Parliamentary questions
Alison Johnstone
905 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
11 Dec 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation has been made of the impact of the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme’s switch to digital applications.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: Following the switch to digital applications and thereafter a recognition of a decline in claims, a dedicated phone line and paper for…
11 Dec 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to expanding eligibility for the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: The Assisted Prison Visits Scheme (APVS) is currently standardised in operation across England, Wales and Scotland. The Scottish Gover…
11 Dec 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have received funds from the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme to help them visit relatives in the last five years.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: The amount of approved Assisted Prison Visits in the last 5 years, April to March, are in the following table. The figures are of the …
13 Nov 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports routes to graduate employment in the social care sector.
Answer · Maree Todd: There are a number of ways in which the Scottish Government supports routes to graduate employment in the social care sector. The Scottish Government funds the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) which, as well as being the Regulator, also has responsibi…
13 Nov 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many people who provide social care services for children are paid less than the Scottish Living Wage.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not routinely hold or analyse data on the income of staff in social care services for children. A financial review of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) commissioned by the Scottish Government in September 2016, estimated that 8,…
13 Nov 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the working conditions, pay and opportunities of personal assistants in the adult social care sector.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: We have provided funding to enable staff working in the adult social care sector to be paid the real Living Wage. Since May 2017, at the latest, this has included personal assistants (PAs), who play an integral role in delivering Scotland’s care and support. …
13 Nov 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) part- and (b) full-time personal assistants there are in the adult social care sector.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Information is not held centrally on the number of personal assistants in the adult social care sector. The 2016-17 Social Care Survey shows that there were 2,925 people in Scotland who used self-directed support to hire one or more personal assistants.
13 Nov 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers to people who want to return to work or study following a period of caring responsibilities coming to an end.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: For individuals looking to access or return to work or education there are a number of initiatives to support them in making the right choice. These include:Information, advice and guidance through Skills Development Scotland (SDS), by telephone, online at M…
13 Nov 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government. further to the answer to question S5W-16025 by Shona Robison on 10 May 2018, whether it will provide an update on its progress in ending "time and task-based" care.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Scotland Excel are currently developing a national framework contract for Care and Support services. This framework will include care at home and supported living services. We are aware that in a lot of instances care at home services were delivered on a ‘ti…
13 Nov 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to develop career pathways between roles in adult social care and regulated professions, such as nursing.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government supports the Scottish Social Services Council and NHS Education for Scotland in work to improve articulation between social care and healthcare qualification routes, including identifying shared learning across health and social care q…
13 Nov 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to encourage employers of social care staff to pay them at a level higher than the Scottish Living Wage.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Since October 2016, the Scottish Government has provided funding for adult social care workers to be paid the real Living Wage. This policy is in recognition of the need to improve the working conditions and living standards of front-line staff and improve re…
24 Oct 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported recent cases of illegal raptor persecution, what action it is taking to address wildlife crime in the Pentland Hills Regional Park.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The investigation of wildlife crime is a matter for Police Scotland. The Scottish Government set out a number of measures to tackle wildlife crime in the 2017-18 Programme for Government. These included: Additional resources for Police Scotland to tackle wi…
24 Oct 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the risk to (a) the public and (b) wildlife of the use of banned poisons in the countryside, and what action it is taking to address the issue.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has been clear that the use of poison to kill wildlife is cruel and barbaric and dangerous to people and domestic pets and all wildlife, not just the intended target. The Scottish Government has taken a number of steps to eradicate th…
24 Oct 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of it attracting an estimated 600,000 visitors annually, what its response is to reports that the public was not advised about the presence of a highly-toxic banned poison in the Pentland Hills Regional Park.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Decisions about releasing the details of crimes are an operational matter for Police Scotland.
2 Oct 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how funds allocated to NHS boards to support breastfeeding have been invested in each of the last five years.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-19158 on 6 November 2018. 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/parliamentarybusines…
2 Oct 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to improve breastfeeding rates in areas of high deprivation.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-19158 on 6 November 2018. 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/parliamentarybusines…
2 Oct 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the additional £2 million to support breastfeeding, which was announced in July 2018, will be allocated and invested.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-19158 on 6 November 2018. 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/parliamentarybusines…
2 Oct 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects access to specialist NHS breastfeeding support to be available to all breastfeeding mothers, regardless of the age of the breastfeeding infant.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-19158 on 6 November 2018. 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/parliamentarybusines…
2 Oct 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many specialist breastfeeding midwives have been trained in each of the last five years.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: In Scotland, specialist breastfeeding support comes from a wide range of professions and includes family nurses, midwives, health visitors and doctors. Information on the number of these breastfeeding specialists trained or in post is not held centrally. It i…
11 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent evidence of a decline in the number of mountain hares in the north east Highlands, what action it will take during the current open season to safeguard populations in that region.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18717 on ?2 October 2018. 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/parliamentarybusines…
11 Sep 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S5F-02186 by Nicola Sturgeon on 29 March 2018 (Official Report, c. 20), in light of two newly-published peer-reviewed papers showing evidence of significant population declines of mountain hares in Scotland, what immediate ac…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is taking the recently published papers into account, alongside existing evidence and advice from Scottish Natural Heritage, in assessing any next steps to be taken in relation to the protection and management of mountain hares in Scot…
9 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the implementation of the National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland.
Answer · Ash Denham: I refer the member to the answer to the question S5W-18151 on ?28 August 2018. All answers to the written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamenta…
9 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support local authorities fulfil their role as part of the National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland.
Answer · Ash Denham: We are committed to delivering the best outcomes possible for missing people and their families and are working with all organisations who work with, locate and support people who go missing. That is why we are investing over £200,000 to increase awareness o…
30 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that there are supplies of blood plasma in the event of a no-deal Brexit, and which costs related to this will be met by the UK Government.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: A relatively small amount of fresh frozen plasma is imported into the UK by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) for use in Scotland. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) is in discussions with NHSBT to ensure there is sufficient supply of this…
30 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that there are supplies of medical isotopes in the event of a no-deal Brexit, and which costs related to this will be met by the UK Government.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Withdrawing from the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) Treaty is an unwelcome and unnecessary consequence of the UK Government’s intention to take the UK, and therefore Scotland, out of the EU. It is imperative that the UK Government continues to se…
30 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) plans it has and (b) discussions it has had with the UK Government to ensure that organs for transplant from outside the UK can continue to be quickly transported to Scotland in the event of a no-deal Brexit, and which costs related to this will be met by the UK Government.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the UK Government about EU Exit in relation to donated organs for transplant. We do not expect there to be any impact on the transport arrangements or associated transport costs of the small number of organs…
30 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that there are supplies of vaccines in the event of a no-deal Brexit, and which costs related to this will be met by the UK Government.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The majority of vaccine supplies are purchased centrally by Public Health England (PHE) under a UK contract for all 4 countries including Scotland. PHE is currently working to ensure sufficient supply of vaccine for Scotland in the event of a no-deal Brexit. …
30 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many transplants were carried out in Scotland in each of the last 10 years using organs from donors in other EU countries.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The number of transplants carried out in Scotland in each of the last 10 years using organs from donors in other EU countries is: Year Number of transplants in Scotland 2008-09 1 2009-10 1 20…
30 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that there are supplies of (a) short-life and (b) other medicines in the event of a no-deal Brexit, and which costs related to this will be met by the UK Government.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government continues to seek clarity from the UK Government about its plans to avoid medicine stock shortages in the event of a no deal Brexit. I wrote to the UK Health Secretary, Matt Hancock on 10 July, to ask the UK Government to share with u…
11 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it (a) regulates and (b) is considering regulating emissions of pre-production plastic pellets.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government does not currently regulate the emissions of pre-production plastic pellets. We support the plastic industry’s Operation Clean Sweep initiative which is designed to reduce pellet loss. We recognise that more needs to be done to reduce …