Parliamentary questions
Alison Johnstone
905 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
11 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what penalties are there for microplastic polluters.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There is currently no penalty for polluters of microplastics specifically because of the diverse range and high prevalence of microplastic sources such as tyre fibres in road run-off, shedded textile fibres etc. The legislation introduced 19 June 2018, Enviro…
11 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it collects data on wildlife deaths due to microplastic ingestion.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government collects data on plastic ingestion by some wildlife, however this does not always indicate cause of death. Stomach contents of fish are analysed for plastic by Marine Scotland Science, and dead fulmars are collected for research into p…
11 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to reduce water pollution from microplastics in (a) the Firth of Forth and (b) Scotland.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Microplastics in our waters are resulting from direct loss or the breakdown of macroplastics into smaller fragments. We are taking action to reduce the amount of plastics entering all of our waters, not just the Firth of Forth, with actions in our Marine Litt…
11 Jul 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what levels of microplastic pollution Marine Scotland has found (a) in the water column, (b) in sub-tidal marine sediment and (c) on the sea surface in the Lothian region.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Marine Scotland Science does not sample for microplastics within the water column. It does however sample for floating Microplastics between 300 microns to 5mm, that are found on or just under the water surface. Samples have been taken at a number of location…
28 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the parents of disabled children during school holiday periods.
Answer · Maree Todd: Part 3 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 places a duty on each local authority and relevant health board to jointly prepare a children's services plan covering children’s services and related services over a three-year period. A range of ot…
28 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to making school holiday play scheme provision for disabled children a statutory entitlement.
Answer · Maree Todd: There are currently no plans to make school holiday play schemes a statutory provision.
28 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it gives to local authorities to provide school holiday play schemes for disabled children.
Answer · Maree Todd: Children’s services, including for disabled children, are planned and commissioned at a local level. There are a number of specialist services operating across local authorities providing play scheme provision and support for children with complex additional…
19 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made, or plans, as part of its design of the disability assistance allowance, of the impact of the so-called 20 metre rule for personal independence payments.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is committed to co-designing the social security system with people who receive benefits. We will ensure that the assessment process, including any thresholds used, is built around the needs of clients to deliver dignity and respect. …
19 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the MS Society report, PIP: A step too far.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The MS Society report, highlights one of the numerous problems with the UK Government’s Personal Independence Payment which has caused stress and anxiety to thousands of people going through an assessment process that has been continually criticised. This go…
15 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the commitment in Every child, every chance: The Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2018-22, whether it will provide an update on its delivery of a transitions fund.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Every Child, Every Chance set out that the Scottish Government would explore how to take forward advice from the Poverty and Inequality Commission on a transitions fund. As the Plan made clear, the Scottish Government already offers or is developing support a…
15 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many households (a) were entitled to and (b) received healthy start vouchers in 2016-17.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-11760 on 31 October 2017. 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…
15 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to restricting the opening of new fast food outlets near schools.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government has commissioned research on exploring the relationship between the planning system and the food environment in Scotland. This research considers how the planning system can best support the creation of an improved food environment in …
15 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on the recommendation in the Montgomery Review for a comparative review to be undertaken of the arrangements in place in the healthcare systems of other countries for the introduction of new medicines.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is undertaking a comparative review of Health Technology Assessment models across the UK, Europe and internationally, further to recommendations 9.18 and 9.25 of the Montgomery Review. The Government plans to consider this work with th…
15 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of how the first round of funding from the Workplace Equality Fund has been distributed.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Nine projects will be funded through the first round of the Scottish Government’s £750,000 Workplace Equality Fund, which is being delivered by the Voluntary Action Fund. The Fund will seek to address long standing barriers in the labour market faced by women…
15 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it plans to commit to the proposed income supplement to tackle child poverty.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Costings will depend on a range of factors including how we target the income supplement and models for delivery. The Poverty and Inequality Commission did not take costings into account in their recommendations to the Scottish Government, but advised that th…
15 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is leading to ensure that pupils from low-income families who do not live in areas of multiple deprivation are reached by initiatives to widen access to medical education.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is committed to achieving equality of access to medical education and is taking forward a number of specific actions that will contribute towards this. These include funding a new pre-medical entry programme at the Universities of Gla…
15 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to increase the number of health psychologists in primary care settings.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The new GP contract, backed by over £100 million investment in 2018-19, will ensure GPs can spend more time with patients when they really need to see them as well as developing wider multi-disciplinary teams (MDT) to support and improve patient care. There i…
15 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is leading to increase awareness of its advice on vitamin D supplementation.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Scottish Government advice on vitamin D was updated in November 2017. The Chief Medical Officer issued a letter to GPs, midwives, pharmacists and healthcare professionals on the day the new advice came into place to make them aware. The Scottish Government we…
15 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether all GP surgeries should have access to electrocardiogram equipment.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: GP practices are not contractually required to provide electrocardiogram equipment for their patients. Practice partners will prioritise what equipment they require within their practice based on their local population needs. The new contract requires GPs to …
15 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is leading to support students in further education to access medical education.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Colleges offer students a number of opportunities at Further Education level to access medical education. For example, many colleges offer an ‘Access to Nursing’ course, while SWAP (Scottish Wider Access Programme) is a partnership between colleges and univer…
23 May 2018 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what powers it has to enact a Crown Use licence to allow the production of biosimilar versions of the breast cancer treatment, Perjeta, and drugs for other conditions.
17 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the number of whole-time equivalent (a) doctors and (b) nurses per head of population in Scotland compares with other OECD countries.
Answer · Shona Robison: The most recent OECD data available from 2016 (from which Scotland data has been extracted from UK data) shows that the number of doctors in Scotland per 1,000 of population is 3.2; and the number of nurses in Scotland per 1,000 of population is 11.9 (both he…
3 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland requiring a review of the Trunk Road Cycling Initiative with a commitment "to improve cycling and walking infrastructure around trunk roads when the opportunity presents", and a petition calling for legislation in this regard, what action…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Suitable provision for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians, is an important part of our major roads projects in design, including the proposed grade separation of Sheriffhall Roundabout on the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass. The proposed grade separati…
3 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the estimated scheme cost of the preferred option for the new Sheriffhall roundabout of between £73 million and £87 million, what plans it has to use the remainder of the £120 million set aside in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal for improvements to the…
Answer · Keith Brown: As part of its £300m commitment to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, the Scottish Government is committed to investing up to £120m to take forward the design and construction of a new grade separated junction on the A720 Edinburgh City B…
29 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the power to legislate on the matter of road traffic accidents involving (a) domestic cats and (b) other animals is devolved.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The legislation which sets out the duties around reporting road traffic accidents is reserved to the UK Government.
29 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to ensure that drivers who are involved in traffic accidents involving domestic cats report them.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The reporting of traffic accidents is a matter of road traffic law and reserved to Westminster . We would encourage those involved in traffic accidents involving any animal to report the event and location to the relevant local authority or the Scottish Socie…
22 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the (a) widows, (b) widowers and (c) partners of people who have died as the result of infection with contaminated blood or blood products are eligible for pension payments through the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme.
Answer · Shona Robison: All widows, widowers, civil partners and long-term partners of beneficiaries whose infection directly contributed to their death are eligible to apply for annual payments from the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme. These are not pension payments; they ar…
22 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has cost to extend the improved lump sum payment for chronic beneficiaries of the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme from surviving infected people to (a) widows, (b) widowers and (c) estates.
Answer · Shona Robison: In accordance with the report of the Financial Review Group, only living beneficiaries with chronic hepatitis C infection only (formerly known as Stage 1 by the Skipton Fund) were eligible for the additional £30,000 lump sum that was awarded on the basis of l…
22 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has cost to remove the bar on remarried widows receiving support from the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme.
Answer · Shona Robison: Remarried widows have always been able to receive support from the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme, in the form of regular income top-up payments, living cost supplements and discretionary grants for a range of purposes so there was never a bar on them…
22 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much the EU provides to support mental health research in Scotland, and what additional funding the Scottish Government can provide to support such research following Brexit.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not hold data on EU funding of specific clinical research areas. We welcome confirmation of the UK Government’s plans to continue to participate in EU science and innovation programmes. However, as set out in Scotland’s Place in …