Monica Lennon

6 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the Food Train Glasgow branch is facing possible closure, whether any alternative support services will be made available to ensure that those currently relying on this service have access to food.

Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14332 on 7 February 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at Questions and answers | Scottish Parliament Web…

6 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to research conducted by Common Weal and published in its report, ScotWind: Privatising Scotland's Future Again, which reportedly indicates that the ScotWind auction has resulted in Scotland potentially missing out on £60 billion of revenue.

Answer · Michael Matheson: We are clear that ScotWind promises to be transformational in delivering wider economic supply chain benefits to help power Scotland’s green recovery in communities across Scotland. The Supply Chain Development Statements set out ScotWind developers’ initial …

6 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many doses of naloxone are currently held in reserves.

Answer · Angela Constance: In line with the action from the Drug Death Taskforce 'Changing Lives' report that the Scottish Government should work with NHS naloxone leads and pharmaceutical companies to ensure sufficient supplies are available to meet demand we are working closely with …

6 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to abolish return fares on ScotRail services.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Transport Scotland currently has no plans to abolish return fares on ScotRail passenger services.  

6 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received, or expects to receive, Barnett consequential funding in connection with the UK Government's scheme to place automated external defibrillators in every state funded school in England, which is reportedly worth £19 million, including an external contract to the val…

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not expect to receive Barnett consequential funding in connection with this UK Government scheme. Scottish Government is a key partner in the Save a Life for Scotland partnership which delivers the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest …

6 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is the case that only two of its buildings have a heat pump installed; what action it will take to increase the number of its buildings that have a heat pump installed, and within what timescale will any such action be undertaken.

Answer · Ivan McKee: Currently 1 building on the core Scottish Government estate has a heat pump installed (Tweedbank) Feasibility studied will be carried out in the first quarter of 2023/24 financial year to look at a range of renewable technologies for the estate, including ai…

3 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a list of any disused train (a) stations and (b) lines that it is currently considering reopening.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Transport Scotland has a highly successful record of reintroducing stations and routes to the network, reconnecting and bringing new opportunities to Scotland’s communities. These include the Airdrie to Bathgate line and the Borders Railway, and most recently…

3 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considering merging and consolidating the boards of ScotRail and Scottish Rail Holdings.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Both organisations serve different functions. Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd oversees, on behalf of the Scottish Ministers, the delivery of rail services by ScotRail Trains Ltd. Consideration of the appropriate arrangements concluded the current structure to be …

3 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to expand the membership of Scottish Rail Holdings to include representatives of (a) Unite the Union, (b) the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association, (c) the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and (d) the Associated Society of Locomotive Engin…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Rail Trade Unions were consulted about the selection of an individual to sit as a Non-Executive Directoron the Scottish Rail Holdings Board. The individual currently selected is the General Secretary for the STUC.  

3 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to increase the number of apprenticeships working for ScotRail as (a) drivers and (b) engineers.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: While recruitment is an operational matter for ScotRail to manage, the Scottish Government is supportive of ScotRail’s target to increase apprenticeships. ScotRail, working in partnership with Skills Development Scotland and the Train Drivers union ASLEF, is…

3 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it can commit to setting a (a) start date and (b) timetable for its national conversation on rail services, as announced by the Minister for Transport in the Scottish Parliament on 9 February 2022.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The National Rail Conversation will be formally launched in April to mark the one year anniversary of ScotRail coming in to public ownership. Through the National Rail Conversation, we will listen to feedback from passengers, staff and stakeholders to shape a…

31 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on including access to incontinence pads in the free period product schemes, including for those experiencing menopausal or perimenopausal symptoms who might not meet the criteria for prescription pads.

Answer · Shona Robison: The aim of the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act 2021 is to ensure that everyone in Scotland who menstruates can have reasonably convenient access to period products, free of charge, as and when they are required. The definition of period produc…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is, regarding any implications for nurses working in Scotland, on whether the title of "nurse" should be protected in law.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Regulation of the nursing profession is reserved to the U.K. Parliament. Making the word “nurse” a protected title in law is problematic due to its historical use in a broader context than today’s graduate profession, as regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report by the University of the West of Scotland, Policy traps and policy placebos: assessing drug policy network responses to drug related deaths.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Drug Deaths Taskforce was comprised of a range of individuals selected for their expertise in a personal capacity or on behalf of the organisations they represent, including those with lived and living experience. The Scottish Government welcomes their …

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available to local authorities towards the maintenance of defibrillators in schools.

Answer · Maree Todd: Funding for Local Authorities is provided through the annual block grant settlement from the Scottish Government. Local authorities should use funding resources allocated to them in the manner which they believe will best meet local needs and circumstances wi…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of defibrillators in public places.

Answer · Maree Todd: Scottish Government is a key partner in the Save a Life for Scotland partnership which delivers the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy 2021 – 2026. A key aim of this strategy is to increase the percentage of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest incidents which…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with local authorities regarding the installation of defibrillators in schools.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) are invited as a member of the delivery group for the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy 2021 – 2026, as are Scottish Government. This work is overseen by Save a Life for Scotland and is focused on del…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) funding and (b) other assistance is in place for local authorities to increase the installation of defibrillators in schools.

Answer · Maree Todd: To support organisations and communities who wish to purchase a defibrillator, Scottish Government published a guide in 2018 providing advice on purchasing and installing a public access defibrillator. This can be found at the following link: Out-of-Hospital…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) energy companies and (b) their representatives on issues regarding the force-fitting of prepayment meters.

Answer · Michael Matheson: While policy on energy markets is a matter reserved to the UK Government and the responsibility for supplier guidance sits with Ofgem, the Scottish Government opposes the forced installation of prepayment meters, which increases the risk of self- rationing an…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many warrants have been issued in Scotland to install prepayment meters in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Elena Whitham: Applications for warrants of entry are dealt with by the courts. The information requested is not held centrally. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service have established a working group to review the process for dealing with utility warrants, including the…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to protect people who might be vulnerable to the force-fitting of prepayment meters by energy companies.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14639 on 7 March 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria will be used to establish what routes will be (a) included and (b) excluded in the six-month pilot scheme for the removal of peak-time train fares, and whether it plans for all peak fares to be removed fully or partially across the country following the pilot.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The ScotRail peak fares pilot will apply to all ScotRail services. Work on the precise methodology, design and evaluation for the peak rail fares pilot is currently underway. Transport Scotland officials are working closely with Scottish Rail Holdings and S…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it expects the removal of peak-time train fares to be rolled out following the six-month pilot.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14634 on 28 February 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commit…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria will be used at the end of the six-month pilot to remove peak train fares to (a) assess whether it has been successful and (b) determine whether it will be rolled out nationally on a permanent basis.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Work on the precise methodology, design and evaluation for the peak rail fares pilot is currently underway. Transport Scotland officials are working closely with Scottish Rail Holdings and ScotRail Trains Ltd to derive maximum benefit for this scheme. Furth…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will fully enact the remaining regulations in the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 relating to vaping products by restricting in-store displays, billboard and similar advertising, free and nominally priced samples, sponsorship and brand sharing.

Answer · Maree Todd: On 28 September 2022 the Scottish Government published the report from our consultation on proposals to make regulations under sections 17 to 19 of the 2016 Act, which would introduce restrictions on the following:advertisingbrand-sharing in products and serv…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its planned timeline is for ensuring that all NHS boards are providing abortion services locally up to 24 weeks, as set out in Action 17 of the progress report on the Women's Health Plan.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Women’s Health Plan aims to ensure that women can access abortions up to 24 weeks’ within Scotland regardless of the reason for the termination. The Scottish Government is pleased to see progress being made on this issue, with all mainland Health Boards …

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a timeline for the publication of the commissioned endometriosis management and treatment research, as set out in Action 32 of the progress report on the Women's Health Plan.

Answer · Maree Todd: We are jointly funding a £250,000 endometriosis research project with Wellbeing of Women and the recipient of the grant will be announced in March. The funding for the research will cover a period of 3 years, from financial year 2022/23, after which the findi…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect jobs in the cultural sector, in light of reported concerns by the Scottish Contemporary Art Network that the proposed reduction to the Creative Scotland Grant in Aid budget in the draft Budget 2023-24 will lead to significant job losses, including the …

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government is in regular dialogue with the sector, most recently through holding a series of roundtable discussions. While we have had to make difficult choices to live within budgets, we have also listened to the concerns raised by the culture s…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the endometriosis advisory group has met since its first meeting in April 2022, as set out in the progress report on the Women's Health Plan, and when the group's findings will be made available to the public.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Endometriosis Advisory Group (EAG) was established to support the action in the Women’s Health Plan to strengthen collaborative working between regional specialist endometriosis centres, territorial and special NHS boards and primary care providers, to dr…

30 Jan 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how schools can access free safety gloves, clothing and litter pickers to help keep children safe when participating in litter picks.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government expects local authorities to exercise their statutory responsibilities and deliver a safe environment for all school users. Generally, local authorities in Scotland will offer schools basic litter picking equipment such as litter pick…