Miles Briggs

28 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an indicative timeline for when (a) it will respond to the proposed consultation on fire safety, following the work of the Building and Fire Safety Expert Working Group, and (b) it will look to implement any recommendations resulting from such a consultation.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The indicative timeline for the Scottish Government’s proposed response to the consultation is March 2025 with an implementation date of January 2026.  

26 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people under the age of 65 have received free personal care in each year since the expansion of the policy in April 2019, also broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Maree Todd: The latest statistical release for Free Personal and Nursing Care is for the period 2022-23 and was published on 5 September 2023. Two published excel files accompany the publication, one of which provides data on people aged between 18-64, from the years 201…

26 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the plans for an online postal self-sampling service outlined in the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Action Plan 2023-2026 will include testing for hepatitis C.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Public Health Scotland is currently leading the national roll-out of online postal self-sampling to test for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with funding from Scottish Government. The service will initially offer testing for the most common STIs which …

22 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many invasive cosmetic procedures it estimates have been performed by unregulated non-healthcare professionals in each year since 1999.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Individuals who are not healthcare professionals and provide such procedures are not currently regulated and therefore this information is not held by the Scottish Government.

22 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many criminal record disclosure checks have been undertaken on unregulated non-healthcare professionals that perform invasive cosmetic procedures in each year since 1999.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Individuals who are not healthcare professionals and provide such procedures are not currently regulated and therefore this information is not held by the Scottish Government.

22 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what public liability insurance requirements currently apply to unregulated non-healthcare professionals that perform invasive cosmetic procedures.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Individuals who are not healthcare professionals and provide such procedures are not currently regulated and there is no requirement to obtain public liability insurance for these procedures.

22 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have received NHS medical treatment in Scotland following complications with invasive cosmetic procedures performed by unregulated non-healthcare professionals (a) in Scotland and (b) outside of Scotland, in each year since 1999.

Answer · Jenni Minto: This information in relation to treatment in Scotland is not centrally collected. When NHS Scotland treats someone who has suffered harm from a non-surgical cosmetic procedure that has gone wrong, NHS Scotland will not necessarily record the cause as there is…

22 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has undertaken any review of criminal liability in relation to unregulated non-healthcare professionals that perform invasive cosmetic procedures, and, if so, whether it will provide details of this.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has not undertaken such a review however, this will be taken into consideration as officials continue to explore next steps in potential further regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures that pierce or penetrate the skin.

22 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what accredited training schemes there currently are for unregulated non-healthcare professionals that perform invasive cosmetic procedures.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Individuals who are not healthcare professionals and provide such procedures are not currently regulated and therefore there are currently no regulated training requirements to work in the sector. Accreditation for training for the sector will also be conside…

22 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of injury or negligence by unregulated non-healthcare professionals performing invasive cosmetic procedures have been reported to Police Scotland in each year since 1999.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Individuals who are not healthcare professionals and provide such procedures are not currently regulated and therefore this information is not held by the Scottish Government.

22 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Scotland’s ageing population and reported projections by the Office for National Statistics that one quarter of Scotland’s population will be aged 65 or over by 2040, what consideration it has given to any changes that are required to the provision of housing to meet Scotlan…

Answer · Paul McLennan: We want older people to have choice, dignity and freedom to access suitable homes, built or adapted to enable them to participate as full and equal citizens. Our Housing to 2040 strategy sets out a vision for housing in Scotland. This includes all aspects of …

22 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions its ministers have had with UK Government ministers regarding UK-wide regulation of invasive cosmetic procedures by non-healthdare professionals.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Scottish Government officials continue to engage with their UK counterparts and the current work is focussed on creating the most appropriate regulatory environment to ensure the safety of the people of Scotland. Ministers have not yet held direct discussions…

22 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions its ministers have had regarding the regulation in Scotland of invasive cosmetic procedures by non-healthcare professionals.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Scottish Government officials are working with beauty industry representatives, environmental health officers, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and healthcare professionals on this important issue and the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health is in con…

22 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the anticipated local government elections in 2027, what information it has on when any work to redraw mainland council wards will commence.

Answer · George Adam: Boundaries Scotland has the statutory responsibility to review the electoral arrangements for local government areas. In line with the requirements of the Local Government Act 1973, Boundaries Scotland must submit to Scottish Ministers a report on its review …

22 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered introducing targets to ensure that an adequate proportion of new housing developments is accessible and adaptable to meet the housing needs of an ageing population.

Answer · Paul McLennan: As set out within Housing to 2040, we recognise the importance that good quality, accessible and adaptable housing has in allowing people to live independently with no barriers to participation in daily life, work and their community. To make sure that we b…

22 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people on average have been on waiting lists for community-based palliative care in each NHS board area in each year since 1999.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The information requested is not centrally available. We are developing a new Palliative and End of Life Care Strategy which has an overarching aim that everyone in Scotland receives well-coordinated, timely and high-quality palliative care, care around dea…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector vehicles are exempt from the (a) Glasgow and (b) Edinburgh Low Emission Zone.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: There is no specific exemption for public sector vehicles. The national exemptions set in the LEZ legislation include: vehicles for disabled persons, emergency service, military, historic and showman vehicles. As stated in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019,…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what review it will undertake of the funding formula for health services, in light of the projected population growth in the NHS Lothian area.

Answer · Neil Gray: We remain committed to ensuring funding is distributed equitably across the country as set out in the 2021-22 Programme for Government. The existing National Resource Allocation Formula (NRAC) is updated on an ongoing basis for a range of factors including po…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of childcare voucher schemes on any policies that it has in place to support parents and carers to return to work.

Answer · Natalie Don: Childcare voucher schemes were part of UK-wide tax legislation on employer supported childcare. They were closed to new entrants in 2018 and as such, parents and carers who are taking up new employment are not able to access them. While some Scottish families…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes have been provided real-time glucose monitoring devices in each NHS board in each year since 1999.

Answer · Jenni Minto: This information is not held centrally. Some information on the percentage of people using glucose monitors and other diabetes technologies can be found in the Scottish Diabetes Survey, which provides an annual summary of key issues and trends in diabetes ca…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many inpatient beds for children and young people have been available in each NHS board in each year since 1999.

Answer · Neil Gray: Table 1 provides the average available number of staffed beds that were recorded for paediatric/child and adolescent specialties in Scotland for each year from 2001-02 to 2022-23. Information on bed numbers prior to 2001-02 is not available. A figure showing …

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing to end the practice of placing children and young people in adult mental health facilities.

Answer · Maree Todd: We expect children and young people who need inpatient mental health care to be looked after in age-appropriate facilities. Following recommendations from the Mental Welfare Commission, the Scottish Government commissioned a national review of existing provis…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the investment that will need to be made in GP services in each of the next five years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Neil Gray: To support general practice services, we have significantly expanded the primary care multi-disciplinary team workforce, with over 4,700 staff working in services including physiotherapy, pharmacy and phlebotomy at March 2023. We are supporting development o…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its aim to greatly reduce the placement of young people with learning disabilities in out-of-area residential placements and inappropriate hospital settings by March 2024, how many young people with learning disabilities and complex care needs are currently placed in such in…

Answer · Maree Todd: Children and young people are only admitted to an inpatient unit for assessment and treatment when there is a clear clinical need and rationale. This would not be inappropriate within the context of current practice, and only becomes inappropriate at the poin…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people have been placed in adult mental health facilities, due to spaces being unavailable in facilities for children and young people, in each NHS board in each year since 1999.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not hold data on how many children and young people have been placed in adult mental health facilities, due to spaces being unavailable in facilities for children and young people, in each NHS board in each year since 1999. For m…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on what impact its decision not to replicate in Scotland the non-domestic rates relief available to hospitality businesses in England has had on (a) jobs and (b) growth in the sector.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government is aware of the pressures facing businesses due to inflation, energy costs and the cost crisis. While Scottish Ministers are sympathetic to calls to replicate the non-domestic rates relief available to businesses in England in the reta…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what investment it plans to make to support the transformation of NHS IT services, and how much will be made available to each NHS board for any such work.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government continues to protect investment in digital within health services, as shown in the published budget. Planning remains underway to fully assess the impact on planned activity for 20242-5 that takes into account the considerable financia…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people have been recorded as rough sleeping in each local authority area in each month since January 1999.

Answer · Paul McLennan: Scottish Government collects information on whether any member of a household making a homelessness application to a local authority slept rough: a) during the 3 months preceding and b) the night before the application. This data is collected from all local…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any additional costs that the hospice sector will face in future years.

Answer · Jenni Minto: It is for Integration Authorities to plan and resource hospice care, using the integrated budget under their control; and to plan palliative care services and costs now and in the future. We are working with Integration Authorities and independent hospices t…

19 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support has been provided to those who experienced historic forced adoption since it issued a formal apology to those people in March 2023.

Answer · Natalie Don: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26394 on 22 March 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committee…