Parliamentary questions
Monica Lennon
3,484 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
16 Jul 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28303 by Christina McKelvie on 9 July 2024, what funding and support mechanisms are being implemented to facilitate longer residential rehabilitation programmes, and how those are prioritised across different regions.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Residential Rehabilitation Development Working Group defines residential rehab as facilities offering programmes which aim to support individuals to attain an alcohol or drug-free lifestyle and to be re-integrated into society, provide intensive psychosoc…
16 Jul 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28303 by Christina McKelvie on 9 July 2024, what immediate measures it is taking to improve the current (a) monitoring and (b) evaluation of residential rehabilitation treatments.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: To better inform our understanding of residential rehabilitation, we commissioned Public Health Scotland to carry out an evaluation of the Residential Rehabilitation programme, covering the first two years of the National Mission, which will support the devel…
16 Jul 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28303 by Christina McKelvie on 9 July 2024, whether it can provide information on the long-term outcomes for patients who undergo residential rehabilitation treatments, and how treatment length correlates with those outcomes.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Scottish Government Residential Rehabilitation Literature Review published 30 May 2022 showed that demonstrating the association between residential rehabilitation and specific outcomes is complicated by the widely varied nature of provision in terms of p…
16 Jul 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28303 by Christina McKelvie on 9 July 2024, how it ensures that the length of residential rehabilitation treatments in Scotland meets or exceeds best practice guidelines and standards, when compared with other countries.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Residential Rehabilitation Development Working Group defines residential rehab as facilities offering programmes which aim to support individuals to attain an alcohol or drug-free lifestyle and to be re-integrated into society, provide intensive psychosoc…
16 Jul 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28303 by Christina McKelvie on 9 July 2024, what steps are being taken to involve key stakeholders, including (a) patients, (b) families and (c) addiction recovery organisations in the (i) development and (ii) monitoring of residential rehabilitatio…
Answer · Christina McKelvie: Public Health Scotland worked in close consultation with key stakeholders to develop the core minimum dataset, which will form the basis for the monitoring of residential rehabilitation. Early versions of the dataset were shared with the Monitoring, Evaluatio…
16 Jul 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28303 by Christina McKelvie on 9 July 2024, what action it will take if any significant discrepancies are found in the lengths of residential rehabilitation treatments across different regions or facilities.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Residential Rehabilitation Development Working Group defines residential rehab as facilities offering programmes which aim to support individuals to attain an alcohol or drug-free lifestyle and to be re-integrated into society, provide intensive psychosoc…
16 Jul 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28303 by Christina McKelvie on 9 July 2024, how it will ensure transparency and accountability in the reporting of residential rehabilitation treatment lengths once the data infrastructure is in place.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: We have responded to calls for more transparency and accountability by commissioning Public Health Scotland to carry out an independent evaluation of the Residential Rehabilitation programme as part of the wider evaluation of the National Mission. By collect…
16 Jul 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS Scotland abides by the principles of the Volunteer Charter.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The NHS Scotland Volunteering program promotes the use of the Volunteer Scotland Volunteer Charter principles within its Best Practice Guide . The principles are also endorsed within the NHS Scotland’s Volunteering Programme’s Strategic Vision for 2023-28.…
16 Jul 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28408 by Gillian Martin on 5 July 2024, what action it has taken towards any landowners who have received multiple notices under section 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government is not responsible for taking action against any land occupiers who have received multiple Section 59 notices. It would be for SEPA or the local authority responsible for issuing the notices to determine whether or not any further acti…
9 Jul 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to ensure that public transport is available to enable people to access entertainment venues.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: As you will be aware, the majority of bus services in Scotland are operated on a purely commercial basis by operators who use their own commercial judgement on service routes and frequencies. Local authorities can identify where there is a social need for par…
9 Jul 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of public transport provision, particularly bus services, for accessing grassroots music venues, in light of reported concerns that a lack of access can negatively impact the sector and the wider small business economy.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government continues to value the important contribution music offers to Scotland’s arts and culture as well as to the wider economy and recognises the role venues play in providing opportunity and support to all levels of talent.No specifi…
27 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27827 by Mairi McAllan on 11 June 2024, how it will identify new and innovative sources of funding for addressing loss and damage.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Scottish Government loss and damage funding of £10m is fully committed for the lifetime of this parliament, through to 2026. We will utilise learning from our programmes to demonstrate to the world that funding loss and damage can take many forms, which we h…
27 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy’s statement of 19 June 2024, and in light of the missed targets for emissions reduction reported in that statement, when it plans to lay a report, under section 36 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, as amended, in relation…
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government will produce a Section 36 report, as soon as is reasonably practicable, and in accordance with our statutory duty as outlined in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.
27 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any landowners in Scotland have been issued more than one notice under section 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 since 1996.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Section 10 notices can be issued to a land occupier by SEPA and local authorities. SEPA advises that it has issued multiple Section 59 notices to 26 individuals between 2005 and 2023 (earlier data is not available due to the cyber attack on SEPA in 2020). It …
27 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many notices SEPA has issued under section 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 since its establishment in 1996.
Answer · Gillian Martin: SEPA advises that it has issued a total of 255 Section 59 notices between 2005 and 2024. Data from 1996-2004 is not available due to the cyber-attack on SEPA that happened in 2020. Notices issued under section 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 sinc…
26 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Nature Restoration Fund will be (a) retained and (b) expanded.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) provides a total of at least £65 million for nature restoration projects led from communities across Scotland over this parliament. Financial decisions beyond that time will be announced as part of the a…
26 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to modernise deer management in Scotland to (a) help tackle the climate and nature emergencies and (b) implement the recommendations of the Deer Working Group.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: As set out in the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Action: Policy Package, Climate change action: policy package - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) , we are developing a package of incentives schemes for deer management to pilot across Scotland. These local sche…
26 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to polling by More in Common, which reportedly found that the Scottish public is overwhelmingly supportive of nature, with 92% stating that nature is personally important to them and that "harm to nature and wildlife" is the climate-related issue that they are most c…
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government welcomes the results of the More in Common survey. Nature is important to everyone. It is our world’s life support system. The twin crises of climate change and nature loss need urgent action across Government and society. The 2023 Sta…
26 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a Natural Environment Bill with statutory targets for nature recovery.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Government remains firmly committed to protecting and effectively managing 30% of Scotland’s land and seas for nature by 2030, halting the loss of biodiversity by 2030 and restoring and regenerating it by 2045, and we continue to pursue a wide ra…
26 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the academic research on teacher workload, commissioned by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and published at its June 2024 AGM, which provided evidence that teachers in Scotland continue to work well beyond their contracted hours and that the number of …
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I will be responding directly to the EIS on the important issues raised around teacher workload in their most recent report. I have also strengthened teacher union engagement in recent months through the creation of the Professional Association Forum, which …
26 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed the number of national concessionary travel schemes established under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Fair Fares Review was undertaken to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares that supports the future long-term viability of a public transport system that is accessible, available, and affordable for people throughout Scotla…
26 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed the scope of national concessionary travel schemes established under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Fair Fares Review was undertaken to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares that supports the future long-term viability of a public transport system that is accessible, available, and affordable for people throughout Scotla…
26 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it engages with Regional Transport Partnerships on the governance of (a) bus and (b) rail services.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) are valued stakeholders and my officials at Transport Scotland engage frequently with the RTPs on various matters. However, whilst Strathclyde Partnership for Transport manages the Glasgow Subway, RTPs have no formal rol…
26 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider (a) establishing further and (b) expanding the scope of existing national concessionary travel schemes under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005, by the end of the current parliamentary session.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Fair Fares Review, which was undertaken to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares that supports the future long-term viability of a public transport system that is accessible, available, and affordable for people throughout…
26 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason holders of the National Entitlement Card, on rail journeys booked through Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, must pay full price if they cross regions on their rail travel.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government provides funding for the National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People (NCTS) which provides free bus travel throughout Scotland for eligible older and disabled people. However, concessionary travel on other mo…
26 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the recently passed EU Nature Restoration Law and how it intersects with (a) existing Scottish Government policies and (b) its forthcoming biodiversity strategy.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: Scottish Government officials are currently conducting an analysis of the newly-passed EU Nature Restoration Law to identify where it intersects with existing Scottish Government policies and the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. The Scottish Government remains…
24 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the report for the 2021 missed emissions target under section 36 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 in the first week of September 2024, following its commitment to the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland that this report would be laid in the Scottish …
Answer · Gillian Martin: We are committed to discharge this report as soon as reasonably practicable once the Scottish Parliament has reconvened after summer recess.
20 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its Hydrogen Sector Export Plan.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government is currently working to publish the Hydrogen Sector Export Plan (HSEP) after Summer recess. The publication of the HSEP had been previously planned to take place in June 2024. However, the timetable for publication was revisited due …
20 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider extending the provisions of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 to cover volunteers in the NHS.
Answer · Neil Gray: There are no current plans to extend the provisions of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 to cover volunteers in the NHS. There is a staff in scope list available on the Scottish Government website which confirms the professions and services…
20 Jun 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of its residential rehab treatments exceed 12 weeks.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: The length of residential rehabilitation treatments varies substantially. This data on individual placements is not collated centrally. The Scottish Government have commissioned PHS to establish the necessary data infrastructure to monitor residential rehab i…