Parliamentary questions
Neil Findlay
2,296 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to implement each of the proposals set out in the paper, Review of the arrangements for investigating the deaths of patients being treated for mental disorder.
Answer · Clare Haughey: The Ministerial review report sets out a series of detailed actions which the Scottish Government has committed to. These will make important changes to the way we investigate and learn from deaths of people being treated for mental disorder. Planning for imp…
10 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the impact that they can have on their communities, what support it offers to junior football clubs to help improve their facilities when they are seeking to join the senior leagues.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-23095 on 28 May 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/28…
10 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action the Scottish Prison Service has taken to tackle the use of new psychoactive substances in prisons.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: It would be inappropriate to place into the public domain specific details of all the responses deployed to tackle illicit drug use in…
10 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many times new psychoactive substances have been found in prisons in each of the last five years.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: There were 25 occasions in 2019 where forensic testing confirmed the possession of psychoactive substances. There were 3 occasions in…
10 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance there is for prison staff on helping prison officers who have been affected by the passive inhalation of 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: SPS has developed Operational Guidance to support staff to better understand Psychoactive Substances, their harmful effects and how th…
10 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have been convicted of offences in relation to the use of new psychoactive substances in prisons in each of the last five years.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: The Scottish Prison Service does not collate the information centrally. Individuals found in possession of an illicit substance, inclu…
10 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what research it has undertaken regarding the impact on prison staff of fumes and smoke from prisoners' use of 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: SPS continues to work alongside justice sector partners to understand the risks of psychoactive substances. SPS is a member of the Psy…
10 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prison officers have been hospitalised due to the passive inhalation of new psychoactive substances in each of the last five years.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: SPS began recording instances of staff requesting medical attention as a result of reported exposure to unknown substances in April 20…
10 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have been hospitalised due to the use of new psychoactive substances in each of the last five years.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: This information is not held by the Scottish Prison Service. Responsibility and accountability for the provision of healthcare in Scot…
10 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have received medical attention due to the use of new psychoactive substances in each of the last five years.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: This information is not held by the Scottish Prison Service. Responsibility and accountability for the provision of healthcare in Scot…
10 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prison officers have received medical attention due to the passive inhalation of new psychoactive substances in each of the last five years.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: SPS began recording instances of staff requesting medical attention as a result of reported exposure to unknown substances in April 20…
10 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact it considers that football clubs based in small towns can have on their communities and, in light of this, what discussions it has had with the SFA regarding (a) treating all such clubs that apply for membership in a fair and accountable manner, which allows them every opport…
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: We recognise the significant contribution football clubs of all sizes can make in their communities – despite challenges, we believe football can be a powerful force for good. In addition to the club’s on-field success, we are aware of the excellent work Bon…
9 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what volume of human waste has been flushed on to railway tracks from trains in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not held by the Scottish Government. Network Rail owns and operates the rail infrastructure in Scotland. The Scottish Government has directly funded previous installation programmes of Controlled Emission Tanks and is working with ScotRai…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the call by the NASUWT for asbestos to be eradicated completely from all educational establishments.
Answer · John Swinney: Health and safety legislation is not devolved to the Scottish Government. However, we take the issue of the handling of asbestos within educational establishments very seriously and expect those with responsibility for those facilities to strictly follow Heal…
7 May 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much asbestos is present in (a) schools and (b) educational establishments in each local authority area.
Answer · John Swinney: This information is not held centrally. Health and safety legislation is not devolved to the Scottish Government. However, we take the issue of the handling of asbestos within schools and educational establishments very seriously and expect those with respon…
29 Apr 2019 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve air quality.
29 Apr 2019 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to address climate change.
23 Apr 2019 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will assess the impact of fishing protection orders on trout and salmon stocks in rivers and lochs.
17 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it allocated the £2 billion that it received from the UK Government to mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: It is essential that the UK Government delivers the £2 billion funding commitment in full, and it is concerning that the commitment has already been reduced by £55 million on a recurring basis. In addition the UK Government has not provided clarity on funding…
16 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the short-time working group on mesh was established; who the members and the NHS board accountable officers are on the group; whether it will publish each member's declaration of interests; when the minutes of group meetings will be published, and whether there are any plans for pa…
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-22523 on 1 May 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/288…
16 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the NHS Lothian GP Out of Hours Unscheduled Care Service is reducing its opening hours; what support is available to people seeking to access this during the additional hours that it will be closed, and by what date the service will return to operate at full capacity.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: As the member will be aware from the comprehensive briefing provided by the Lothian Unscheduled Care Service, plans were being put in place to reduce the service on a temporary basis due to sudden unexpected staff shortages - particularly nurses - in order to…
16 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS Lothian staff have moved to the Barclay Group in each of the last three years, and what analysis it has carried out of their reasons for doing so.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Seventeen NHS staff were transferred from a directly run board practice to the Barclay Group's employment in 2017. This was under TUPE arrangements so no analysis was required. Other staff may have chosen to apply for posts with the Barclay Group over the la…
4 Apr 2019 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many people in the Parliament have access to the Press Data media monitoring service.
Answer · Andy Wightman: 270 people currently have access to or receive media monitoring content from Press Data. This includes members of the SPCB, the Presiding Officers, Committee Conveners and SPCB staff.
4 Apr 2019 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how much it spends annually on (a) services provided by Press Data and (b) other press monitoring services.
Answer · Andy Wightman: The SPCB’s annual spend is as follows: £67,212 on Press Data media monitoring services, which includes its press cuttings service, broadcast monitoring and online news monitoring. £33,321 on its NLA licence (Newspaper License Authority), …
4 Apr 2019 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide all Members with access to the Press Data media monitoring service.
Answer · Andy Wightman: The SPCB’s contracted service is parliamentary in nature and relates specifically to coverage of the Parliament’s business, corporate and engagement activities. The contract does not provide for monitoring of party-political coverage or coverage relating …
4 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when mesh survivors will have access to the best mesh removal treatment.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-22523 on 1 May 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/288…
4 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update of action it has taken following the meeting with mesh survivors on 5 March 2019.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: After the Parliamentary debate on 5 March and my subsequent meeting with affected women, I gave careful consideration to the views expressed in relation to mesh complication services and, as I explained in my letter of 3 April, followed up on the short-time w…
2 Apr 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional resources will be provided to the Scottish Prison Service to cover increases in staff pay in 2019-20.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The SPS pay award for 2019-20 is currently subject to discussion between the Scottish Prison Service and the Trade Unions. The Scottish Government will review the financial impact of the agreement once it has been revealed.
26 Mar 2019 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason a significant number of schools reportedly have teacher shortages.
Answer · John Swinney: I am aware that there are teacher recruitment challenges in some subjects and in some parts of Scotland but it is also the case that more generally, teacher numbers are at their highest since 2010, vacancies have reduced and student teacher intakes have incre…
18 Mar 2019 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many times in the last year Livingston fire station has had one pump only on duty.
Answer · Ash Denham: Decisions on the allocation of SFRS resources, including pumping appliances, are a matter for the service and its Board.