Parliamentary questions
Monica Lennon
3,484 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
30 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on proposing parliamentary business on days when strike action is being taken by workers in the Scottish Parliament.
Answer · George Adam: The Scottish Cabinet determines the proposed programme of Government business with due regard to current circumstances, including any decisions taken by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body regarding the operation of the Parliament. It is for the Parliam…
30 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the (a) affordability and (b) accessibility of reusable nappies, including support for meeting costs associated with laundry care.
Answer · Clare Haughey: Our Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment helps eligible low-income families with expenses associated with pregnancy or with having a new child. Families can use this payment to best meet their needs which could include buying reusable nappies and meeti…
30 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that people under the care of NHS (a) Lanarkshire and (b) Forth Valley are able to obtain a GP appointment.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Following the publication of the Health and Social Care Winter Resilience Overview I wrote to General Practices on 15 November to set my expectations regarding the need to ensure there is an appropriate mix of pre-booked, same day, face to face and remote a…
30 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether its industrial relations with teaching unions will take account of data published by the Office of National Statistics on 27 January 2023, which found that 31% of working adults with children in school would have to work fewer hours due to school closures caused by industrial act…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: This Government is clear that industrial action in our schools is in no one’s interest, least of all for pupils, parents and carers who have already faced significant disruption over the past three years. As indicated by the Office of National Statistics, it…
30 Jan 2023 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to research commissioned by Citizens Advice Scotland, reportedly finding that people are struggling to afford everyday goods, including period and hygiene products, and the energy costs associated with showering, bathing, and laundry, due to the cost…
27 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update regarding the selection process of patient representatives with lived experience of chronic pain to the pain management panel.
Answer · Maree Todd: This information can be found in the published Pain Management Panel report. This is available here: Pain Management Panel consultations: report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
27 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an update regarding the selection process for the chairs of the short-life working groups tasked with implementation of the delivery of the framework for pain management service delivery.
Answer · Maree Todd: As set out in the Governance arrangements published in the Framework for Pain Management Service Delivery – Implementation Plan, the chairs for each Short-Life Working Group (SLWG) are drawn from the chronic pain community and appointed based on their experti…
24 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to maintain and expand access to free meals for children and adults, in light of reports of services being at risk due to funding pressures affecting local authorities and charities.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is providing local authorities with funding to make free school lunches available, during school term-time, to all children in primaries 1 to 5 and in special schools. This policy has given 280,723 children access to nutritionally bala…
24 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance, advice and/or support is provided to retail outlets that sell vaping and e-cigarette products in relation to the disposal and recycling of those products.
Answer · Lorna Slater: Vapes and e-cigarettes are subject to the provisions of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 (the WEEE regulations). As such, anybody who sells a vape or e-cigarette to a consumer has obligations including to accept the return of WEE…
24 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work it is considering with local authorities to ensure that vaping products and e-cigarettes are properly disposed of and recycled, including examining how trading standards relate to this issue.
Answer · Lorna Slater: I have commissioned an urgent review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes. Zero Waste Scotland will lead on the review, which will examine available evidence and consider potential options to tackle the issue. The review will consi…
24 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider implementing a plan to research any possible link between chronic urinary tract infections and endometriosis as part of the Women's Health Plan, and what action it is taking to improve specialist appointment waiting times for those experiencing chronic urinary tr…
Answer · Maree Todd: The Women’s Health Plan focusses on a specific set of priorities including enhancing care and support for those with endometriosis. Whilst chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) are not specifically mentioned in the priorities for this iteration of the Plan,…
24 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to (a) reduce any in-work poverty among the Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) workforce and (b) ensure that the funding model enables (i) private and (ii) third sector ELC providers in partner settings to pay the Living Wage to all staff, not just those deliveri…
Answer · Clare Haughey: Throughout the 1140 hours expansion the Scottish Government has sought to improve conditions across the private, third and childminding workforce delivering funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC). This includes our investment to support local authorities t…
24 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will increase the funded childcare entitlement to the equivalent of 50 hours a week.
Answer · Clare Haughey: Since August 2021 the Scottish Government has funded 1140 hours of high-quality early learning and childcare (ELC) for all eligible children. Scotland is the only part of the UK to offer 1140 hours a year of funded ELC to all three- and four-year-olds - and e…
23 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to involve the Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on (a) Chronic Pain, (b) Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Conditions, (c) Long Covid and (d) Women's Health in the work of bodies that have a chronic pain remit, including the National Care Service Lived Ex…
Answer · Maree Todd: The primary purpose of Cross Party Groups is to provide Members with a forum to consider matters of public interest, normally involving people from outwith the parliament to provide expert or stakeholder input to discussions. Cross Party Groups are welcome to…
23 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many doctors are currently assigned to Drug Treatment and Testing Order services, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Angela Constance: Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) are focused on drug treatment as the primary means of reducing offending behaviour, by reducing or eliminating drug dependency. DTTOs allow drug testing and regular court reviews as features of a community disposal, a…
20 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS boards to treat asthma and other lung conditions in light of the reported finding in a National Records of Scotland report that people in Scotland are twice as likely to die from an asthma attack in the winter than in the summer.
Answer · Maree Todd: We are committed to ensuring that people living with respiratory conditions such as asthma receive the best possible care and treatment. Our Respiratory Care Action Plan sets out our vision for driving improvement in the prevention, diagnosis, care, treatment…
20 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which railway lines will not be included in its six-month pilot of suspending peak fares, as announced in its Budget statement on 15 December 2022.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14172 on? 31 January 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…
17 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many publicly-funded Maria Mallaband Care Group care homes there are in Scotland, and how much funding it has given to each of these in each of the last three years.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: All care homes in Scotland are required to be registered with the Care Inspectorate. The Care Inspectorate register can be searched by provider here: https://www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/care-services. Data regarding funding given to individual care …
17 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the Maria Mallaband Care Group is currently in over 50 individual disputes with trade union members, in relation to the company allegedly not utilising correctly the social care staff support fund, and unlawful deduction of wages.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Social Care Staff Support Fund is available for social care staff who are absent from work due to having covid-19, or self-isolating in line with public health guidance, to support and encourage infection prevention and control in social care settings. S…
17 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of use of the social care staff support fund by private social care providers, including the amount (a) of funds claimed and (b) paid out to social care staff.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14058 on 27 January 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-committ…
17 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what sanctions are in place if a private social care provider fails to use its social care staff support fund correctly.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Social Care Staff Support Fund is available for social care staff who are absent from work due to having covid-19, or self-isolating in line with public health guidance, to support and encourage infection prevention and control in social care settings. S…
17 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many private social care providers have utilised its social care staff support fund.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has supported additional staffing costs, including the Social Care Staff Support Fund, through sustainability payment funding to Integration Authorities. £561 million in 2020-21 and over £700 million in 2021-22 was allocated to Integr…
17 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent Health Foundation report highlighting an increase in avoidable deaths in women in the most deprived areas, and what action it plans to take to support women living in poverty.
Answer · Maree Todd: We thank the Health Foundation for publishing the report detailing the findings of their independent review into health inequalities. Sadly, the report confirms what we already know: that excess mortality is significantly driven by deprivation, and this conti…
17 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to provide any additional financial support to people in abusive relationships during the cost of living crisis, in order to enable them to leave their abusive partners in situations where they are financially reliant on them, and what its position is on the reported sug…
Answer · Shona Robison: We are very concerned about the additional hardship women and children experiencing domestic abuse are facing as a result of the Cost of Living Crisis. We recognise this can impact their ability to leave their abuser and we are exploring options around the de…
11 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12962 by Christina McKelvie on 22 December 2022, for what reason it was not able to gather and provide the information requested regarding how long the current waiting list is for rape survivors at each rape crisis centre, in light of it being able …
Answer · Christina McKelvie: The information could not be provided for the answer to question S6W-12962 as the Scottish Government does not hold this level of service detail for Rape Crisis Centres. Rape Crisis Centres are independent charitable organisations which hold their own informa…
11 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake an impact assessment regarding potentially establishing a permanent Glasgow-wide integrated public transport system, in light of the announcement that Glasgow subway tickets would be temporarily accepted on both ScotRail and First Bus services during the suspens…
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Regional transport strategies and developments, including their impact assessments, are led by the local authority and its Regional Transport Partnerships. We are aware that Glasgow City Council published its Glasgow Transport Strategy last year, with numerou…
9 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking via its women's health plan to improve (a) diagnosis times and (b) treatment for lipoedema patients, and whether these actions will take account of Talk Lipodemia's April 2022 report, Scoping Report on Lipoedema Care in Scotland.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government has provided £80,000 of funding for Talk Lipoedema over financial years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 to develop the Scoping Report on Lipoedema Care in Scotland, providing a welcome insight into Lipoedema services and to enhance their impor…
19 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns by the General Secretary of School Leaders Scotland that budget reductions will lead to (a) a reduction in the range of school subjects available and (b) an increase in class sizes.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: This Government has delivered the highest school spending, and has more teachers per pupil, than any other UK nation. Our pupil teacher ratio is just 13.2 – its lowest level since 2009 - compared to 18 in England and 18.5 in Wales. In our Budget we have soug…
18 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns that the NHS Scotland Agenda for Change pay offer will significantly and disproportionately disadvantage clinical psychologists, resulting in a real terms pay cut of approximately 6-9%, depending on their banding, and whether it will consider ext…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government values all NHS Scotland staff, at every level and in every profession. The latest pay offer we have made is significantly more generous than the 2022-23 pay settlements which have been put in place in the rest of the UK and was negotia…
18 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) support it has provided to and (b) recent engagement it has had with the Edinburgh-based renewables firm, Red Rock Power, and whether it will reconsider any relationship it has with the company in light of reports that it is linked to the endangerment of the world’s rarest ape, …
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has not provided any funding support to Red Rock Power in relation to its offshore wind activities in Scotland. Officials last met with Red Rock Power in November 2022 to discuss progress on their development of the Inch Cape Offshore …