Parliamentary questions
Monica Lennon
3,484 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
25 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03842 by Maureen Watt on 2 November 2016, which services and organisations will have access to the mental health innovation fund.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The majority of the mental health innovation fund (£4.2 million in each year) will be allocated to NHS boards. NHS boards will be expected to work with their partners in local government and the third sector to develop and deliver the proposals.
25 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03842 by Maureen Watt on 2 November 2016, what criteria will be used to determine whether a child and adolescent mental health service can access the mental health innovation fund.
25 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government further to the answer to question S5W-03842 by Maureen Watt on 2 November 2016, what proportion of the mental health innovation fund will be allocated to (a) supporting better access to child and adolescent mental health services and (b) developing innovative approaches to delivering men…
Answer · Maureen Watt: The majority of the mental health innovation fund (£4.2 million in each year) will be allocated to NHS boards. NHS boards will be expected to work with their partners in local government and the third sector to develop and deliver the proposals. The indicativ…
25 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03842 by Maureen Watt on 2 November 2016, who will be responsible for allocating funding from the mental health innovation fund.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Over five years the Scottish Government will be investing £150 million to improve mental health. The funding from the majority of the mental health innovation fund (£4.2 million in each year) is allocated by the Scottish Government to the NHS boards. NHS boar…
25 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03842 by Maureen Watt on 2 November 2016, whether it will introduce guidance to encourage those that receive funding from the mental health innovation fund to work on a public-social partnership basis.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Guidance for the mental health innovation fund was provided in the letter requesting proposals which was sent to range of stakeholders, including NHS boards, on 20 March 2015. The priority areas for this fund are CAMHS, and to develop innovative approaches to…
23 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03842 by Maureen Watt on 2 November 2016, whether it will provide (a) a breakdown of how the £54.1 million over four years to reduce waiting times in mental health services will be spent and (b) details of how each area of investment will be evaluat…
Answer · Maureen Watt: The First Minister announced £54.1 million of funding over 4 years from 2016-17 to improve access to mental health services on 12 January, 2016. Following that announcement this letter provides further information on that package of support and the allocation…
18 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03581 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 4 November 2016, whether it will provide an update on what progress it is making to appoint a commissioner for fair access, and what the deadline for this is.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We are continuing work to identify the right candidate. The Commission on Widening Access recommended that an appointment be made by the end of the year and we are working to progress this as a matter of priority.
8 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03843 by John Swinney on 1 November 2016, what analysis it has carried out to ascertain the reason for the reduction in the number of (a) male and (b) female recipients of Education Maintenance Allowance over this period.
Answer · John Swinney: The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is an entitlement and a demand led programme. Any young person who has reached the age of 16 can apply and if they satisfy the eligibility criteria they will receive the award. We do not collect data on the number of …
8 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03843 by John Swinney on 1 November 2016, what analysis it has carried out to ascertain the reason for the reduction in the average payment made to (a) male and (b) female recipients of Education Maintenance Allowance over this period.
Answer · John Swinney: Since piloting the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) programme in 2005 there has been a number of changes to the EMA eligibility criteria. These include the removal, following the consultation into ‘16-Plus Learning Choices – First Step Activity and Finan…
8 Nov 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03844 by John Swinney on 1 November 2016, for what reason the Education Maintenance Allowance budget has reduced from £42.6 million in 2007-08 to £39.6 million.
Answer · John Swinney: Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is an entitlement in Scotland which means that any applicant who meets the eligibility criteria will receive EMA support. The budget level is set in line with recent spending trends. We increased the EMA budget to £39.6 m…
31 Oct 2016 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to address the financial deficit that is reported to be facing 16 out of 20 colleges in the current financial year.
27 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland report, Breastfeeding Statistics Scotland, Financial Year 2015/16, which suggests that breastfeeding rates have remained mostly static over the last decade and can vary because of deprivation, geographical location …
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government continues to be committed to supporting breastfeeding. Across Scotland the proportion of babies being breastfed at their first visit has increased over the last 10 years (44.1% - 49.3%). Twenty four local authorities had increases in b…
26 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to raise awareness among new mothers about the benefits of breastfeeding.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting breastfeeding by new mothers through a range of activities which include: A number of stakeholder events and a breastfeeding summit have taken place over the last 18 months, to share information, gather vie…
26 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01436 by Shona Robison on 9 August 2016, how much it has cost the NHS to prescribe omeprazole in each year since 2010-11.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Gross Ingredient Cost for the supply of omeprazole on NHS prescription is set out in the report Prescription Cost Analysis, published annually by National Services Scotland Information Division, which can be found on their website at:- www.isdscotland.or…
26 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people aged (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 65 and (c) over 65 have (i) been diagnosed with and (ii) received hospital treatment for malnutrition in each year since 2011, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Information on the number of patients who have been diagnosed with malnutrition is not held centrally. The number of people admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of malnutrition in each calendar year since 2011 by age group and NHS board is shown in the follo…
25 Oct 2016 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will amend legislation to extend planning controls on changing premises into betting shops.
24 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-00143 by Aileen Campbell on 15 September 2016 (Official Report, c. 5), what recent discussions it has had with (a) Engender, (b) Scottish Women’s Aid, (c) Barnardo’s Scotland and (d) the Trussell Trust regarding the affordability of feminine hygiene…
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government is happy to meet organisations to discuss the affordability of sanitary products. One request for such a meeting has so far been received and I have agreed to a meeting in due course.
24 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the recommendations of VOX Scotland and the Mental Health Foundation report, A Review of Mental Health Services in Scotland: Perspectives and Experiences of Service Users, Carers and Professionals, will be incorporated in the 10-year vision for mental health in Scotland.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government welcomes the report which was delivered and published in January 2016, identifying the general direction of mental health services over the last ten years. The report provides a baseline for the status of services and the views of the …
24 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendations in the Scottish Human Rights Commission and the Mental Welfare Commission report, Human rights in mental health care in Scotland, and whether these will be incorporated in the 10-year vision for mental health in Scotland.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government welcomes the report from the Mental Welfare Commission and the Scottish Human Rights Commission, commissioned through commitment 5 of the Mental Health Strategy 2012-2015 with supporting recommendations. This was the culmination of a…
17 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it allocated in its budget for Education Maintenance Allowance payments in each of the last 12 years.
Answer · John Swinney: The following table details the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) budget set out in the Draft Budget from financial year 2004-05. The budget level is set to meet the cost of making EMA payments to recipients and the administration of the programme. Year …
17 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much was paid in Education Maintenance Allowance payments in each of the last 12 years to (a) male and (b) female students.
Answer · John Swinney: The following table details the Education Maintenance Payments (EMA) made to young people since academic year 2006-07 disaggregated by gender. The most recent EMA statistics publication is available at http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/03/8840/downloads. …
17 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01444 by Mark McDonald on 5 August 2016, whether it will provide a breakdown, by sector, of the planned £150 million investment in mental health services over the next five years.
Answer · Maureen Watt: We have been investing in mental health services for a number of years. Spending on mental health by NHS Scotland has increased under this Government, from £651.4 million in 2006-07 to £904.9 million in 2014-15 – an increase of 38.9%. We are using the additi…
17 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01444 by Mark McDonald on 5 August 2016, whether it will provide details of the funding for third sector organisations involved in supporting children and young people affected by bereavement, broken down by award to each organisation.
Answer · Shona Robison: Currently, much of the funding awarded to third sector organisations providing support services for people affected by grief or bereavement is not focused specifically on children and young people; rather, it is intended to support services for anyone affecte…
17 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01444 by Mark MacDonald on 5 August 2016, whether it has made, or plans to make, any assessment of the number of children and young people affected by bereavement.
Answer · Shona Robison: In the coming year, the Scottish Government will appoint a new national coordinator of childhood bereavement services to review and advise on next steps to improvement. Any assessment of the number of children affected by bereavement will be made as part of t…
13 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many secondary school home economics (a) teachers and (b) students there have been in each year since 2007, broken down by local authority.
Answer · John Swinney: How many secondary school home economic (a) teachers there have been in each year since 2007, broken down by local authority can be found in the Scottish Government's published teacher census supplementary tables 8.9 http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Brow…
7 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-02771 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 September 2016, what progress has been made to appoint a commissioner for fair access, and what the deadline is for this.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: This is a key appointment that will play a pivotal role in achieving the Government’s ambitions on widening access to higher education. It is therefore essential that we identify a candidate with the necessary skills, experience and availability to succeed. …
5 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider reinstating the bursary for studying for an MSc in educational psychology, in light of the reported reduction in the number of applicants since it was removed in 2012.
Answer · John Swinney: Scottish Government funding for educational psychology students was introduced at a time when there was a significant shortage in the supply of educational psychologists compared to demand. We are working with the National Scottish Steering Group for Educati…
5 Oct 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported reduction in the number of (a) educational psychologists across local authorities and (b) applicants to MSc programmes in educational psychology.
Answer · John Swinney: It is for local authorities to take decisions around the number of educational psychologists they employ and how they fulfil their duty to provide a psychology service. The National Scottish Steering Group for Educational Psychologists is continuing to monit…
21 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it will provide in (a) real and (b) cash terms in each of the next five years to make Educational Maintenance Allowance an entitlement in Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is currently an entitlement in Scotland. This means that any applicant who meets the eligibility criteria will be entitled to receive EMA support.
21 Sep 2016 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much direct investment in college estates it has made in (a) real and (b) cash terms in each year since 2007, and how much it will provide in each of the next five years.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Funding made available by the Scottish Government to invest in college estates from 2007-08 to 2016-17, in cash terms, is shown in the following table. In addition, colleges have been awarded £10 million accelerated capital funding in 2016-17 to help improve …