Parliamentary questions
Miles Briggs
4,209 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will support the development of a capital endowment scheme for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to provide a sustainable income stream to tackle any issues that are facing former coalfield communities without their reliance on the current annual revenue grant.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Deputy First Minister has made clear the very challenging position on the Scottish Government’s capital budget. This is forecast to result in a 9.8% real terms cut in our capital funding over the medium term between 2023-24 and 2027-28. Through the exist…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the NHS Scotland capital infrastructure budget update.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Draft Scottish Budget 2024-25 was published on 19 Dec 2023. The Bill is currently at ‘Stage 2 – Changes to Detail’ with any amendments to be considered at a meeting on 20 February 2024. Once moved to ‘Stage 3 – Final amendments and vote’ a further vote…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of its decision to reduce the funding for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust on its work in the former coalfield communities.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government’s challenging budget position impacts on the budget available for the delivery of the Empowering Communities Programme which supports Coalfield Regeneration Trust’s (CRT’s) grant. Officials advised CRT that we would be unable to delive…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have required emergency eye surgery at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh, in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Table 1 provides information on total number of inpatient, daycase and outpatient hospital episodes where an emergency eye surgery procedure was recorded, at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion by financial year from 2004-05. It is not possible to provide fig…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many children have attended independent schools in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: This data has been collected by the Registrar of Independent Schools from available independent school census statistics. The census commences in the September of each year in accordance with part 4 of the Registration of Independent Schools (Scotland) Regula…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Food Standards Scotland (FSS) written submission to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee of 20 December 2023, in relation to public petition PE1997, what the timescale is for FSS to discuss any proposed consultation on mandatory braille labelling of f…
Answer · Jenni Minto: FSS officials meet with officials in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Wales and Northern Ireland, lead departments for food labelling in the rest of the UK, on a bimonthly basis. FSS continu…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Food Standards Scotland (FSS) written submission to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee of 20 December 2023, in relation to public petition PE1997, what the timescale is for FSS to "seek views from businesses or organisations representing businesses …
Answer · Jenni Minto: FSS intend to initiate stakeholder engagement during the 2024 – 25 business year, and will seek early opportunities to gather initial views on braille labelling from relevant business stakeholders where practical.
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide an update on the Sheriffhall roundabout upgrade project.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is committed to delivering the grade separation of Sheriffhall roundabout, as part of its £300 million commitment to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. Following publication of the draft Orders and Environmental …
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding potentially changing procurement rules in order to allow the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to deliver a grants programme to support grassroots community organisations in the former coalfields.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government’s procurement rules exist to ensure funds are spent in a way that delivers the most benefit to society. These rules apply across all Scottish Government grants and we have had no discussions about potentially changing them. We are how…
31 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have received cataract surgery at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh, in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Table 1 provides information on total number of inpatient, daycase and outpatient hospital episodes where a cataract surgery procedure was recorded, at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion by financial year from 2004-05. It is not possible to provide figures f…
26 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much of any funding that it has provided to support small businesses to become Low Emission Zone (LEZ)-compliant has been used to date.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: From Jan 2020 to Jan 2024, over £6 million has been paid in grants to smaller businesses through the LEZ Support Fund. This funding has resulted in over 1,000 high polluting vehicles being taken off our roads, and over 400 taxis retrofitted to become LEZ com…
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many care home buildings have been assessed as containing potentially flammable or combustible cladding materials in each of the last five years.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Duty holders are expected to deliver a safe environment for all users of non-domestic buildings including care homes. The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 requires that duty holders carry out a fire safety risk …
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many student accommodation buildings have been assessed as containing potentially flammable or combustible cladding materials in each of the last five years.
Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Houses of Multiple Occupation, which includes purpose built student accommodation, are subject to the provisions in The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 which requires that duty holders carry out a fire safety r…
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many hotel buildings have been assessed as containing potentially flammable or combustible cladding materials in each of the last five years.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Duty holders are expected to deliver a safe environment for all users of non-domestic buildings including hotels. The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 requires that duty holders carry out a fire safety risk asse…
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many hospital buildings have been assessed as containing potentially flammable or combustible cladding materials in each of the last five years.
Answer · Michael Matheson: In the past five years, no hospital buildings have been identified as having external wall cladding with high-risk polyethylene Aluminium Composite Material (ACM). NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are in the process of removing ACM from the internal atrium of t…
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what urgent support is being offered to NHS boards to ensure that the elimination of hepatitis C (HCV) as a public health concern in Scotland is achieved by the end of the 2024-25 financial year.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government remains committed to achieving the elimination of hepatitis C (HCV) in Scotland by the end of the 2024-25 financial year. However, we know that achieving elimination and meeting our target will take a concerted effort at national and l…
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many social rented buildings have been assessed as containing potentially flammable or combustible cladding materials in each of the last five years.
Answer · Paul McLennan: It is the responsibility of Registered Social Landlords and Local Authorities to address potentially unsafe cladding however as the current pilot was initially established as being tenure neutral, out of 28 assessments that are currently live, 7 at time of en…
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what urgent steps are being taken to reach undiagnosed individuals living with hepatitis C (HCV).
Answer · Jenni Minto: The most recent surveillance report from Public Health Scotland (PHS) indicates that the number of people tested for HCV antibody in Scotland in 2022 had almost recovered to the level seen before the pandemic in 2019, however we know that further work is requ…
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidelines have been agreed for the carrying out of Single Building Assessments.
Answer · Paul McLennan: As set out in the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Ministers will specify the standards of the Single Building Assessment. Following a robust tendering process, we have appointed an independent contractor to develop an end-to-end Singl…
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of there being just over one year remaining to meet its commitment to eliminate hepatitis C (HCV) as a public health concern in Scotland by the end of the 2024-25 financial year, whether it will provide an update on (a) what progress it is making towards this goal and (b) how N…
Answer · Jenni Minto: Progress towards eliminating hepatitis C (HCV) as a public health concern is monitored by Public Health Scotland (PHS) with the most recent surveillance report in December 2023 indicating that major progress continues to be made on a number of HCV elimination…
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is measuring progress towards meeting its goal of eliminating hepatitis C (HCV) as a public health concern in Scotland by the end of the 2024-25 financial year.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Progress towards eliminating hepatitis C (HCV) as a public health concern is monitored by Public Health Scotland using a range of public health surveillance data including HCV tests and diagnoses, and clinical, morbidity and mortality data.
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what timescale has been provided to residents for the completion of the Single Building Assessment pilot programme.
Answer · Paul McLennan: All buildings within the pilot phase of the Cladding Remediation Programme are due to be on a Single Building Assessment pathway by Summer 2024, as set out in the First Minister's policy priority mandate letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice.
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many GP surgeries have been assessed for any presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete to date.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Details of the RAAC survey programme are available on NHS Scotland Assure’s website which contains a link to each NHS Boards’ RAAC webpage for current information about progress of the survey programme.
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many Single Building Assessments have been carried out to date.
Answer · Paul McLennan: As of January 2024:25 Single Building Assessments have commenced. This includes one development where the Fire Risk Assessment of the External Wall (FRAEW) has been completed and the development remediated.3 where an SBA has not yet been commissioned but pre-…
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many full-time equivalent British Sign Language tutors are currently employed by each local authority.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: This information is not held centrally. BSL Tutors are employed directly by Education Authorities where appropriate, to support children and young people affected by deafness. Under the Additional Support for Learning Act, all teachers have a role in meetin…
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether additional funding will be made available to increase the number of Teachers of the Deaf to meet any increase in the number of referrals.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: It is for Education Authorities to determine what teaching and support staff are required to meet the support needs of their pupils, including those affected by deafness. The level of support from a qualified Teacher of the Deaf depends upon the individual ne…
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the reported failures with paediatric audiology services in NHS Lothian, whether additional resources will be provided to meet any unmet needs identified for the affected children.
Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24682 on 29 January 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-commit…
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the reported failures with paediatric audiology services in NHS Lothian, whether it will commission an independent review of the needs of the affected children identified in both the audits, in order to assess any current social, education and health needs and the extent to wh…
Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24682 on 29 January 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-committ…
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the reported failures with paediatric audiology services in NHS Lothian, how many additional affected children have been identified who were not identified in the two audits.
Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24682 on 29 January 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-committ…
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the reported failures with paediatric audiology services in NHS Lothian, in light of the sampling not being based on risk, what its position is on whether there is a need for a review of a further sample of cases.
Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24682 on 29 January 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-committ…