Fulton MacGregor

9 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that In Practice Systems Ltd, which is reported to be the main software supplier for GP practices in Scotland, has voluntarily entered administration, and what action is being taken to mitigate any impact to GP service delivery.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government are liaising with NHS National Services Scotland, as the contract holder, and are a member of their GPIT Incident Management Team which has specifically been established to lead on this matter. Through this, NSS are in regular contact …

6 Jan 2025 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the priorities for cladding remediation work in 2025.

Answer · Paul McLennan: With the commencement of the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act taking place on 6 January 2025, it is timely to set out a brief statement of our strategic priorities for action on cladding in 2025. In particular, we will be:• continu…

19 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what protections it will provide to non-medical aesthetic practitioners, in light of its proposed regulations for the sector.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government launched a consultation on 20th December 2024, to seek views on how best to further regulate non-surgical cosmetics procedures.The consultation has been informed by extensive work with a range of stakeholders, including beauty industry…

12 Dec 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place to (a) promote and (b) support access to powerchair football.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government recognises that the work of the Scottish Powerchair Football Association and Scottish Para-Football is extremely valuable in providing opportunities for people with a range of conditions to participate in football and to promote inclus…

20 Nov 2024 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it and COSLA have jointly considered the first year of implementation of the Verity House Agreement, in light of its commitment to do so.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has today published the Verity House Agreement stocktake report. It is available at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836019817.

13 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with Reach Advocacy, in Coatbridge, in light of its reported request for support to become a nationally commissioned service.

Answer · Neil Gray: On 14 May 2024 Reach Advocacy wrote to the Scottish Government requesting to become a ‘Nationally Commissioned Advocacy Training Body’. The Scottish Government replied to Reach Advocacy on 28 May 2024 seeking to fully understand the basis on which…

7 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed consultation regarding the legal age of marriage, and family and succession law.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Work is continuing on this consultation. It covers a wide range of areas: the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership; extending simplified divorce and dissolution procedures; qualifying requirements for religious and belief bodies when they solemnise m…

22 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to making the drug, ivabradine, available on the NHS as a treatment for postural tachycardia syndrome.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The regulation for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines is currently reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Ivabradine is currently licensed in the UK for the sympt…

22 Oct 2024 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place for people in North Lanarkshire with Huntington's disease.

2 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has carried out with Local Authority Trading Standards (LATS) to ensure that the public can have a high level of confidence in LATS reports.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is a member of the Trading Standards Policy and Coordination Group. This Group is coordinated by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) as the representative organisation for local government in Scotland. The Group seek t…

2 Oct 2024 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the regulation of dog walking services, following its public consultation on the licensing of activities involving animals.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: While there was support among respondents to our consultation last year, concerns were also expressed about the proportionality and cost of such a scheme and about the capacity of local authorities to absorb and meaningfully enforce additional licensing requi…

24 Sep 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place to help newly qualified paramedics find suitable employment.

17 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle Islamophobia through education in schools.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government is clear that there is no place for religious or racial intolerance, including Islamophobia, in Scotland’s schools.Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence aims to develop a society based on social justice, equality and respect…

17 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its efforts to reduce child poverty, whether it plans to expand the eligibility criteria for the Young Patients Family Fund to include those regularly travelling as day-patients for cancer treatment, in light of Young Lives vs Cancer's #RunningOnEmpty research, which states t…

Answer · Jenni Minto: I met with representatives from Young Lives vs Cancer on 25 September 2024 to discuss their campaign.Under the existing patient travel expenses schemes, financial support for travel to hospital is available for patients and authorised escorts, according to el…

11 Sep 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to young people who have been involved in serious offending, particularly those who are at risk of being placed in secure care, and how it supports the families of these young people.  

Answer · Natalie Don-Innes: The Scottish Government works closely with local authorities, third sector partners and all other agencies involved in supporting children and young people involved with the criminal justice system. This includes support for parents and carers. This collabora…

10 Sep 2024 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its first annual Progress Report on implementing the Violence Prevention Framework for Scotland.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government has today published the Violence Prevention Framework for Scotland: Annual Progress Report 2023-2024. This can be accessed on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836017684.The report highlights work underta…

9 Sep 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that qualified teachers are able to find suitable employment through permanent teaching posts in Scottish schools.

3 Sep 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Lanarkshire regarding the progress of the Monklands Replacement Project.

28 Aug 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place for people who have Huntington's disease and their families.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The National Care Framework for Huntington’s Disease sets out information on the services and support available to people with Huntington’s Disease by health board area. This includes services provided through NHS Scotland and other aspects such a…

22 Jul 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that small towns and villages receive proportional investment in their amenities as their populations grow.

Answer · Shona Robison: A needs based distribution methodology based on factors, including population, is used to distribute the funding available for Local Government at a council level and is agreed with COSLA on behalf of all 32 local authorities each year. As independent corpor…

18 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support consumers to purchase electric vehicles and reduce emissions on the roads.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Since 2011 the Scottish Government has supported individuals and businesses across Scotland transition to electric vehicles by providing £223 million of interest free loans through the Low Carbon Transport loan, this scheme delivered on behalf of Scottish Min…

13 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to extending the cutting and filing of toenails through the NHS to those with (a) arthritis and (b) other conditions that make personal footcare difficult.

Answer · Neil Gray: The NHS Scotland Podiatry Service treats patients depending on the individual person’s healthcare needs, not according to specific medical conditions. Effective triage helps allocate resources efficiently and ensures that patients receive timely care based on…

28 May 2024 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has undertaken to identify any additional capacity requirements for the implementation of the new model of neonatal care.

Answer · Jenni Minto: In 2017, the Scottish Government published ‘The Best Start : A Five-Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland’, and the report and recommendations were accepted by Ministers. The Best Start outlined a new model of neonatal service provisio…

22 May 2024 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that local authorities are able to provide full-time schooling for children with complex additional support needs.

15 May 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to reform legislation on adults with incapacity, as recommended by the Scottish mental health law review.

Answer · Maree Todd: In our response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review, published in June 2023, we committed to establishing a Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme. We are due to publish the first Delivery Plan under this Programme shortly. Our main priority for ear…

14 May 2024 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to reduce waiting times for children requiring neurodevelopmental assessment.

14 May 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to amending Regulation 15 of the Civil Legal Aid (Scotland) Regulations 2002 to (a) broaden the scope of legal aid to include community groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and (b) ensure that legal aid is available in public interest litigation on envi…

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Government is committed to strengthening compliance with the requirements of the Aarhus Convention. We also remain committed to retaining a demand-led and sustainable system of legal aid, with legal aid funding to remain available to support indi…

14 May 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill will meet its reported obligations to comply with access to justice requirements under Article 9(4) of the Aarhus Convention before the deadline of 1 October 2024.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill, which is currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament, will introduce a number of reforms which are intended to improve access to justice, one of the three pillars outlined in the Aarhus Convention.  …

7 May 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to raising the school starting age and implementing a universal kindergarten stage.

23 Apr 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of a sinkhole on the rail network between Drumgelloch and Caldercruix stations, which forced the closure of the track.