Jenny Gilruth

21 Nov 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it would expect the Fife Economy Partnership to meet regularly with MSPs in a spirit of partnership and to promote economic growth in Fife.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Yes. Scottish Government Ministers and the Fife Economy Partnership (FEP) have met annually since 2011 to discuss a wide range of issues relevant to the Fife economy. As part of that process, I met with the FEP last month on Wednesday 14 November. The FEP en…

21 Nov 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government to what extent local businesses were consulted on how the £6 million provided to support the work of the Fife Taskforce following the Tullis Russell closure would be spent, and whether it will provide evidence of this.  

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Local business interests were directly represented on the Fife Task Force itself by the Fife Chambers of Commerce. Local businesses were represented on the Fife Task Force Operational Group, which had a remit to consider draft business cases governing the pro…

21 Nov 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the spend by the Fife Taskforce that was established following the closure of Tullis Russell in 2015 was communicated to local elected Members.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Fife Task Force met eight times between 30 April 2015 and 25 October 2016. Elected Members involved in the Fife Task Force through its eighteen month term included the constituency MSP, constituency MP, and further MSP representation from Scottish Labour …

21 Nov 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government who (a) was invited to attend and (b) attended the final meeting on 25 October 2016 of the Fife Taskforce that was established following the closure of Tullis Russell.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: At the time of the final meeting, the invitees included representatives from the Scottish Government; Fife Council; Tullis Russell Group; Scottish Enterprise; Skills Development Scotland (SDS); Department of Work & Pensions (DWP); Fife Economy Partnership; Fi…

21 Nov 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £6 million funding provided to support the work of the Fife Taskforce following the Tullis Russell closure was allocated by the time the taskforce was wound up on 25 October 2016, and on which projects.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Information provided by Fife Council confirms that £5.1 million had been committed to agreed projects by the time the final meeting of the Task Force was held. The Fife Task Force Action Plan identified a series of initiatives across four strands of activity…

19 Nov 2018 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what further steps it will take to prevent alcohol-related harm in Scotland to build on progress made since its 2009 publication, Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol: A Framework for Action.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Today I am publishing my further plans for tackling alcohol-related harms in Scotland, in Alcohol Framework 2018: Preventing Harm (https://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781787813328 ). In this new Framework, I am prioritising 20 actions to build on the wide range of ex…

8 Nov 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its news release of 27 April 2015, Tullis Russell Papermakers Limited, how much it allocated to the joint task force that it set up; what action it has taken to monitor and audit the use of this; how much remains held by Fife Council, and when it last met the stakeholders inv…

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government made £6 million available to Fife Council to support delivery of the Fife Task Force Action Plan. Prior to closure of the Task Force on 25 October 2016, all projects seeking funding were framed in a business case agreed by Fife Counci…

19 Sep 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Implementation Plan in the National Missing Persons Framework for Scotland.

5 Sep 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Scottish Coastal Rubbish Aerial Photography project.

3 Jul 2018 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the Child Protection Improvement Programme.

Answer · Maree Todd: Our starting point for the Child Protection Improvement Programme has always been that our system has areas of significant strength. The programme is therefore about building on those strengths and recognising the distance travelled. The Child Protection Imp…

6 Jun 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how its cross-portfolio work on tackling adverse childhood experiences is contributing to closing the attainment gap.

30 May 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its role is in maintaining the school estate.

9 May 2018 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with its review of the 15 to 24 Learner Journey.

Answer · John Swinney: The Learner Journey Review has concluded its work and the report is published today. The Review has highlighted that Scotland is rightly proud of its education and skills system, which continues to deliver excellence and equity for so many of our young people…

8 May 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress in delivering the new Scottish social security system.

27 Apr 2018 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a progress update on the agreement of a multi-year funding package to support the expansion of early learning and childcare entitlement.

Answer · Maree Todd: Scottish Ministers and COSLA Leaders reached agreement on a multi-year revenue and capital funding package for the expansion of early learning and childcare today, Friday 27 April. This agreement represents a shared understanding of the costs required to deli…

25 Apr 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria are used to assess schools for inclusion in the Scotland's Schools for the Future programme.

Answer · John Swinney: The aim of the Scottish Government's £1.8 billion Scotland's Schools for the Future programme is to address the worst condition schools across Scotland. All 117 projects within the programme were identified by local authorities as their priority schools for …

28 Mar 2018 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish the details of the Funding Follows the Child approach and the supporting National Standard for the delivery of the expanded early learning and childcare entitlement.

Answer · Maree Todd: In March 2017 the Scottish Government published ‘A Blueprint for 2020: The Expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland: 2017-18 Action Plan’ which made clear that in order to deliver our policy vision for the expansion, a more progressive service mo…

28 Feb 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will next meet Fife Council to discuss education matters.

26 Feb 2018 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what minimum price it recommends setting for a unit of alcohol.

8 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers transport acts as a driver for inclusive growth.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government considers transport a vital driver of inclusive growth. This is evidenced in the range of transport innovations we have made, from the construction of the new Forth Crossing to the opening of the Borders Railway to the introduction o…

8 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what inclusive growth projects it is supporting in Fife.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is committed to achieving inclusive growth in all parts of Scotland. Inclusive growth is assisted by our significant investment in areas such as local government, housing, education and skills, transport and health. This investment com…

8 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the Edinburgh City Region Deal will drive inclusive growth in the Mid Fife and Glenrothes constituency.

Answer · Keith Brown: The £300m of investment from the Scottish Government in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal will have a transformative impact on the region’s economy and inclusion and will deliver growth, new jobs and new opportunities as well as key trans…

29 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of what the £35.15 million expenditure for the A92 trunk road between April 2007 and September 2017 was spent on.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We are committed to maintaining the trunk road network in line with international best practice. We invest in essential road maintenance schemes, bridge strengthening programme and ancillary assets. This also increases the resilience of the network to unplann…

17 Jan 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proposals it has to reduce waiting times in hospitals during next winter.

10 Jan 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Glenrothes new town in summer 2018.

19 Dec 2017 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it can provide regarding the recent visit to India by the Deputy First Minister.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Deputy First Minister visited India between 2 and 6 December attending events and meetings in Mumbai and New Delhi. The Deputy First Minister was accompanied by a delegation of principals and vice principals from 11 Scottish universities and one college. …

8 Dec 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the increased costs to the NHS associated with a rise in the number of people with dementia, and what reforms to health services are required to meet the challenge of the ageing population.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government estimates that the overall annual cost associated with people with dementia is around £2.2 billion. We estimate that two thirds of this cost is met by people with dementia and their families, including unpaid care and privately funded…

6 Dec 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on Transport Scotland's plans for road safety improvements to the A92.

29 Nov 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Fife.

22 Nov 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the adequacy of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal's consultation with communities regarding identifying priority projects.

Answer · Keith Brown: The duty to inform and engage the community lies with the city region partners. We expect each Local Authority to engage fully with their respective communities when developing their proposals.