Parliamentary questions
Cara Hilton
136 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
10 Mar 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing speed awareness courses for drivers who are convicted of speeding.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government supports the general principle of driver education as an alternative to prosecution, where appropriate. At present, prosecutors may offer diversion from prosecution courses in relation to careless driving, but there is no equivalent di…
7 Mar 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Fife Council regarding the future provision of high schools in Dunfermline.
18 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which schools in the Dunfermline constituency have been allocated support from the Attainment Scotland Fund, broken down by amount provided.
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-28981 on 11 January 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.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentary…
15 Feb 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle air pollution in Fife.
12 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that cleft palate has on children's attainment; what support it provides to children with the condition, and what information is held on their (a) educational and (b) speech outcomes.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Scotland provides a wide range of highly specialised services for cleft palate patients from birth to late teens, and occasionally into young adulthood. This care starts with neonatal nursing and primary surgery, followed by further surgery as appropriate…
12 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of its review of cleft surgical services, and whether the review is examining the impact of reducing the number of cleft palate clinics with a consultant in attendance.
Answer · Shona Robison: National Services Division has commenced a public consultation process on its review of specialist surgical services for cleft lip and palate. The consultation will run until May 2016. Whatever the outcome of the consultation, out-patient services will remai…
12 Feb 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the impact is of prolonged absence from school in order to receive medical treatment in a different NHS board area on the attainment levels of (a) children and (b) siblings.
Answer · Angela Constance: This is a matter for education authorities. The information requested is not held centrally. Where illness leads to prolonged absence from school, the Section 40 of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc Act 2000 places duties on education authorities to …
1 Feb 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy has had with Fife Council regarding its budget for 2016-17.
27 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has received regarding the safety implications of reopening the Forth Road Bridge to heavy goods vehicles in February 2016 and how their reintroduction will impact on the bridge's lifespan.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Bridge experts have confirmed the reintroduction of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) should not impact on the bridge’s lifespan. We have been working with Amey to investigate opportunities to return HGVs to the Forth Road Bridge earlier than planned in an attempt…
24 Jan 2016 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that every foster carer receives a minimum allowance.
12 Jan 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, when awarding the contract for the construction of the bridge, whether it was aware that the steel for the Queensferry Crossing was to be sourced in China.
Answer · Keith Brown: Both bidders for the principal contract for the Forth Replacement Crossing indicated that China was one of several possible sources being considered for the supply of steelwork as part of their bid. Once the principal contract was awarded the Scottish Governm…
11 Jan 2016 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities last met Fife Council and what issues were discussed.
16 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-05180 by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 December 2015, what action it takes to ensure that (a) it, (b) its agencies, (c) the contractors it uses and (c) other workplaces for which it provides support adopt zero-tolerance policies so that all workers are …
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government continues to lead by example in creating a culture of fair work in Scotland. We are committed to treating every employee with dignity and respect and have a range of policies to ensure that all staff have equality of opportunity in the…
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of what impact the proposed merger of cleft surgical services might have on (a) programmes to deliver improved speech outcomes and (b) patients who have to travel a greater distance to access an unfamiliar hospital, including possible increases in (i) str…
Answer · Shona Robison: The National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC) has discussed the outcome of the review group options appraisal which recommends consolidation of the national specialist cleft surgical service to a single site in Glasgow. The recommendation only applies to…
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Fife Council regarding the replacement of Woodmill and St Columba’s high schools in Dunfermline.
Answer · Angela Constance: Scottish Government officials were approached by Fife Council towards the latter part of 2014 to discuss plans for an integrated school and college campus in Dunfermline, which included Woodmill and St Columba’s high schools. Thereafter, exploratory meetings …
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Fife College regarding the new site for the Halbeath Campus and what representations it has made to encourage the college to support the Scottish Government’s town centre first strategy.
Answer · Angela Constance: Scottish Government officials met with Fife College on 4 September 2015 to discuss overall plans for the new Fife College campus. The Scottish Government has separately sought, and received, assurance from the SFC that Fife College is fully aware of the Town …
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what help is available to Fife Council to (a) upgrade infrastructure and (b) support new (i) housing and (ii) commercial developments in Dunfermline.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: Over 2015-16 and 2016-17 the Scottish Government’s total capital investment is estimated to exceed £8 billion and we remain committed to investing in our infrastructure and helping to support economic activity and the delivery of public services in communitie…
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding it has allocated to Fife Council to protect services.
Answer · John Swinney: The 2016-17 local government funding proposal delivers a strong but challenging financial settlement for local government, which will be strengthened by our joint working to improve outcomes for local people through health and social care integration and by i…
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce child poverty in (a) Dunfermline and (b) Fife.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government is committed to tackling the long term drivers of poverty and inequality through early intervention and prevention. This commitment is made clear in our Programme for Government 2015-16 and our national approach is articulated in the r…
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to tackling educational inequality in the Dunfermline constituency and what percentage of the Scottish education budget this represents.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government has two specific funding streams to support schools in tackling educational inequality – the Attainment Scotland Fund and the Access to Education Fund. Inzievar Primary (£47,350) and St. Serf’s Primary (£79,300) in the Dunfermline cons…
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to boost vocational education and training in (a) Dunfermline and (b) Fife.
Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government will improve vocational education and training in Dunfermline and the whole of Fife through continued investment in the region and through encouraging strong partnerships with Fife College, Fife Council, the Scottish Funding Council, S…
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to end the use of zero hours contracts in (a) Dunfermline and (b) Fife.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government continues to promote the benefits of fair work in Fife and across Scotland. While employment law remains reserved to the UK Government, the Scottish Government is doing everything it can to promote good working practices with the power…
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many start-up companies have been registered in the (a) Dunfermline constituency and (b) Mid Scotland and Fife region in each year since 2007.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Business start-ups are measured using new business VAT/PAYE registration figures. These figures are available from the Office for National Statistics Business Demography publication. These figures exclude business start-ups which fall below the VAT threshold …
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what further support it will provide to assist in the regeneration of small to medium-sized town centres such as Dunfermline.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Town Centre Action Plan recognises that Scotland’s town centres can be a central component of successful local economies. It sets out the appropriate conditions for recovery and offers a range of actions which might be tailored to meet both local circumst…
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to small and medium-sized enterprises in (a) Dunfermline and (b) Fife seeking to win public procurement contracts.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government’s Digital Scotland Business Excellence Programme has provided £360,000 to the Supplier Development Programme (SDP) to help businesses develop their digital capacity and be more efficient in bidding and fulfilling public contracts. As p…
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to incentivise businesses in (a) Dunfermline and (b) Fife to pay the living wage.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government continues to promote the benefits of the living wage to businesses in Dunfermline, Fife and across Scotland. Research shows that the living wage can enhance productivity, reduce absenteeism and improve staff morale. We have introduced …
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria small businesses in (a) Dunfermline and (b) Fife must meet to be eligible for support from the small business bonus scheme.
Answer · John Swinney: The criteria for eligibility for the small business bonus scheme are: rateable value of the properties occupied by each rateable occupier falling within the thresholds set out in the following table; and that the rateable occupier is not a payday lender. The…
15 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which foodbanks in the (a) Dunfermline constituency and (b) Mid Scotland and Fife region have received support from its emergency food grant fund, broken down by (i) amount received and (ii) criteria met, and whether it plans to allocate further support through this fund in future.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The emergency food fund has not provided funding in Dunfermline. Two projects have been funded in the Mid Scotland and Fife Region: ENeRGI Fife A part time worker will support and directly assist people accessing emergency food aid by dealing with crisis i…
9 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of community paediatric services in Fife.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has set a clear policy framework around children’s services, and it is for NHS Fife to ensure it provides appropriate healthcare services for children and young people in its area to meet this. Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC…
9 Dec 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to NHS Fife for the delivery of community paediatric services.
Answer · Shona Robison: Health visitors play a vital role in our communities, and they are at the core of delivering universal services. The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 is rooted in children’s rights and the Getting it right for every child approach, and has a nu…