Parliamentary questions
Anne McTaggart
235 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
2 Sep 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to reduce the number of drug-related deaths in Glasgow.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: In 2013, 526 drug related deaths were registered in Scotland, which is 9% fewer than in 2012. I am not complacent however, and any loss of life is a tragedy for all those it affects. I have asked the Scottish Drugs Forum to undertake specific work with Scotl…
26 Aug 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the time that patients remain in hospital while awaiting care arrangements to be made, after they are clinically ready to be discharged.
Answer · Alex Neil: We are working closely with our NHS and local authority partners to reduce the levels of delayed discharges across Scotland. Since April 2007 we have reduced the level of delays over four weeks by over 60%. However, tackling delays is not just about money, an…
17 Jun 2014 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the reported 22% increase in homophobic hate crimes in the last year.
12 Jun 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4O-02879 (Official Report, c. 27421) and S4W-21387 by Humza Yousaf on 5 February 2014 and 10 June 2014 respectively, whether it will provide the information that was requested and confirm how much it would cost an independent Scotland to establish e…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The transition to independence is a major opportunity to improve service delivery in Scotland. The Scottish Government has undertaken a range of work to prepare for the transition to independence, and our approach is set out in Scotland’s Future. Pages 343 to…
10 Jun 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it encourages the availability of affordable housing in the private rented sector.
9 Jun 2014 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve street safety in cities at night.
29 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the supplementary to question S4O-03284 by Fergus Ewing on 28 May 2014 (Official Report, c. 31474), what measures it is taking specifically to address the gap between the business start-up rates of men and women.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government believes that supporting more women to set up and succeed in business is an economic priority. Building on the support already provided through our enterprise agencies and local authorities, we recently launched the Women in Enterprise…
28 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it would cost to establish embassies and consulates for an independent Scotland, broken down by country.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S4O-02879 on 5 February 2014 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/OfficialReport.aspx
27 May 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to local authorities to help reduce carbon emissions and contribute toward the 2013-27 emissions reduction targets.
20 May 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has put in place to increase the number of business start-ups in Glasgow.
19 May 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it would seek to (a) establish a second chamber of the Parliament and (b) increase the number of MSPs in an independent Scotland.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Scotland’s Future: your guide to an independent Scotland sets out the Scottish Government’s position on these issues at pages 572 and 619 respectively. Scotland’s future can be accessed online at: http://www.scotreferendum.com/reports/scotlands-future-your-g…
28 Apr 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with representatives of the Roma community in Glasgow regarding financial support for cultural celebrations such as International Roma Day.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has had no discussions with representatives of the Roma community in Glasgow regarding financial support for cultural celebrations such as International Roma Day. However, the Scottish Government does provide funding to a number of pr…
14 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have died in each NHS board area in each year since 2007 while awaiting an organ transplant.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The information requested is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) by quoting BIB number 55835.
14 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people are awaiting an organ transplant in each NHS board area.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The information requested is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) by quoting BIB number 55835.
14 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people under 18 are awaiting an organ transplant and what the average waiting time is, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The information requested is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) by quoting BIB number 55835.
9 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of reported sexual assaults has resulted in a conviction in each year since 2007, broken down by region.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The following table provides information on the number of sexual assaults recorded by the police for 2006-07 to 2012-13, by legacy police force area. Sexual assaults recorded by the police, 2006-07 to 2012-13, by legacy police force area: 2006-07 2007-08…
8 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the Lands Tribunal for Scotland should have the authority to vary or extinguish servitudes contained in the dispositions of residential property.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Lands Tribunal for Scotland has a jurisdiction under the Title Conditions (Scotland) Act 2003 to vary or discharge title conditions, including servitudes. Further information can be found on the Lands Tribunal’s website: http://www.lands-tribunal-scotla…
7 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many reports of racial abuse there have been by people from the Roma community in each year since 2007, broken down by region.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Although it is possible to identify Gypsy or traveller victims and complainers in the racist incidents data collection, this ethnic classification was not separately identifiable until 2009-10 when a more detailed 21 group classification was introduced. Howev…
7 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what provision there is for the integration of Roma children in schools.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Equality is part of the aspiration and ambition which we have for Scotland. We want a society that is fair and just, in which all can participate, flourish and benefit, where we respect and value diversity. We are committed to ensuring that all the people of …
2 Apr 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has made available to assist with (a) the treatment of and (b) research into sickle cell disorder in each year since 2007, broken down by (i) organisation and (ii) amount.
Answer · Alex Neil: (a) Funding for the treatment of sickle cell disease in each year since 2007 Information about the funding provided for the treatment of sickle cell disease is not held centrally. Funding for haematology services which treat people with sickle cell disease i…
28 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken since 2011 to increase the number of people who register as organ donors and what further action it is planning.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Since 2008, the Scottish Government has consistently run high profile media and advertising campaigns each year to raise awareness of organ donation and to encourage people to join the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR). As a result a greater proportionate of Sco…
21 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assistance is available to the families of people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Provision of services for those with juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the responsibility of the individual health board.
21 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what key performance indicators are used to measure the quality of juvenile idiopathic arthritis services and how these are monitored.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Improving services for people with juvenile idiopathic services has been part of the work of the Scottish Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology Network (SPARN) which was set up to improve quality and access to specialist rheumatology care. During 2014, SPAR…
21 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on the provision of juvenile idiopathic arthritis services in each of the last 10 years, and how much it will spend in 2014-15.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has provided £32 million over three years from 2009 to deliver the National Delivery Plan for Specialist Children’s Services which includes rheumatology. From 2011-12, there has been a recurring investment of £19.5 million to continue …
21 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it raises awareness of juvenile idiopathic arthritis among (a) GPs, (b) the general public, (c) school teachers and (d) school children.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Raising awareness of long term conditions including juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the responsibility of the each health board. The Scottish Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology Network provides information for patients and their families via a leaflet.
21 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the (a) quality and (b) geographical provision of health services for people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Through the Scottish Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology Network (SPARN) we are improving both the quality and the geographical spread of health services for people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. SPARN supported clinics have been set up in all NHS bo…
21 Mar 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had about services for people with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Services for young people affected by juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) have improved in the last five years through our investment in specialist children’s services. One element of this investment involved setting up a National Managed Clinical Network to…
17 Mar 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has put in place to increase opportunities for disabled students to access further education.
26 Feb 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to tackle air pollution in Glasgow.
5 Feb 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop clinical guidance (a) for treating and (b) on the causes of low back pain.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) develops evidence based clinical practice guidelines for the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland. SIGN guidelines are derived from a systematic review of the scientific literature and are designed t…