Neil Findlay

10 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much financial support it provides to (a) food banks and (b) the Trussell Trust.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government’s £1 million per annum Fair Food Fund supports community based responses that help to reduce reliance on emergency food provision and a move to sustainable, dignified solutions to food poverty that give people opportunities to access f…

2 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the chair of the Independent Review of Transvaginal Mesh Implants has resigned; who will replace her and when the review's final report will be published.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Chair of the Independent Review recently notified the Chief Medical Officer of her decision to resign as a result of a change in her availability. A replacement is presently being sought, and the Independent Review plans to publish its Final Report late t…

31 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it did not agree to the Labour Party amendment to introduce the living wage for contracted workers involved in public escort contracts when drafting the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The amendment sought to impose a requirement on contractors to pay the Scottish Living Wage under public contracts. As we explained at the time, the amendment was not compatible with our obligations under EU law. The European Commission has confirmed in writi…

25 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been diagnosed with (a) malnutrition and (b) conditions associated with malnutrition in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Information on the number of people diagnosed with malnutrition and associated conditions is not held centrally.

25 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many evictions there have been in each of the last 10 years, broken down by reason for eviction.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government does not collect eviction statistics relating to the private rented sector in Scotland. A new private residential tenancy introduced by the Private Housing (Tenancies) Act 2016 will take effect from December 2017 and will give tenants …

25 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been in fuel poverty in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Angela Constance: The source for statistics on fuel poverty is the Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS). The most recent fuel poverty statistics were published in December 2015 and relate to 2014 (Scottish House Condition Survey: Key Findings 2014 http://www.gov.scot/Publica…

25 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many suicides have been recorded in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender.

Answer · Maureen Watt: This information is published by National Records for Scotland at: http://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/deaths/suicides

25 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what the average private sector rent has been in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government does not have information on rents in private sector housing, broken down by local authority area. The main source of the Scottish Government’s rent data for private sector housing is the Rent Service Scotland, Market Evidence Databa…

25 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many people have slept rough in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government collects information on rough sleepers through the HL1 data-set. This data collection records information on homeless applications and is supplied by local authorities to the Scottish Government. Since 2002, the HL1 data-set has recor…

25 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have presented themselves as homeless in each of the last 10 years, also broken down by their reason given for doing so.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Local authorities supply the Scottish Government with information on homeless applications through the HL1 data-set. The following table provides the number of people who have presented as homeless over the last ten years. Number of applications for homeless…

25 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many people have presented themselves at foodbanks in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government uses the Trussell Trust data to identify the trends in food bank use in Scotland. While the TT figures only cover their own foodbanks, they are the largest provider of emergency food aid in Scotland. The TT statistics can be accessed a…

25 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial assistance it has provided in each of the last 10 years to support suicide prevention work.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The majority of funding for suicide prevention and other mental health promotion, early intervention and appropriate services and treatment for people with mental health problems, is drawn from the overall funds allocated to NHS Scotland and Local Authorities…

7 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason NHS Lothian has reportedly reversed its decision to stop using the private sector for operations.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-03582 on 4 November 2016. 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…

7 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that, because of a backlog of 14,000 operations, NHS Lothian has decided to reverse its previous position on reducing its use of the private sector.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government recognises there has been some deterioration in waiting time performance in NHS Lothian and are aware that the Board has decided to make use of the private sector to ensure patients are seen as quickly as possible. This is in line with…

6 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that cotton purchased by public services is sourced from fairtrade providers.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 requires a public body’s annual procurement strategy to include a statement of their general policy on the procurement of fairly and ethically traded goods and services and report on this annually. The Act also intr…

4 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the number of counterfeit medical products and medicines that have been seized in the last 10 years.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is responsible for regulating medicines, medical devices and blood components in the UK, and the Scottish Government does not therefore hold the information sought.

4 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-00491 by Shona Robison on 16 June 2016, what communication it has had with the (a) Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and (b) UK Government regarding action that is being taken to ensure that counterfeit medical products and medicin…

Answer · Shona Robison: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating medical devices in the UK. Any allegations regarding the use of counterfeit material, or any other adverse event, are investigated by the MHRA and device and drug ale…

28 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what internal procedures Police Scotland must follow when (a) establishing and (b) carrying out undercover police investigations.

Answer · Michael Matheson: All authorisations of undercover police officer must comply with the provisions contained in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Authorisation of Covert Human Intelligence Sources) (Scotland) Ord…

28 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the full remit is of the review that it announced in its news release of 22 September 2016, HMICS review into undercover policing; who drafted the remit; which stakeholders were consulted; whether the review will examine the role of officers from Police Scotland and its predecessor …

Answer · Michael Matheson: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland is developing its terms of reference and will consult on these with relevant stakeholders. The review will cover undercover policing activity in Scotland over the period during which the Scottish Parliame…

21 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the health impacts of passive smoke from e-cigarettes.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government is of the view that the health implications from passively inhaling vapour from e-cigarettes are significantly lower than those from traditional cigarettes. However e-cigarettes are not risk free. More research is required to determine…

21 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that e-cigarettes are a safe alternative to tobacco products.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government considers that e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes and recognises the role that e-cigarettes can play in helping some smokers quit.

21 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to conduct any research and analysis into the health impacts of e-cigarettes.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government continues to monitor data on the prevalence of e-cigarette use in both adults and young people through the Scottish Health Survey and Scottish Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey. We work closely with Scotland's research comm…

21 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to ban the use of e-cigarettes in enclosed public spaces.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government has no plans to regulate the use of e-cigarettes in enclosed public spaces.

21 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with (a) its agencies, (b) health and medical organisations and (c) industry bodies concerning the use and health and safety of of e-cigarettes.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government is in regular discussions with its agencies, health and medical organisations as well as third sector bodies with health and industry interests on all aspects relating to e-cigarettes.

21 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what research and analysis it has carried out on the dangers of e-cigarettes.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Research and analysis on e-cigarettes is being conducted on a global scale but there is a lack of data on the long-term impacts of use. The Scottish Government commissioned research and analysis which explored awareness, experiences and attitudes towards e-ci…

14 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the work/life balance of public sector social care staff, and what support it can provide to social care staff in the voluntary and private sectors.

Answer · Shona Robison: This is a matter for individual employers. Scottish Government is supporting Scottish Care with their front-line worker project, which includes workers from both the private and voluntary sectors. Part of the programme of work will look at the emotional, per…

14 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector social care staff there are, and what information it has regarding social care staff in the voluntary and private sectors.

Answer · Mark McDonald: The Scottish Social Services Council is responsible for the publication of official statistics on social services workforce data. Their recently published Scottish Social Services Workforce Data Report 2015 reports that the workforce has increased to 203,200,…

14 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the median (a) annual wage and (b) hourly pay rate is for public sector social care staff, and what information it has regarding social care staff in the private sector.

Answer · Mark McDonald: The information requested is not held centrally. Terms and conditions of employment is a matter for individual employers.

14 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to improve palliative training for (a) public sector social care staff, (b) GPs and (c) other NHS staff.

Answer · Shona Robison: In December 2015 Scottish Government published the Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care (SFA) which sets out a range of commitments to help achieve our vision that by 2021 everyone who needs palliative and end of life care will ha…

14 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of public sector social care staff are trade union members, and what information it has regarding social care staff in the voluntary and private sectors.

Answer · Mark McDonald: The information requested is not held centrally.