Parliamentary questions
Monica Lennon
3,484 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what immediate steps it is taking to ensure that women attending protests or public events, including any outside the Scottish Parliament by extremist groups or any where tensions may rise, are protected from harassment, intimidation and abuse.
Answer · Angela Constance: The right to demonstrate and protest are fundamental human rights which the Scottish Government is committed to upholding. Those simply going about their business should be able to do so without the fear of any form of abusive behaviour. Where such behaviour …
20 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to reduce diagnostic waiting times for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in NHS Lanarkshire.
Answer · Tom Arthur: I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-40018 on 8 September 2025, which outlines work that the Scottish Government is doing with all Health Boards, including NHS Lanarkshire. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parlia…
20 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce mandatory national data collection and reporting on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) referrals, waits, assessments, outcomes and demographics.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government acknowledges that work is needed to improve the quality of data on neurodevelopmental support and services, including a better understanding of current levels of need and the level of support people currently receive.We are working wit…
20 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to (a) expand non-pharmacological interventions alongside medication and (b) support transitions from child and adolescent to adult services for patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government is providing further funding of £500,000 this year to improve neurodevelopmental assessment and support for children and young people, and their families.Further, our Autistic Adult Support Fund provides £1 million of fundi…
20 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to ensure that patients with a private attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis can access any medication that they need through NHS services.
Answer · Tom Arthur: Some NHS Boards may have shared care policies, but it remains at the clinical discretion of each individual GP to decide the best course of action for their patients. A recommendation from a private specialist for a particular medicine does not entitle the pa…
20 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether additional resources will be allocated to recruit and retain trained attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) specialists.
Answer · Tom Arthur: Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, operational matters – including the recruitment and training of staff – are in the first instance the responsibility of the relevant NHS Board.We continue to work clo…
20 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to reduce adult diagnostic waiting times for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) across Scotland.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government funds the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT), which is currently supporting NHS Boards to develop, enhance and redesign existing local adult neurodevelopmental services. We continue scope the work required to improve Adult Neur…
20 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve coordination between private and NHS services for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis and care, and whether it will consider establishing a national framework for shared care to help reduce waiting times and ease pressure on NHS re…
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government does not currently have plans to establish a national framework for shared care. However, we are engaging with the Royal College of GPs (Scotland) to understand the current issues around shared care agreements for patients with ADHD.Of…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what actions are being taken to address any shortfall in audiology staffing, in light of reports that the workforce is currently at 65% of the level required for safe and effective service delivery.
Answer · Jenni Minto: As part of our strategic approach to healthcare science, the Scottish Government is actively undertaking work to ensure healthcare science professions, including audiology, are included as part of wider work on reform and renewal of NHS Scotland.This sits han…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the separate publication of audiology waiting times was discontinued in 2014, and whether it will consider reinstating this reporting to improve transparency and accountability.
Answer · Jenni Minto: From 2014 data on Audiology service waits was included as part of the 18 weeks referral to treatment waiting time data Public Health Scotland (PHS) publication. In March this year, PHS communicated that as part of their ongoing work to ensure their suite of s…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that audiology services are compliant with the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015, and whether enforcement mechanisms are in place.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government instructed NHS Territorial Health Boards to outline their governance, reporting and management processes through a Local Assurance Framework in 2024, as well as, requiring the inclusion of audiology in their 2025-26 Annual Delivery Pla…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to improve access to training and continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for audiology professionals across Scotland.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has commissioned NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to undertake work which maps the skills and competencies required at each level of practice for all disciplines within the healthcare science profession, including audiology as a clinic…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is monitoring the ongoing implementation of the 55 recommendations of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland report, and whether progress reports will be published regularly.
Answer · Jenni Minto: A programme of work to address recommendations of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland has now concluded and each of the 55 recommendations updated.A final report was produced outlining the rationale behind the actions taken and confirming…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support is being provided to NHS Lanarkshire to improve its patient-to-staff ratio for audiology services.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has commissioned NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to undertake work which maps the skills and competencies required at each level of practice for all disciplines within the healthcare science profession, including audiology as a clinic…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made regarding supporting NHS boards to achieve Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) accreditation for audiology services.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has committed funding to all territorial Health Boards to undertake Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) benchmarking throughout the current financial year.An executive lead group for audiology has been reestablished, wi…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being put in place to ensure there is external audit and peer review of audiology services, as recommended in the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland report.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Scottish Audiology Heads of Service have recently initiated an in house peer review process and are continuing to see positive results from this. As part of Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) benchmarking, a mapping exercise is currently unde…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in implementing recommendation 6 of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland (IRASS) report regarding the development of a robust workforce plan for audiology services.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has commissioned NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to undertake work which maps the skills and competencies required at each level of practice for all disciplines within the healthcare science profession, including audiology as a clinic…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure consistent and accurate recording and reporting of audiology waiting times across all NHS boards, as recommended in the Independent Review of Audiology in Scotland report.
Answer · Jenni Minto: From 2014 data on Audiology waits formed part of the 18 weeks referral to treatment waiting time data Public Health Scotland (PHS) publication. In March this year, PHS communicated that as part of their ongoing work to ensure their suite of statistical public…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will require NHS boards to include audiology-specific commitments in their British Sign Language local plans.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government instructed NHS Territorial Health Boards to outline their governance, reporting and management processes through a Local Assurance Framework in 2024, as well as, requiring the inclusion of audiology in their 2025-26 Annual Delivery Pla…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that all NHS boards adopt and report against national KPIs for audiology services, including patient-reported outcome measures and paediatric pathway indicators.
Answer · Jenni Minto: As part of Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) benchmarking, a mapping exercise is currently underway which includes the consideration of national KPI reporting for audiology services.An executive lead group for audiology has been reestablishe…
19 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how NHS Lanarkshire is addressing the recommendations of the Independent Review of Audiology in Scotland report, and whether it will publish a detailed delivery plan for audiology services.
Answer · Jenni Minto: A programme of work to address recommendations of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland has now concluded and each of the 55 recommendations updated.In line with agreed governance structures processes, all NHS Territorial Health Boards have…
18 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to amending NHS fertility guidelines to ensure that embryo creation and implantation remain funded when privately sourced donor eggs are used, provided that they meet UK safety and quality standards, in order to eliminate any discrimination against couples based so…
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to meet the needs of couples who are eligible for NHS fertility treatment and require donor gametes (eggs and sperm) for that treatment. We have always been clear that couples who are eligible for NHS fertility treat…
18 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it continues to operate an "all-or-nothing” funding policy that withdraws all NHS IVF support when couples procure donor eggs privately, and what its response is to reported concerns that this policy is forcing those who cannot secure altruistic NHS donors within a …
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is clear that patients should not pay for any part of their NHS treatment, and NHS patients are not permitted to use purchased donor eggs for NHS treatment. However, NHS treatment should not be withdrawn from patients who purchase thei…
14 Aug 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that, when the Scottish Ministers make decisions to allow development under the Electricity Act 1989, they are meeting the requirements of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 for all public bodies to further the conservation of biodiversity when carrying out their …
Answer · Gillian Martin: The Scottish Ministers make decisions on applications in accordance with legislative requirements and relevant policy. Energy consent applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, with all relevant information considered to ensure balanced decision-makin…
29 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is monitoring and evaluating whether annual funding to local government for trading standards teams is being targeted and spent in line with the purpose of ensuring that local and national enforcement priorities are delivered, including implementing the legislation on the sales of…
Answer · Jenni Minto: We work closely with the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) to support enforcement of existing legislation, including checks on sales of tobacco and vapes to under 18s, and advice to business.In 2025-26 this includes providing…
28 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that animal welfare objections that are raised in planning appeals are routinely disregarded as "non-material considerations", what steps it will take to issue guidance affirming that animal welfare can constitute a legitimate material consideration in the planning s…
Answer · Ivan McKee: Further to my answer to question S6W-38874 on 11 July 2025, in which I recognised the recent Court judgement reflecting the potential for animal welfare to be a material consideration, in determining any application or appeal, it is for the planning authority…
24 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to balance its target of achieving 20GW of onshore wind capacity by 2030 with the need to minimise carbon losses and ecological damage to Scotland’s peatlands.
Answer · Gillian Martin: Scottish Ministers must take into account all the views presented when considering applications for onshore wind projects. The merits of each proposal are considered on a case-by-case basis. A careful balance must be struck between the potential impacts of th…
24 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to review and improve the carbon calculator used to assess wind farm developments on peatlands, in light of the reported findings by ClimateXChange that it requires updating.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: The study published by ClimateXChange earlier this year was the first phase of a review of the Carbon Calculator. The Scottish Government is currently working towards commissioning a second phase of work which will be informed by the findings of the first, an…
3 Jul 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to USDAW's survey of 1,011 Scottish retail staff in 2024, which found that, in the previous twelve months, 70% experienced verbal abuse, 45% were threatened by a customer and 8% were assaulted.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Those working in our retail sector should be lauded for the important work they are continuing to do during such challenging economic circumstances. They, like anybody, should be able to work without fear of abuse.Retail workers (as well as all other workers)…
26 Jun 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that (a) local authorities and (b) other public bodies are adequately resourced and supported to prevent, detect and respond to cyberattacks, particularly in the context of the Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre’s remit and the updated Public Sector Cyber Res…
Answer · Angela Constance: The public sector provides a range of digital public services and it is critical that these are secure and resilient.The Scottish Government has been encouraging public sector organisations to adopt a proactive, risk based governance approach, with board-leve…