Anne McTaggart

22 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many babies were delivered by caesarean section in each month in 2014-15, broken down by hospital.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government doesn’t hold this information. Data on caesarean section rates in Scotland up to March 2013 can be found on the NHS National Services Scotland – Information Services Division Scotland website by following the attached link: http://www.…

22 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to inform young people of the dangers of getting involved with criminal gangs.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of informing young people to understand the dangers and consequences of violence. Although Scotland has relatively low numbers of young people involved in gangs and is becoming safer, we strive to reduce crime…

21 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discretion veterinary physicians have when determining dosage levels of pharmaceutical products used on fish farms.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: The Scottish Government has no role in this matter. The regulation of veterinary medicines, their prescription and their use is a reserved matter. The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the competent authority in Scotland.

15 Jun 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the management of Glasgow Clyde College and what was discussed.

11 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in each year since 2010 have died while waiting for an organ transplant.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The information requested is contained in the following table: Deaths on the Transplant Waiting List* By Financial Year Number of Deaths in Scotland* 2010-11 45 2011-12 62 2012-13 44 2013-14 39 2014-15 37 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant *Incl…

11 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role teachers have in (a) developing and (b) leading early-years education.

Answer · Fiona McLeod: The Scottish Government values the important role played by teachers in early learning and childcare, as part of the wider team of professionals working in those settings. Annual national statistics collected by the Scottish Government show that the vast maj…

9 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in establishing a national film school.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Screen Academy Scotland is a Creative Skillset Film Academy recognised as a centre of excellence in film practice education. Creative Scotland has awarded £110,000 to Screen Academy Scotland since 2011-12. We are continuing our work to aim to secure enhanced …

26 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to monitor the availability of harmful psychoactive substances to young people.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs set out a range of actions in a statement to Parliament on 26 February 2015 to tackle the increasing problem of new psychoactive substances (NPS). Progress is being made on all fronts. We have convened an…

20 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported shortage of accommodation for homeless people in Glasgow.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: It is the statutory responsibility of Glasgow City Council to ensure that homeless people who require it are able to access emergency and temporary accommodation. All those assessed as being unintentionally homeless are entitled to settled accommodation. The…

1 May 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with the college mergers programme.

Answer · Angela Constance: As part of our successful college reform programme, all planned college mergers are now complete. As reform is a process, there remains work to be done to realise the full benefits from change and the Scottish Government is working closely with the Scottish F…

20 Apr 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many general practices have been unable to recruit one or more partners for more than six months.

16 Mar 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it gives to 16 to 25-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training.

3 Mar 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to showcase Scotland at the Expo Milano 2015 event.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: As the First Minister announced at the promotional event on 27 February 2015 co-hosted by the Scottish Government and the Italian Embassy, the Scottish Government is working with a range of organisations to showcase Scottish excellence in areas such as food a…

18 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will reduce the unemployment rate of women over the age of 50.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government is taking action to support women of all ages into work, including enabling access to further and higher education or skills training and support to start their own businesses. We are pleased that statistics published on 18 February 2…

18 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to increase block grants to local authorities.

Answer · John Swinney: Despite the significant cuts to the Scottish budget imposed by the UK Government, the Scottish Government has maintained the level of local government funding over the four years from 2012-16 and has increased this funding with extra money for new responsibil…

18 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will increase the accountability of social services.

Answer · Shona Robison: Local authorities must use resources as efficiently as possible and deliver services effectively to ensure taxpayers get the best possible value. How this is done is a matter for each council - councils are autonomous bodies, responsible for managing their ow…

5 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase cultural engagement in the most deprived areas.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone in Scotland has an opportunity to access, enjoy and participate in cultural activity and can experience and enjoy our heritage. The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, through the Cultural Programme,…

22 Jan 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase the use and promotion of Scottish produce across the tourism and events industries.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Led by VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, the 2015 Year of Food and Drink aims to increase and promote Scottish produce across the tourism sector and enhance Scotland’s global reputation as a land of food and drink. It will be used to sustain…

17 Dec 2014 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported rise in the number of households facing court action because of personal debt.

Answer · Alex Neil: A great deal is being done, both by the Scottish Government and our partners and stakeholders, to address the issue of indebtedness in Scotland and help people who are struggling to pay their bills. In addition to the £35 million made available to local auth…

16 Dec 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what further work it is undertaking on its discussion paper on financial capability, Achieving Better Co-ordination in Scotland, published in July 2010.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: As described in the answer to S4W-23603 on 6 January 2015, the Scottish Government’s approach to financial capability is set out in the revised Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland published in March 2014. This recognises the importance of having access to app…

16 Dec 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving to strengthening the role of financial education in the curriculum for excellence.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: We have recently set up a curriculum, learning, teaching, assessment and support forum on maths and numeracy chaired by Education Scotland and this forum aims, amongst other things, to secure, consolidate and embed improvements to the curriculum in order to m…

9 Dec 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the financial capability of young people.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: Within Curriculum for Excellence, financial education forms part of a wider focus on numeracy. All teachers have responsibility for developing young people’s numeracy skills in all areas and levels of the curriculum. Financial education helps young people dev…

9 Dec 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on the development of a financial capability strategy.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government’s approach to financial capability is set out in the revised Child Poverty Strategy for Scotland which identified a number of priorities for future work across a variety of policy areas and placed a focus on financial capability throug…

2 Dec 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the reported increase of almost 600% in foodbank users in Glasgow in the last year.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Emergency Food Fund is providing over £500,000 of funding to 26 projects across Scotland. This includes five projects in the city of Glasgow.

19 Nov 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported increase in prisoners using drugs that have been smuggled in.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: “The Scottish Prison Service is committed to reducing all types of illicit articles entering prisons. To meet this outcome the SPS tak…

12 Nov 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the (a) production and (b) use of counterfeit money, and whether it plans to introduce any special initiatives in the run-up to the festive season.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Currency and bank notes are reserved under Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998. However, the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce, set up by this government, provides direction and co-ordination for all organisations involved in tackling organised crime in Scotl…

11 Nov 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote the benefits of organ donation.

5 Nov 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the reported increase in Glasgow of purchases of illegal tobacco.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Our most recent Tobacco Control Strategy, Creating a Tobacco-Free Generation, recognises that enforcement continues to have a key role in our overarching ambition for a smokefree Scotland. Under the Enhanced Tobacco Sales Enforcement Scheme all Scottish coun…

29 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken in response to the increase in domestic rape cases reported to police from 197 in 2012-13 to 357 in 2013-14.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is committed to further strengthening the justice system’s response to tackling crimes of rape and all forms of sexual and domestic violence. The Scottish Government has strengthened the law against sex crimes by bringing in the Sexual…

21 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent steps it has taken to reduce the level of crime on the streets in Glasgow.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Recorded crime in Scotland is at a 39 year low and in Glasgow it fell by almost 30% between 2006-07 and 2012-13. The Scottish Government is taking a number of actions to help reduce the level of crime on the streets in Glasgow: We continue to deliver our co…