Neil Findlay

26 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when work to the platforms, bridge and lift at Fauldhouse train station (a) was and (b) is due to start and finish.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The accessibility improvement works to install lifts and platform resurfacing at Fauldhouse railway station started as planned during September 2018 and is on schedule to be completed as planned, by the end of Summer 2019. The bridge reconstruction commenced…

26 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times its resilience committee has met to discuss the increased number of drug-related deaths.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government does not have a resilience committee, the term is sometimes used to refer to the civil contingencies space that Ministers may operate within. The Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) is a response function that stands up when th…

26 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the Scottish Prison Service budget for each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The information requested is as follows: Year Resource (m) Capital (m) Total (m) 2019-20 346.2 47.5 393.7 2018-19 345.2 16.2 361.4 2017-18 345.2 15.8 361 2016-17 345.7 10 355.7 2015-16 356.2 40 396.2 2014-15 368.9 13.4 382.3 2013-…

26 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the Scottish Prison Service budget for each of the last 36 months, and how much the underspend or overspend has been in each month.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: A breakdown of SPS’ budget for financial years 2016-17, 2017-18 & 2018-19 is provided in the following tables. The information has bee…

17 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding what specific action is being taken to protect prison staff from inhaling new psychoactive substances.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: As detailed in the response to PQ S5W-23105 on 29 May 2019, SPS continues to work alongside justice sector partners to understand the …

17 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the contract for the Drug and Alcohol Information System was awarded; who it was awarded to; what the initial timetable was for delivery; how much the original contract was worth; how much it has cost to date; by what date it will go live, and how many times the go live or implement…

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The business case for the Drug and Alcohol Information System (DAISy) was approved in May 2016. The contract was awarded to NHS Ayrshire and Arran in January 2017, to develop DAISy. This was based on their expertise with their own local system which offered …

17 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what policy and legal powers are available to police, health and other public agencies in England to deal with drug addiction and the prevention of drug-related deaths that are not available in Scotland.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The legal framework relating to the misuse of drugs, including the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, is reserved to the UK Government. However, some areas of policy including health, education, housing and social care are the responsibility of the devolved administra…

17 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated to alcohol and drugs partnerships in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) direct funding allocations are published at https://www.gov.scot/publications/alcohol-and-drug-partnerships-funding-allocations/ Since 2017-18 ADP funding has been provided to NHS Boards as part of their baseline budget …

17 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the latest drug death figures are, and what information it has regarding how these compare with (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The National Records of Scotland (NRS) report Drug Related Deaths in Scotland in 2018 was published on 16 th July 2019. It states there were a total of 1,187 drug related deaths in 2018. The full report can be found at the following link: https://www.nrscot…

8 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to involve carers in the running of the Carers Parliament.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-24266 on 1 August 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/…

8 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the Carers Parliament, what action it is taking to (a) make it an autonomous body and (b) put it on the same footing as the Scottish Youth Parliament.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Carers Parliament is delivered by Carers Scotland as an annual event allowing carers from across Scotland to raise the issues that impact most on their lives with Ministers and other decision-makers. The Carers Parliament’s format and content has evolved…

5 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will instruct an independent review of the delays in the opening and the project management of the new Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-24397 on 18 July 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/2…

4 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether criminalising drug users results in fewer people taking drugs.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: It is clear that we cannot simply police our way out of the significant and complex challenges we face in terms of drug use. There is strong evidence from around the world to suggest that criminalising drug users only serves to further stigmatise and isolate …

4 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the decriminalisation of the possession of drugs.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: As you are aware, the Scottish Parliament does not currently have the powers to make this happen, although we would like the level of devolution needed to fully support a health based approach. We want to implement a range of public health focused responses i…

4 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on taking a public health-based approach to drugs policy.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government want to implement a range of public health focused responses in order to tackle the emergency we face in drug deaths, including the introduction of supervised drug consumption facilities. That is why our national alcohol and drug strat…

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current care pathway is for women who have complications from mesh implants.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The care pathway for women who experience complications after mesh surgery is set out in the answer to question S5W-23623 on 6 June 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which c…

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what quality control measures are in place to assess how well full mesh removal procedures are carried out.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Appropriate training, revalidation, benchmarking and peer review of clinicians ensures quality of service. Further, surgeons are expected to record the details and outcomes of operations in patients' notes, as per standard practice. Photographic evidence will…

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what counselling and social support is available to women who have experienced mesh complications.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: On an individual patient basis, the Scottish Government expects Health Boards to consider the need for support of this kind within the context of a multidisciplinary team. In addition, as set out in response to Parliamentary Question S5W-23623 the Short Lif…

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many women in Scotland have had (a) full and (b) partial mesh removal carried out in Scotland in the last five years, and what evaluation has been carried out of the outcomes.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Between April 2014 and March 2019, a total of 439 mesh removals were carried out in Scotland. Information prior to April 2017 does not allow for differentiation between full and partial removals. However, in the period April 2017 to March 2019, removals were …

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the first Scottish mesh survivors will be treated by Dr Veronikis.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the statement I made in Parliament on 26 June.

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what training surgeons have received in full mesh removal.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Mesh removal is highly specialised and can involve input from more than one specialty (uro-gynecology, urology, colorectal surgery), and the training followed is defined by recognised professional bodies including Royal Colleges and the General Medical Counci…

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to build relations with Colombia.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: There are existing business and cultural links with Colombia, as highlighted in PQ S5W-24133 on 30 July 2019. The Scottish Government does not currently have further plans to build relations with Colombia, however, the Scottish Government, through our Humanit…

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Lothian regarding parking provision at St John's Hospital.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Scottish Government continue to engage with NHS Lothian regarding their car parking provision at their acute sites, including St John’s Hospital, Livingston. NHS Lothian continue to engage with patients, staff and visitors to address parking related issues at…

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what business and cultural links Scotland has with Colombia.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Scottish exports to Colombia were estimated as less than £50 million in 2017. There is currently no recorded Foreign Direct Investment or Capital Investment activity. In March 2017, Aberdeen and the city of Barranquilla signed a MoU following multiple inward…

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available for communities or councils to extend walking routes and footpaths.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Local government funding totalling £11.2 billion in 2019-20 is allocated by means of a block grant. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities. £8.9 mil…

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will help finance the construction of a multi-storey car park at St John's Hospital.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: As part of the investment in the new elective centre at St John’s, Livingston, NHS Lothian are considering additional spaces along with other measures that would improve the current situation at the site. Any proposal to build a multi-story car park, as part …

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend walking routes across Scotland.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Scotland is well endowed with walking routes, including Scotland’s Great Trails, core paths plans that have been drawn up by all of Scotland's local authorities and the two National Parks, and a wide range of other path networks, which together extend to an e…

24 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that West Lothian and Fife colleges plan to introduce instructors to replace qualified lecturers, and that they might be required to teach up to 30 hours each week with five hours of preparation time.  

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Colleges operate independently of Government and have responsibility for their own staffing provision. These are operational matters for individual colleges. West Lothian College is piloting an instructor role in academic year 2019-20 in one curriculum area …

19 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether full mesh removal is routinely available to patients.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-23623 on 6 June 2019, which confirms the availability of both full and partial mesh removal in Scotland. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search faci…

19 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish all of the minutes of the short-life working group on support for women with complications from transvaginal mesh.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: All minutes of the Short Life Working Group, established in March in order to improve the services provided to women who have experienced mesh complications, will be published here . Minutes are published following the Group's approval of draft minutes and,…