further to the answer to question S4W-24253 by Derek Mackay on 30 January 2015, in light of the plan to replicate the approach in the Netherlands, what action ScotRail has taken to reduce pressure on on-board cycle spaces on the (a) Borders Railway and (b) West Highland Line.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: ScotRail are progressing with their programme to deliver an additional 3,500 cycle spaces across the network by spring 2018. ScotRail will continue to work with SESTRANS, HITRANS, local authorities and key stakeholders to identify suitable locations for cycle…
10 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24253 by Derek Mackay on 30 January 2015, what action ScotRail has taken to ensure that all on-train staff on the West Highland Line are briefed both on on-board cycle capacity procedures and how to provide additional ad-hoc spaces.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: ScotRail advise that staff are expected to act flexibly and use discretion to accommodate additional bikes where there is demand, without compromising passenger safety and this forms part of their training.
10 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24253 by Derek Mackay on 30 January 2015, in light of the plan to replicate the approach in the Netherlands to reduce the pressure on on-board cycle spaces, for what reason the West Highland Line is not served by the ScotRail Bike & Go scheme.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: ScotRail have introduced Bike & Go at stations based on criteria, such as footfall, local plans for cycle access, proximity of cycle destinations (leisure and employment) etc, and are engaging with third parties in order to extend Bike & Go to other locations…
9 Aug 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-24253 by Derek Mackay on 30 January 2015, what the on-board cycle storage space is on the West Highland Line; what its position is on whether this is sufficient; what analysis it has carried out regarding whether this meets passenger demand, and whe…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The specification in the ScotRail Franchise agreement is for a minimum of two bookable spaces per train. There are currently six bookable spaces on the West Highland Line. Transport Scotland and ScotRail are aware that bookable cycle spaces will reduce on the…
29 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many mobile breast cancer screening units have been in operation in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for the NHS boards and the six regional breast screening centres.
29 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what activities will be funded as part of the £5 million to address inequalities in screening outlined in its cancer strategy, Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action.
Answer · Shona Robison: Funding will be allocated over the next five years to support new activities which identify, address and reduce inequalities of access to screening services in Scotland. Officials are currently working to establish an NHS Scotland network, including stakehol…
26 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on extending positive behaviour support as an alternative to restraint and seclusion measures to all schools working with children and young people with learning disabilities.
Answer · Mark McDonald: We have made clear that the Scottish Government is committed to incorporating further guidance on physical restraint and seclusion within the refreshed ‘Included, Engaged and Involved Part 2: A Positive Approach to Preventing and Managing Schools Exclusions’ …
26 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recommendation in the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s report, Concluding observations on the fifth periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, that (a) mental health legislation should be reviewed to ensure that the i…
Answer · Mark McDonald: The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child published its Concluding Observations on the fifth periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on 9 June 2016. The Scottish Government is considering carefully the full range of concl…
21 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-28989 by Shona Robison on 5 January 2016, whether the equality impact assessment has carried out on the proposal and, if so, when the results will be published.
Answer · Shona Robison: Yes. An Equality Impact Assessment of the cleft surgery review has been carried out. It will be published on the NHS National Services Scotland, National Services Division, website (www.nsd.scot.nhs.uk) in early August 2016.
17 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it will make available for devolved employment programmes in 2017-18 and what information it has regarding how this compares to the actual spend by the UK Government on similar schemes in 2015-16 and the estimated spend for 2016-17.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Comparable spend by the UK Government, on Work Programme and Work Choice in Scotland, in 2015-16 and 2016-17 is currently unavailable. However, the Scottish Government estimates that spend on both programmes will decrease to around £54m in 2016-17. The Scotti…
17 Jul 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many places will be made available on its temporary replacement for the Work Choice scheme, and how this compares with the number of Work Choice scheme places in 2015-16.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The commercial process for the transitional employment support for disabled people in 2017-2018 has commenced and until that is complete we cannot confirm the final numbers. However, the Scottish Government is looking to match the current level of starts on t…