Parliamentary questions
Monica Lennon
3,484 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on carrying out a large-scale pilot of cervical screening self-sampling.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government takes advice from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group which advises Ministers and the NHS in the four UK countries about all aspects of screening policy. The UK NSC are currently reviewin…
14 Jun 2018 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support the Jo Cox Foundation initiative, the Great Get Together.
31 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with the refresh of the Alcohol Framework, and by what date the updated framework will be published.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol : A Framework for Action was published in 2009 and many of its original measures have been completed. These include the introduction of our world first minimum unit pricing policy, a lower drink drive limit, impro…
29 May 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking through its International Development Fund to promote menstrual justice abroad.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government is supportive of efforts to educate and promote women and girls' health and hygiene, including menstrual hygiene. Our International Development Fund and Climate Justice Fund have supported a number of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene proj…
24 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has undertaken on how the condition of pavements, footpaths and roads impacts on the confidence and mobility of older people.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is committed to working with local government to help improve the condition and safety of roads and footpaths in Scotland for all road users, including older people. Ipsos Mori gathers road user’s views in the ‘Perceptions of the Trun…
24 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the supply of houses that meet the needs of disabled people.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Access to good quality housing is a priority for this Government. We firmly believe that everyone should have a home that meets their needs. Living in the right home with the right support can be the key to enabling people to live safely and independently at …
24 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to the Scottish Older People's Assembly in each financial year since 2007.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The first Scottish Older People's Assembly was held in October 2009, and the Scottish Government provided funding of £31,016.32 for it in 2009-10, and £30,000 per year between 2010-11 – 2013-14. In 2014-15 SOPA received £40,000, and between 2015-16 and 16-17 …
8 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is the 2018 Global Drug Survey, which found that Scotland had the highest proportion of respondents who sought emergency medical care after a drinking session.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The recent implementation of the Scottish Government’s world-leading minimum unit pricing for alcohol will go a long way to tackle the high strength, low cost alcohol that causes so much damage to individuals, families and communities. Minimum unit pricing is…
16 Apr 2018 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the recent Accounts Commission report, Local Government in Scotland: Challenges and Performance 2018.
11 Apr 2018 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will protect respite services to allow carers to access a short break, as set out by the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016.
19 Mar 2018 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to review the requirement for corroboration in relation to prosecuting reported sexual crimes.
19 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of the council tax reductions that are offered to households under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 for making energy efficiency improvements, and what its position is on amending the provisions to help encourage the uptake of more energ…
Answer · Derek Mackay: Section three of this year's annual report to Parliament on the operation of the Council Tax energy efficiency discount schemes (reference SG/2018/28) examines the contribution made to energy efficiency. The report can be provided by SPICe on request. Develo…
19 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many households have received council tax reductions in each of the last five years for making energy efficiency improvements under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The information requested is published in this year's annual report to Parliament on the operation of individual Council Tax energy efficiency discount schemes developed and administered by each local authority. The report, referenced SG/2018/28, can be provi…
19 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the finding in Recorded crime in Scotland: 2016-2017, which records that, of the 10,822 sexual crimes that were reported in 2016-17, 44% related to a victim under 18.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The National Statistics on police recorded crime demonstrate that where sexual crimes are reported to the police, victims are disproportionately likely to be under the age of 18. Furthermore Scottish Government research published in 2017 identified that certa…
19 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings in Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2016-17 and Recorded crime in Scotland: 2016-2017, which record that, of the 1,878 reported rapes and attempted rates in 2016-17, 251 were prosecuted and 98 resulted in a conviction.
Answer · Michael Matheson: It is important to note that there is no direct relationship between the number of crimes recorded by the police and the number of follow-up actions taken by other agencies within the criminal justice system and therefore care should be taken when comparing r…
19 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the finding in Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2016-17, which records that the rate of conviction for sexual crimes was 69%, which represents the lowest level since 2007-08.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The fall in the conviction rate for sexual crime is likely to reflect, in part, the changing nature of sexual offence cases being reported by Police Scotland to COPFS for consideration of prosecution. Since 2007-08, there has been a reduction of two thirds in…
19 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the finding in Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2016-17, which records that the conviction rate for rape and attempted rape was 39%, which represents the lowest conviction rate since 2008-09.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Alongside an increase in recent years in the number of prosecutions, the number of people convicted of rape and attempted rape remains at historically high levels. There were 98 convictions in 2016-17, compared to 49 in 2007-08. The conviction rate for rape a…
18 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to its statistics, which record that disabled children are twice as likely to be excluded from school than non-disabled children.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has taken a number of steps to reduce the incidences of school exclusions and close the attainment gap to improve the health and wellbeing of our children and young people, and maximise their future opportunities. Our most recent stati…
18 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for assistance under the Bellwin Scheme have been rejected in each year since 2007, broken down by the total value of the claims each year, and what information it has regarding (a) who made the claims and (b) for what reason the claims were (i) made and (ii) reject…
Answer · Derek Mackay: The applications for additional financial assistance under the Bellwin Scheme that have been turned down since 2007 are as follows: 2008-09 - Scottish Borders Council - 3 separate incidents of flooding and winter weather - the claim was £250,000 above their …
17 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time for an autism diagnosis for children and young people in NHS (a) Lanarkshire and (b) Forth Valley has been in each year since 2011.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Information on waiting times is not held centrally. Information Services Division does not collect Autism Spectrum Disorders waiting times information. Information Services Division receives waiting times information from NHS Boards for all referrals to Chil…
28 Feb 2018 · SPCB Oral Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it plans to make sanitary products freely available in the Parliament for staff and visitors.
28 Feb 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how schools support children and young people who are affected by alcohol harm.
26 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Equality and Human Rights Commission Working Forward campaign, Working Forward, which aims to make workplaces the best that they can be for pregnant women and new parents.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government is committed to the development of an inclusive labour market and the principles behind the Working Forward campaign. Following the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) pregnancy and maternity report in 2016, a Ministerial work…
26 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to research from the Equality and Human Rights Commission that was published on 19 February 2018, which suggests that some employers hold discriminatory attitudes toward working mothers and maternity rights.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government remains committed to tackling pregnancy and maternity discrimination in the workplace. A Ministerial working group, which I chair and whose membership includes the EHRC and representation from the private sector, has already been estab…
26 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01460 by Angela Constance on 2 August 2016, whether it will provide an update on its position on misogynistic hate crime, including whether it considers it should be made a specific offence.
Answer · Angela Constance: Lord Bracadale's independent review into hate crime legislation is expected to make recommendations to Ministers in the spring. Amongst other things, Lord Bracadale is considering whether new categories of hate crime should be created for characteristics such…
26 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with increasing the participation of people (a) from minority ethnic backgrounds and (b) who self-identify as disabled in the modern apprenticeship programme.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland are committed to equality of opportunity within Modern Apprenticeships. The Equalities Action Plan for Modern Apprenticeships: Year 1 update published in July 2017 outlines Skills Development Scotland’s …
26 Feb 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the take-up of modern apprenticeships by (a) ethnicity and (b) LGBTI people, broken down by sector and, if such information is not collected, what its position is on doing so.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Skills Development Scotland published the Modern Apprenticeship 2016-17 quarter 4 statistics in June 2017 which included reported Equality performance including Ethnicity. The following table provides an ethnicity breakdown of modern apprenticeship uptake by…
19 Feb 2018 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator is aware of multiple allegations of abusive behaviour and misconduct in the third sector.
15 Jan 2018 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland's campaign, Get it Minuted.
17 Dec 2017 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to each of the 12 recommendations set out in the Mental Health Foundation and Age Scotland policy briefing, Loneliness - the public health challenge of our time.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We will be publishing a draft strategy to tackle social isolation and loneliness for consultation in January. We will be consulting widely on this, and will consider carefully the recommendations set out by the Mental Health Foundation and Age Scotland.