Parliamentary questions
Miles Briggs
4,209 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
19 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review any policies in relation to placing young people in adult mental health services.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government has no plans to review policies in relation to placing young people in adult mental health wards. NHS Boards use the Admission to Adult Mental Health Wards for under 18's Guidelines which were published in 2020, alongside discussio…
19 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many young people have been placed in adult mental health services in each year since 1999.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Mental Welfare Commission produces annual reports on admissions of young people under the age of 18 to non-specialist wards in Scotland. The latest report was published on 1 December 2022, and can be found here: ChildrenYoungPeople_MonitoringReport_2021-…
19 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that (a) libraries remain open and (b) no librarian jobs are lost.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: Scottish Government officials work closely with the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), which provides leadership and advice to Scottish Ministers, local authorities, and the wider libraries sector. In 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23, we provided f…
18 Apr 2023 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that school buildings remain safe and in good condition.
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average (a) private sector and (b) local authority rent was in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Paul McLennan: As set out in the answer to S6W-13149 on 10 January 2023, which can be found at Written question and answer: S6W-13149 | Scottish Parliament Website , the available information on average rents across the private rented and social rented sectors is as follo…
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated through the (a) Scottish Empty Homes Partnership and (b) Empty Homes Loan Fund in each year since it was launched, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Paul McLennan: Local authority Scottish Empty Homes Partnership* Empty Homes Loan Fund ** Aberdeen City Council £49,400 Nil Aberdeenshire Council Nil Nil Angus Council Nil £120,000 Argyll & Bute Council £56,217 Nil The City of Edinburgh Council £57,000 Ni…
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on (a) which local authorities currently have hardship funds and (b) how much funding has been dispersed from any such funds in each local authority area in the last 12 months.
Answer · Tom Arthur: This is a matter for individual local authorities. The information is not held centrally.
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its most recent assessment is of the allocation of resources to Community Planning Partnerships in each local authority area.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) do not hold resources of their own. CPPs’ partner organisations direct and align resources they hold towards collective action in pursuit of priorities agreed by the CPP. These resources can take the form of staff time a…
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided to help deliver hospice at home services, in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Through the introduction of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014, it has been the responsibility of Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) to plan and resource adult palliative care services for their area, including hospice and hospice at home serv…
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its most recent assessment is of literacy rates.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Attainment in literacy in Scotland’s schools remains strong. The 2021/22 Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence levels (ACEL) data demonstrates that approaches to COVID recovery in education are working. Data on ACEL showed a record increase for 2021-22 …
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme, what plans it has to review the definition of "long-term vacant", which is currently 15 years for derelict properties and land.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: There are no plans to review the definition of long-term vacant with regard to the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP). Each application received will be assessed by the Independent Investment Panel. Projects concerning sites that have b…
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop new Help to Buy schemes for first-time buyers.
Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government does not plan to reopen or develop new Help to Buy schemes for first-time buyers. Key findings from the evaluation of the Scottish Government’s shared equity schemes showed that 80% of Help to Buy buyers would have been able to purcha…
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many SME house builders there have there been in Scotland in each year since 1999.
Answer · Paul McLennan: The following table shows a time series for the number of registered private sector businesses in the construction of domestic buildings sector, split into Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises. The construction of domestic buildings…
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support has been provided to third sector and charitable organisations that provide support to patients in each year since 1999.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not available centrally as expenditure is not classified by the Scottish Government in the manner requested and financial support for third sector and charitable organisations is provided by various sources.
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prescriptions of morphine have been issued to chronic pain patients in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government nor it's partners hold any indication information, and so cannot identify patients with chronic pain who have been prescribed morphine.
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Cladding Stakeholder Group, on what dates the group has met, and on how many occasions its ministers have attended the group's meeting.
Answer · Paul McLennan: The Cladding Stakeholder Group is an official level meeting. Issues raised by stakeholders are fed back to Ministers and considered as part of the Cladding Remediation Programme. The group has met on the following occasions: 2021 2022 2023 30-06-2021 19-…
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop a strategy for patients living with endometriosis.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Women's Health Plan : A Plan for 2021-2024, published in August 2021, outlines our ambition to improve access for women to appropriate support, speedy diagnosis and best treatment for endometriosis. The Plan sets out actions which aim to ensure that th…
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on maintenance services for socially rented properties in each year since 1999.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. Individual social landlords are responsible for their own maintenance costs. Social landlords are required, under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, to keep houses they let fit for human habitati…
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prescriptions of morphine have been issued in each year since 1999.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The requested information is shown in the following table: Table 1: Total number of paid items for morphine from calendar year 1999 to 2022. Calendar Year Number of Paid Items 1999 106,130 2000 111,796 2001 118,210 2002 125,369 2003 130,563 2004…
4 Apr 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on (a) how many children and (b) what percentage of school-age pupils have taken part in cycling proficiency training courses in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The following table shows the percentage of primary schools delivering Level 2 Bikeability training for each year broken down by local authority. The entries showing "no return" reflect that Argyll & Bute, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire delivered alternativ…
29 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to introduce an antisocial behaviour action plan, similar to that which has recently been announced for England and Wales.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government is committed to tackling all forms of antisocial behaviour and to making all of our communities safe places where people can live free from fear or harm. I will monitor the development of the UK Government’s Antisocial Behaviour Action…
27 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the provision and potential impact of community dog parks in relation to promoting responsible dog ownership.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The provision of designated community dog parks is the responsibility of individual local authorities. Local authorities can consider and use bye-law making powers to create designated enclosed areas in public parks to provide places where dogs can be off le…
27 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce compulsory sale orders for long-term unoccupied properties.
Answer · Paul McLennan: Tackling empty homes is a priority. Local authorities already have broad compulsory purchase powers, which are being used to tackle empty homes and, where possible, return them to use as warm, safe and secure housing. We are taking forward work to modernise …
27 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to reform planning laws to enable long-term unoccupied business premises to be converted into housing.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: There is strong national planning policy support for approval of good quality conversions to residential development following thorough planning assessments. We have no plans to introduce new permitted development rights providing for the conversion of busine…
27 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to enable NHS boards to monitor the accuracy of interpretation services for those from minority ethnic communities who require such services.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Public bodies, including NHS health boards, are responsible for monitoring the accuracy of interpretation services. The Scottish Government expects all healthcare services to be accessible to all people in Scotland, regardless of the circumstances of individu…
27 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to resume the Super Sponsor Scheme for Ukrainian refugees, and, if this is the case, when this will take place.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government Super Sponsor Scheme has been overwhelmingly popular, with local authorities, the third sector and local communities responding in partnership. As of 11 April, there have been a total of 24,216 arrivals in the UK with a Scottish Spons…
27 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to move disabled people from temporary accommodation to long-term housing.
Answer · Paul McLennan: Temporary accommodation offers an important safety net for anyone who finds themselves homeless, however, this should only ever be short term and we want to see people in settled homes that meet their needs as soon as possible. We want disabled people in Scot…
27 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to research from the British Red Cross, which has stated that cruise ship accommodation for Ukrainian refugees in Scotland is “inappropriate.”
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Both passenger ships, MS Ambition, Glasgow and MS Victoria, Edinburgh were contracted as a temporary measure to ensure Scotland could respond to the humanitarian crisis facing people in Ukraine and provide an immediate place of safely for displaced people. A…
27 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the number of disabled people on social housing waiting lists.
Answer · Paul McLennan: We want disabled people in Scotland to have choice, dignity and freedom to access suitable homes, built or adapted so they can participate as full and equal citizens. Scotland has led the way in the delivery of affordable housing across the UK. Since 2007, w…
27 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many first-time buyers have completed house purchases in each year since 1999.
Answer · Paul McLennan: Published information on home purchases and spend across the First Home Fund, Help to Buy, Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) and New Supply Shared Equity (NSSE) schemes can be found on the Scottish Government website at the following links: Help to Buy (Scotl…