Monica Lennon

3 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is, regarding the potential impact on Scotland, on calls for a permanent tax on energy companies' excess profits to help support families struggling with the cost of living crisis.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government believes that windfall taxes should be levied on unearned, excess profits to fund support for struggling households and businesses. However, windfall profits are not permanent by definition. A permanent, additional tax on energy compan…

3 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the Royal Mail Group and what was discussed.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government last met with the Royal Mail Group on 13 March 2023. The purpose of that meeting was to seek assurance that the on-going industrial action, and Royal Mail’s plans for reform, would not have an unfair impact on those living in Scotland…

3 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of a brain tumour.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is committed to raising awareness of all forms of cancer, including brain, through our Detect Cancer Earlier (DCE) Programme, which we continue to invest in. A new Detect Cancer Earlier campaign was launched on 06 March 2023 to reduce…

3 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions regarding the proposed Scottish Deposit Return Scheme have (a) the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, (b) the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport and (c) any other Scottish Government minister had with the UK Government.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government has been following the agreed process for excluding the deposit return scheme regulations from the Internal Market Act. We first raised the issue with the UK Government in 2021, and on 28 February 2023 we published correspondence and …

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how much public money was spent on the regeneration of town centres in the (a) North Lanarkshire, (b) South Lanarkshire and (c) Falkirk local authority area, in each financial year from 2016-17 to 2021-22.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government does not hold complete information on the expenditure of public money on town centre regeneration in local areas. Local authorities are responsible for delivering local economic development and local regeneration in their areas and pub…

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the amount of school meal debt that has been forgiven since 1 January 2022, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The information you have requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Decisions around school meal debt management, including all aspects of policy and practice, are at the discretion of each individual local authority. Local authorities' appr…

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many police officers (a) are currently employed and (b) were employed in (i) 2013, (ii) 2018 and (iii) 2021, in (A) North Lanarkshire, (B) South Lanarkshire and (C) Falkirk.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. The recruitment and deployment of resources is a matter for the Chief Constable. Policing is and will continue to be a priority for the Scottish Government. Scotland has a higher number of off…

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of (a) co-operatives and (b) employee-owned businesses, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Tom Arthur: There are 586 co-operatives and 195 employee owned businesses in Scotland. Data on these businesses is not collected on a per local authority basis.

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much financial support has been given by Co-operative Development Scotland to co-operatives and employee-owned businesses in (a) North Lanarkshire, (b) South Lanarkshire and (c) Falkirk, in each year since the start of 2021.

Answer · Tom Arthur: Levels of financial support from Co-operative Development Scotland to co-operatives and employee owned businesses in North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Falkirk since 2021 is displayed in the following table.  2021 2022 Total North Lanarkshire £4,60…

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its position on whether the Rosebank oil field should go ahead.

Answer · Michael Matheson: As I have said previously, oil and gas exploration and production, including licensing, remains reserved to UK Government. Our position on oil & gas licensing is clear , unlimited extraction of fossil fuels is not consistent with our climate obligations and m…

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the potential development of the Rosebank oil field would be compatible with its climate targets.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Oil and gas exploration and production, including licensing and climate compatibility, remains reserved to the UK Government. Our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, published in January, sets out clearly that the North Sea basin is mature and pr…

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will raise the issue of the proposed Rosebank oil field development at the next meeting of the Net Zero, Energy and Climate Change Interministerial Group

Answer · Michael Matheson: Scottish Ministers have repeatedly called for reform of oil and gas licensing processes currently reserved to Westminster and the UK Government to ensure compatibility with net zero and will look for further opportunities to make the case for reform.

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when its ministers last met with UK ministers to discuss the proposed Rosebank oil field development.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Scottish Government is clear that unlimited extraction of fossil fuels is not consistent with our climate obligations and is not the right solution to the real cost of living crisis families are facing. The First Minister called on the UK Government for a fo…

28 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendation in the Wise Group report, Lifting People out of Fuel Poverty in the United Kingdom, what discussions it has had with the UK Government, as it may relate to Scotland, on introducing a permanent ban on forced prepayment meter installations.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government remains opposed to the forced installation of pre-payment meters, and we welcome Ofgem’s recent announcement that suppliers will not be restarting prepayment meter installations next month, as previously intended. Scottish Government o…

28 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is undertaking preparations for legal challenges to any potential action by the UK Government that may prevent the implementation of Scottish Government legislation or policy, in light of reports that the UK Government is considering refusing to grant exemptions under the Unit…

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Parliament approved the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations in 2020. The Regulations are wholly within devolved competence. There is an agreed and published process between UK Government and devolved governments for excluding certa…

28 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people currently employed in the public sector are paid at least £10.90 an hour or an equivalent salary.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has supported payment of the real Living Wage in our Public Sector Pay Policy since 2011. Data from the 2022 Annual Survey of Hourly Earnings (ASHE) shows that 97.6% employees in the whole Scottish public sector (devolved and reserved)…

28 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people currently employed by private companies that it contracts to deliver services are paid at least £10.90 an hour or an equivalent salary.

Answer · Ivan McKee: In our Scottish Government procurement: annual report 2021 to 2022 we reported that 94% of our contractors are committed to paying the real Living Wage, an increase of 2% points over the previous year. The Scottish Government considers Fair Work criteria on…

28 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many eye surgeons are currently employed in NHS (a) Lanarkshire and (b) Forth Valley.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: There are 18.8 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) Ophthalmology Consultants employed in NHS Lanarkshire as at December 2022. There are 12.3 WTE Ophthalmology Consultants employed in NHS Forth Valley as at December 2022.

28 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people it currently directly employs are paid at least £10.90 an hour or an equivalent salary.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is a Living Wage accredited employer. As of 30 September 2022 9150 staff were directly employed by the Scottish Government and all are paid a salary at least equivalent to £11.48 per hour.  

28 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the independent report of the detailed analysis of the future prospects for the North Sea and how Scotland's energy activity aligns with its climate change commitments, as referred to in the Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which is currently open …

Answer · Michael Matheson: The analysis was published on 3 March and can be found here - https://www.gov.scot/publications/energy-system-transition-independent-analysis/ . This publication is an independent report, reviewed by an independent panel, which provides a significant volum…

27 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the final version of its Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which is currently open for consultation, and whether it will provide an update on its policy of a presumption against new oil and gas developments.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan is open for consultation until 9 May 2023. The final version of the Energy Strategy and Just Transitional Plan will be published once we have conducted a thorough review of the consultation responses and enga…

27 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the final version of its Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan will include a full assessment of the climate change implications, including any impact on the 1.5C objective, of currently consented oil and gas extraction, and (a) whether and (b) how it will take action to accel…

Answer · Michael Matheson: Currently consented oil and gas extraction is a reserved matter and, therefore, associated impact assessments would be the purview of UK Government. It is disappointing that the Climate Compatibility Test proposed by the UK Government is limited to new expl…

27 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6F-01844 by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 February 2023, whether the next iteration of the Climate Change Plan will include proposals and policies to protect and enhance Scotland’s marine carbon stores.

Answer · Michael Matheson: We are working to ensure that the important role of our ocean in mitigating and adapting to climate change is recognised. Scotland’s Indicative Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement sets out our commitment to developing the evidence base t…

27 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6F-01844 by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 February 2023, when it plans to publish the next iteration of the Climate Change Plan.

Answer · Michael Matheson: As per previous Climate Change plans, it must contain policies and proposals, by sector, for meeting the economy wide annual emissions reduction targets for each year. The Plan will also set out for the first time the costs and benefits (including financial c…

27 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6F-01844 by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 February 2023, whether it will outline its plans for public and stakeholder engagement with regard to the proposals and policies to be included in the next iteration of the Climate Change Plan.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is committed to providing opportunities to participate in shaping inclusive policies that promote mitigation of climate change in line with our Public Engagement Strategy for Climate Change. We are aiming to engage with stakeholders an…

21 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that doctors working in hospitals are provided with suitable, healthy and affordable food options, in light of a recent British Medical Association (BMA) survey, which found that many junior doctors are experiencing fatigue due to a poor diet at work.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We are working closely with NHS Boards to support a range of local initiatives designed to meet the basic and practical needs of junior doctors, and their teams. This includes access to quiet spaces to support health and wellbeing, the installation of lockers…

21 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on local authorities pursuing parents for school meal debt during a cost of living crisis, and what plans it has to prevent this.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We recognise that rises in the cost of living are putting a huge strain on some families and they are facing unforeseen challenges. The management of debt is an issue for education authorities and their finance departments. Councils have the power to make di…

21 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that students from the most deprived areas are able to attend university, in light of reports of a student housing crisis that has led to an increase in student homelessness.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Every child growing up in Scotland, regardless of their background, should have an equal chance of attending university and participating in higher education. More students than ever have a place at university, and will benefit from free tuition – saving the…

21 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of recommendation 8 of the Scottish Eating Disorder Services Review, published in 2021, to improve standards of eating disorder care within primary care.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: We know that it is vital that we continue to support work to build capacity in primary care settings to respond to eating disorder presentations given the increasing demand, complexity of presentations and impact on secondary care services. We continue to bu…

20 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the process by which the contract for dualling the A9 from Tomalin to Mor was awarded.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: There was no Scottish Government process to contract dualling for ‘Tomalin to Mor’. The procurement for the A9 Dualling: Tomatin to Moy contract, however, involved a 10-month procurement process using a Competitive Dialogue procedure in accordance with Regul…