Parliamentary questions

Monica Lennon

3,484 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider conducting an inquiry into any recorded incidents of assault against on-duty Scottish Ambulance Service workers; whether it would consider introducing preventative measures based on the findings of any such inquiry, and whether it will consider providing addition…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not plan to conduct an inquiry into recorded incidents of assault against on-duty Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) workers. SAS has assured the Scottish Government that they have a range of measures in place to help protect staff,…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce any financial measures to support (a) public leisure facilities and (b) schools, which have swimming pools.

Answer · Maree Todd: Local sport and leisure facilities, including swimming pools, are vital in supporting the physical and mental health of the nation. We understand the challenging financial circumstances of operating and maintaining leisure facilities faced by local authoriti…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with (a) COSLA and (b) individual local authorities to discuss the viability of public swimming pools, in light of reported cost and funding pressures.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government places great importance on leisure facilities and believes everyone should have access to these services. We are fully aware of the issues facing many sports facilities, particularly swimming pools, and the specific issue of energy co…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will establish a swimming pool support fund to support public leisure facilities with swimming pools that are vulnerable to closure or service reduction, due to reported increased cost pressures.

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has invested in public swimming pool facilities in each year since 2016, also broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government places great importance on leisure facilities and believes everyone should have access to these services. We understand the challenging financial circumstances of operating and maintaining leisure facilities faced by local authorities…

28 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14327 by Maree Todd on 7 February 2023, whether it will provide a timeline for the (a) Health and Social Care Alliance programme and (b) Wellbeing of Women research project, and whether its findings will be made publicly available.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government commissioned the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland to undertake a programme of lived experience engagement and information sharing, that supports the implementation of the Women’s Health Plan: 2021 - 2024 over the lifetime of …

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to S6W-15909 by Humza Yousaf 27 March 2023, whether it will announce the date by which the project to upgrade the ventilation system in Ward 16 will be completed.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Work to upgrade the ventilation system within ward 16 of University Hospital Monklands is expected to be complete by the end of the calendar year.

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the First Minister's election pledge to hold an anti-poverty summit, whether it will provide details of the proposed (a) date and (b) invitees of the summit.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The First Minister will convene an anti-poverty summit on 3 May 2023 to help guide future action to tackle poverty and inequality in Scotland. Those invited include experts, anti-poverty campaigners, people with lived experience, representatives from the thi…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-11483 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 October 2022, whether it will provide an update on its progress towards the piloting of universal free school meals in secondary schools.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We remain committed to delivering a pilot of universal free school meals in secondary schools to inform our consideration of further expansion, and continue to work with closely with key delivery partners on our free school meal expansion programme.

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to introduce new restrictions on the advertising and marketing of alcohol products.

Answer · Elena Whitham: Our recent consultation on restricting alcohol advertising and promotion set out a range of potential options to restrict alcohol advertising and promotion, in order to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harms. The consultation closed on 9 March. An independ…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it will challenge the decision of the UK Secretary of State for Scotland to issue an order under section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 in respect of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed by an overwhelming majority of the Scottish Parliament, with support from members of all parties. The UK Government's use of section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 to prevent the Bill proceeding to Royal A…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the date from which universal free school meals will be made available to pupils in P6 and P7.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We remain committed to the expansion of universal free school meals in primary schools. In the Scottish budget for 2023-24, we announced additional investment of £16 million in revenue funding and £80 million in capital funding for free school meals expansion…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs has unanimously recommended that the European Union criminalise ecocide through a revised Directive on the protection of the environment, what action it will take to ensure that Scotland's environmental laws a…

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government will consider the final revised EU environmental crime directive, once it is agreed, against our policy as stated in the Policy Statement issued under section 6 of the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2…

23 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to top up the Scottish Child Payment for parents under 25.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: There are currently no plans to vary the rate of Scottish Child Payment for parents under the age of 25. We are aware that the UK Government's Universal Credit system pays a lower rate to younger parents, and we have called on them to reverse this unfairness.

23 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15741 by Ben Macpherson on 23 March 2023, whether it will provide updated figures on how many people received the Winter Heating Payment in February 2023, and how many outstanding payments remained to be made as of 20 March 2023.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16208 on 27 March 2023, which provided an update on Winter Heating Payment. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found a…

21 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14660 by Shona Robison on 6 March 2023, whether further steps will be taken to ensure that people who need incontinence pads will be able to afford them, in particular, people who are (a) not eligible for prescription pads or (b) eligible for a limi…

Answer · Jenni Minto: NHS Boards regularly assess continence patients' needs, with the assessments undertaken by dedicated Bladder and Bowel Teams or community nursing staff. This ensures that patients' needs are met, either through treatment or provision of appropriate containmen…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it is providing to any GP practices in NHS (a) Lanarkshire and (b) Forth Valley that are at risk of closure.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to our response to S6W-14599 on 28 February 2023. It is for individual Health Boards to decide if additional support is needed. The General Practice Access Group principles are currently being consulted on with publication anticipated for l…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many GP practices have been taken over by NHS (a) Lanarkshire and (b) Forth Valley in each year since 2016.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Public Health Scotland publish figures on how many 2C, 17C and 17J practices there are in each Health Board. The following information has been gathered from the GP Workforce and Practice List Sizes publication available at: General Practice - GP Workforce…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of GP practices in NHS (a) Lanarkshire and (b) Forth Valley that are at risk of closure.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Responsibility for service delivery rests locally with Health Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs), including any assessment of general practices at risk of closure. Officials engage with Health Boards and HSCPs on a regular basis to underst…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which schools will be part of the proposed pilot scheme as part of the roll-out of free school meals in secondary schools.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We have committed to a pilot of free school meals in secondary schools to inform our consideration of further expansion, and will work with delivery partners to identify appropriate schools to take part in the pilot.

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure that people on hormone replacement therapy for menopause are being seen by their GP in person for monitoring and blood pressure checks, in line with NHS guidelines.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Scottish Government is determined to ensure that women have access to the care and support they need for menopause, be that through primary or specialist care. Patients are able to request a face to face appointment for monitoring where in person assessment i…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the chronic condition lipoedema will be included in its next Women's Health Plan.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Any future iterations of the Women’s Health Plan will be evidence-based with aims and priorities developed in collaboration with women and girls, our lived experience group, clinical experts and relevant stakeholders. The Scottish Government has provided £80…

17 Mar 2023 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will sign the Miscarriage Association's Pregnancy Loss Pledge and implement its standards in relation to support for all of its employees.

Answer · Jackson Carlaw (on behalf of the SPCB): The SPCB, as the employer of its staff, is committed to reviewing its policy arrangements to ensure that it supports staff who experience baby loss, including pregnancy-related leave. Officials have been looking at developing the SPCB’s current approach, in l…