Parliamentary questions
Kevin Stewart
579 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
24 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of new UK visa restrictions, in relation to family members accompanying students, and any potential negative impact on student wellbeing and academic success as a result of family separation, whether it is considering any measures or support programmes to mitigate any such impa…
Answer · Graeme Dey: We remain deeply concerned that the new UK Government visa restrictions will make Scotland a less attractive destination for international students. We are working closely with the sector to minimise impact. Universities in Scotland are autonomous bodies wit…
24 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of any potential disproportionate impact of UK visa restrictions, in relation to family members accompanying students, on certain nationalities, and the reported importance of attracting diverse talent to Scottish universities, whether it has had any discussions with the UK Gov…
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government has urged the UK Government to adopt an inclusive approach to family migration to ensure that those with caring responsibilities are not excluded from our education institutions. Scotland must be able to attract and retain talent witho…
24 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported contribution of international students to modern languages at Scottish universities, what specific assessment it has conducted to understand any potential impact of new UK visa restrictions, in relation to family members accompanying students, on students studyi…
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government has not undertaken any specific assessment regarding the impact of recent changes to visa restrictions introduced by the UK Government on students studying modern languages at Scottish universities. The Scottish Government recognises …
24 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of any potential challenges faced by universities and students impacted by new UK visa restrictions, in relation to family members accompanying students, what steps it is taking to support universities in Scotland to (a) adapt to the new restrictions and (b) provide information…
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government remains deeply concerned about the new UK visa changes and the impact on Scotland’s ability to attract international students. The Scottish Government will launch a Talent Attraction and Migration Service in 2024. The service will he…
24 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what mechanisms are in place to monitor any impact of UK visa restrictions, in relation to family members accompanying students, on (a) student enrolment, (b) university finances and (c) the wider economy, in order to understand any long-term effect of the policy in Scotland.
Answer · Graeme Dey: UK Government immigration policies fail to address Scotland’s distinct demographic and economic needs and highlights the need for a tailored approach to migration. We are working closely with colleges and universities in Scotland to establish the impact that …
23 Jan 2024 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the potential harm of gambling to individuals, families and communities.
12 Dec 2023 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children in Aberdeen have received the Scottish Child Payment since its inception.
11 Dec 2023 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to grow the green economy.
20 Nov 2023 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work the NHS is undertaking to support people with gambling addiction.
14 Nov 2023 · SPCB Oral Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what difficulties there are, if any, in recruiting staff for jobs in the Scottish Parliament.
23 Oct 2023 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to boost hydrogen production in Scotland.
23 Oct 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the impact on production in Scotland, what its position is on whether the current industrial hemp licensing regime is a "light touch regime", as stated by the UK Government.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22375 on 3 November 2023 . All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commit…
23 Oct 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the current licensing and labelling regimes in relation to hemp threaten the development of a sustainable hemp supply chain in Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The licensing regime for growing hemp is a reserved matter controlled by the UK Home Office, however we recognise the potential benefit for hemp production in Scotland as a sustainable crop with multiple uses. The Scottish Government has not engaged in any …
23 Oct 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government in relation to increasing hemp production in Scotland.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22375 on 3 November 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committ…
23 Oct 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding changing the licensing regime to increase the production of industrial hemp in Scotland.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22375 on 3 November 2023 . All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commit…
22 Oct 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21543 by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2023, what was discussed in its meeting with the Gambling Commission regarding the UK Government White Paper on Gambling on 21 September.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The meeting on the 21 September was an introductory meeting with the Gambling Commission. It discussed the role of the Gambling Commission and the consultations that they were leading on as part of the White Paper. The meeting also discussed the role of evid…
22 Oct 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21540 by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2023, when the "whole systems approach" being piloted by Public Health Scotland in Glasgow to mitigate the impact of gambling harm will (a) begin and (b) report back on its findings to the Scottish (i) Government an…
Answer · Jenni Minto: The whole systems approach in Glasgow to mitigate the impact of gambling harm is led by a Multi-Agency Group chaired by Glasgow City Council. It reports into the Glasgow City Council Wellbeing, Equalities, Communities, Culture and Engagement City Policy Commi…
22 Oct 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21542 by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2023, whether it plans to lobby the UK Government and the Gambling Commission to restrict the advertising of gambling in Scotland.
Answer · Jenni Minto: We will continue to work with the UK Government, the other Devolved Administrations and the Gambling Commission over proposals included in the White Paper, which include further restrictions on advertising of gambling across the UK.
18 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken to gauge any impact that gambling has on (a) poverty, (b) mental health, (c) suicide, (d) homelessness, (e) domestic violence and (f) addiction.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The most recent Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) found that the proportion of adults undertaking any gambling activities in Scotland (including the National Lottery) has decreased significantly between 2012 and 2021 – from 70% to 58%. However, notwithstanding t…
18 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to amend the questions in the Scottish Health Survey to capture more data about the impact of gambling on people's lives.
Answer · Jenni Minto: There are currently no plans to amend the gambling questions in the Scottish Health Survey. However, the Gambling Commission have commissioned NatCen Social Research to run a new UK wide survey, which will include approx. 20,000 adults annually, with a sampl…
18 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out any work to look at restricting advertising by gambling companies.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Betting, gaming and lotteries are largely reserved matters and their regulation is primarily the responsibility of the UK Government. The Gambling Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”) sets out how gambling in Great Britain should be regulated. The Gambling Commission …
18 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding restricting advertising by gambling companies.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Betting, gaming and lotteries are largely reserved matters and their regulation is primarily the responsibility of the UK Government. The Gambling Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”) sets out how gambling in Great Britain should be regulated. The Gambling Commission h…
18 Sep 2023 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help businesses take full advantage of Scotland’s hydrogen potential.
11 Sep 2023 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the justice secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding improving mental health services in prisons.
5 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it plans to make available to NHS boards to cope with any further rise in COVID-19 infections.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the totality of the Health and Social Care system to deal with emerging pressures including any rise in COVID-19. We have made available record levels of funding in this financial year to support the NHS and …
5 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the preparedness of NHS Scotland to manage any further significant increase in COVID-19 infections.
Answer · Michael Matheson: As part of our whole system planning to prepare for this coming Winter, we have been working collaboratively with COSLA, NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships and other partners to assess and promote whole system resilience across a range of pressur…
5 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work is being done to accelerate the winter vaccination programme.
Answer · Jenni Minto: In response to the emergence of the new Covid-19 variant BA.2.86, we have taken the precautionary measure of bringing forward the vaccination of those at highest risk – notably residents in care homes for older adults, those aged 75 and over and those aged 12…
4 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of COVID-19 cases in Scotland, and what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the newly-identified Eris strain, which the World Health Organization has classified as a "variant of interest".
Answer · Jenni Minto: Public Health Scotland continue to monitor all COVID-19 variants in Scotland and publish this regularly within the “National respiratory infection and COVID-19 statistics” report available at Publications - Public Health Scotland . The latest report was pub…
30 Aug 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which local authorities have an up-to-date autism strategy, and which do not.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not routinely collect or monitor information on local authority autism strategies for data purposes.
30 Aug 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in developing the proposed Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government wants to improve opportunities, outcomes and support for autistic people, people with learning disabilities, and neurodivergent people. We are continuing to work on a proposed Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill. Follow…