Parliamentary questions
Monica Lennon
3,484 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
23 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many schools in (a) South Lanarkshire, (b) North Lanarkshire and (c) Falkirk have charging points for electric vehicles.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Over the past decade the Scottish Government has invested over £50 million in ChargePlace Scotland, investing ahead of need to create a publicly available network of EV charging infrastructure, which now consists of over 2000 charge points across Scotland. I…
22 Nov 2021 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to a SEPA investigation uncovering the single largest illegal export of household waste from Scotland, resulting in Saica Natur UK Limited being fined £20,000.
9 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to add the COVID-19 booster vaccination to the vaccination status app, and whether proof of the booster vaccination will be required for (a) international travel and (b) domestic use.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04128 on 30 November 2021. 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…
8 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the role of the NHS Centre for Integrative Care in treating chronic pain patients, and which NHS boards do not fund referrals to the Centre.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Centre for Integrative Care (CIC) is a facility run by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which offers a range of treatments and therapies for people with a range of long-term conditions, including chronic pain. All NHS Boards in Scotland retain the option of…
8 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of reports that NHS Lanarkshire has a backlog of chronic pain injections dating back to 2018, with some patients requiring these treatments every six months, and what action is being taken to improve treatment, care and outcomes for chronic pain patients in Lanarks…
Answer · Maree Todd: I appreciate how difficult postponement of treatment has been for people with chronic pain, including those who may have had their normal treatment paused as a result of the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many factors determine the suitability…
8 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has awarded to Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland in each year since 2019 in connection with (a) chronic pain groups, (b) meetings of the National Advisory Committee for Chronic Pain and (c) the involvement of contractors to arrange capacity-building meetings an…
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government has awarded the following funding to the Health and Social Care Alliance for work related to the Chronic Pain Patient Reference Group since 2019 to cover all activities including support for representatives attending meetings of the Na…
8 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the approximately 9,100 chronic pain patients in Scotland, who reportedly depend on injections for pain relief, have been waiting six months or longer for treatment, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Maree Todd: Waiting times statistics for patients requiring injections for pain relief are not held centrally by Public Health Scotland (PHS). Waiting time statistics on the waits experienced by patients for first chronic pain appointments can be found on the PHS websit…
8 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish data on waiting times for return appointments for chronic pain patients on a similar basis to data published for new treatment referrals; whether the 18-week Referral to Treatment Standard applies to (a) new treatment referrals for chronic patients and (b) return …
Answer · Maree Todd: Chronic Pain services in Scotland are currently unable to gather electronic data on return appointments in a consistent manner and one that could support routine national data collection by Public Health Scotland (PHS). The 18 Weeks Referral To Treatment (RT…
8 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting schools to recycle waste, including plastic, aluminium, and food waste, and what steps it is taking to ensure that pupils and staff can access recycling bins on the school premises.
Answer · Lorna Slater: The Waste (Scotland) Regulations require all schools in Scotland to take all practicable steps to recycle as much of its waste as possible. Provision of recycling facilities within state schools is the responsibility of Scotland’s local authorities. The regul…
4 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met trade unions representing bus drivers to discuss recruitment, retention and fair work.
Answer · Graeme Dey: I last met trade unions representing bus drivers on 5 October 2021 when these issues were raised and discussed. The Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work, who holds regular roundtable discussions with the STUC and affiliate unions, including …
4 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Survivor Reference Group report, Police Responses in Scotland.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government welcomes the publication of the report by the Survivor Reference Group and will consider the findings from this. It is vital that survivors of rape, sexual violence, and abuse are listened to and believed by the police and we are deter…
3 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it will use to appoint members of the Green Heat Finance Taskforce.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy, published in October 2021, committed to establishing a Green Heat Finance Taskforce by the end of 2021. The Taskforce will forge a new partnership approach between the Scottish public sector, heat decarbon…
3 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to announce the composition of the Green Heat Finance Taskforce.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy, published in October 2021, committed to establishing a Green Heat Finance Taskforce by the end of 2021. The purpose of the Taskforce is to develop a portfolio of innovative financial solutions involving th…
3 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government who will be appointed to the Green Heat Finance Taskforce.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy, published in October 2021, committed to establishing a Green Heat Finance Taskforce by the end of 2021. The Taskforce will forge a new partnership approach between the Scottish public sector, heat decarbon…
3 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date the online booking system for COVID-19 booster vaccinations will be open to (a) adult carers, unpaid carers or young carers aged 16 years or over and (b) people aged 16 and over who are a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The online self-booking portal for COVID-19 booster vaccinations will open on 15 November 2021. The online self-booking portal will be open to adults aged 50-59, unpaid carers who are aged 16 or over, and people aged 16 or over who are household contacts of …
2 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Police Scotland and (b) businesses about any potential circulation of counterfeit vaccine passports.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Ministers and officials are in regular contact with Police Scotland and other stakeholders on a range of issues associated with the COVID-19 Status Certification scheme, which includes but not limited to security of the certification. The app has a number of…
1 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that 40 electric vehicle charging units per week are out of action due to faults, and that many of these chargers do not have maintenance contracts
Answer · Graeme Dey: Most faults on the ChargePlace Scotland network are transient and in the majority of cases require no physical intervention. This means that a high proportion are closed down swiftly and effectively. On a network of now over 2100 units in size, an average of …
25 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to research by Professor Denis Henshaw on the link between air pollution and child cancer.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: It is widely documented that air pollution has a negative impact on health. However air pollution does not cause recognisably distinctive diseases and the sorts of illness that air pollution can exacerbate can also be affected by multiple other factors. The r…
25 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to allay any public concerns about the cost of replacing household gas or electric heating systems with air source heat pumps.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The Scottish Government has committed to invest at least £1.8 billion over the course of this parliament to kick-start market growth in zero emissions heat and energy efficiency, and to support those least able to pay. Households in or at risk of fuel poverty…
25 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) in research and development of plans for a single green public transport network across the region, with smart card access and affordable fares.
Answer · Graeme Dey: We have strengthened smart ticketing measures for local transport authorities in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 to further enable growth in adopting multi-modal smart and integrated ticketing schemes. We continue to work with regional bodies like Strathcly…
25 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the bursary for care experienced people in education on their access to other benefits, including housing benefit and universal credit.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: When the Care Experienced Bursary (CEB) was introduced, the policy intention was not only to provide enhanced living cost support, adding value to the existing support provided by Local Authorities, but also to act as an incentive for people with experience o…
25 Oct 2021 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of NHS Lanarkshire moving to the highest risk level, black, and cancelling elective care, including some cancer procedures.
21 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the status of the HPV vaccination programme, and how many young people, who missed their vaccinations in 2020, have still to be vaccinated.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland (PHS) continue to work with health boards to support their planning and the safe delivery of immunisation services during the pandemic. The latest HPV immunisation statistics published by Public Health Scotl…
20 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported survivability bias in the Cancer Patient Experience Survey to ensure that experiences of patients with a less survivable cancer are captured, and whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care plans to make a statement on the iss…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03854 on 19 November 2021. 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…
20 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to join the National Pancreatic Cancer Audit.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03853 on 10 November 2021. 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…
20 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the 2021 UNProduction Gap Report, which concludes that governments plan to produce more than twice the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than would be consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C, and what its position is on the proposed Cambo oil field, in light…
Answer · Michael Matheson: We are committed to ending Scotland’s contribution to climate change by 2045, and to ensuring we do it in a way that is just and leaves no-one behind. The science is clear that the world cannot go on extracting fossil fuels indefinitely if the necessity of l…
20 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the impact of the bursary for care experienced people in education on their access to other benefits, including housing benefit and universal credit.
20 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with Police Scotland to discuss drink spiking and the recent reports of spiking by injection.
Answer · Keith Brown: Scottish Government officials have been, and continue to be, in daily contact with Police Scotland on recent reports of spiking. Police Scotland are pursuing every single report of spiking through a Gold command established on this issue and led by an Assista…
20 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been convicted of drink spiking in each of the past five years.
Answer · Keith Brown: There is no specific offence for 'drink spiking' however the Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings database shows there were no people convicted for offences under section 11 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 (administering a substance for sexual …
20 Oct 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the police and industry to eradicate drink spiking and spiking by injection to ensure safety in nightclubs and other social settings.
Answer · Keith Brown: The act of ‘spiking’ women is absolutely abhorrent and the Scottish Government remains absolutely committed to working with partners to tackle this unacceptable behaviour. I chaired an urgent roundtable with partners and representatives from across the secto…