Ruth Maguire

24 Jan 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to take forward the recommendations in the report, Joint Thematic Review of MAPPA in Scotland, which was published in November 2015.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government welcomes the Joint Thematic Review of MAPPA which noted the effective and critical contribution MAPPA makes to keeping people and communities safe. We accepted the ten recommendations in the report and continue to work in partnership …

24 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Nuisance Calls Commission.

Answer · Keith Brown: A joint action plan will be published prior to summer recess providing an update on the progress made by Scottish Government, in partnership with key stakeholders, to tackle nuisance calls as well as longer term actions. In the meantime minutes and papers can…

18 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to use new social security powers that have been devolved.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government has always been clear that we will use our new powers to build a fairer social security system, founded on the principles of dignity, fairness and respect. We have already set out some of the steps that we will take to achieve this. Fo…

21 Dec 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of its Equally Safe strategy.

31 Oct 2016 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what analysis the Scottish Government has conducted into the contribution that migrants make to Scotland.

26 Oct 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the UK Government's response to its proposals for employment support programmes.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: On 5 October 2016 I advised the Scottish Parliament that Damian Green, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions had confirmed in a letter to me that the extent to which the UK Government’s benefit conditionality and sanctions would apply to devolved employmen…

27 Sep 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in establishing routine enquiry of abuse in the NHS.

Answer · Shona Robison: Routine enquiry of domestic abuse is an important means of supporting diagnosis and assessment of peoples’ needs to ensure most appropriate treatment and care. In NHS Scotland, it is being implemented within the priority settings of maternity, mental health, …

7 Sep 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact withdrawal from the EU would have on the Digital Scotland's superfast broadband project.

20 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact will be of the ban on cash payments for scrap metal on smaller metal dealers and how it will monitor this.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Metal theft is a severe problem in Scotland. That is why we included, in the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015, provisions to tighten up the controls on the metal dealer licensing regime. There was widespread support for the ban on cash payments…

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the potential benefits are to young people of learning a foreign language in terms of (a) future employment prospects and (b) increasing cultural awareness.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government recognises that language learning offers key life skills and should be available to all as part of school education. Specifically language skills help young people’s future employment prospects by equipping them with a range of skill…

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils will be taught a foreign language in 2016-17.

Answer · John Swinney: This information is not held centrally. As an indication of progress, two thirds of all Scottish local authorities (21 of 32) report that they are now providing learning in a first additional language for P1 pupils. There is a growing expectation that all y…

13 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans over the next five years take to encourage learning foreign languages in (a) schools and (b) communities.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is committed to full implementation of the 1+2 languages policy in schools by 2021, leading to more and earlier language learning, as a normal part of a broad, relevant school education. We will continue to support local authorities in…

8 Jun 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Ayrshire and Arran regarding mental health.

7 Jun 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff NHS Ayrshire and Arran employs and how this compares with September 2006.

Answer · Shona Robison: Under this government, the number of staff working in Scotland’s NHS has risen to a record high. As at March 2016, 8,645.7 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) staff were employed in NHS Ayrshire and Arran – a 6.6 per cent increase since September 2006.* *Source: In…