Parliamentary questions
Alexander Burnett
1,406 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
23 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what role the Care Commission plays in the distribution of (a) public and (b) private funds across care homes.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (the Care Inspectorate) was established on 1 April 2011 following the commencement of the Public Services Reform (Scotland Act) 2010 (“the 2010 Act”) and encompassed other bodies such as the Care Commission…
23 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will review the payment structure for funding care homes; what guidance is available regarding the calculation of this, and what body oversees the process.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The statutory responsibility for delivering and commissioning care home placements at a local level lies with local authorities and integrated health and social care partnerships. The agreement on the rates paid for care home placements is determined by the c…
23 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid to private care homes to deliver its care home strategy in each of the last 10 years, and when a review of these subsidies will take place.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06927 on 4 March 2022. 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-committees…
18 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what specific funding has been given to Aberdeenshire Council to help with clean-up costs associated with Storm (a) Arwen, (b) Malik, (c) Corrie and (d) Eunice.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government has activated the Bellwin Scheme which offers additional revenue support to local authorities to assist with immediate and unforeseen costs that meet the qualifying criteria in the aftermath of emergency incidents such as the storms re…
17 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of metastatic breast cancer patients have received a holistic needs assessment, in each of the last five years.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: This information requested is not held centrally.
17 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of metastatic breast cancer patients have had their care discussed by a multidisciplinary team, in each of the last five years.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Information on multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion of patients whose first diagnosis of breast cancer was at a metastatic stage was collected until 2018 and has been archived since then because the 95% target was being consistently met across all Health B…
17 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many metastatic breast cancer patients have had access to a clinical nurse specialist, in each of the last five years.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Information on the numbers of metastatic breast cancer patients who have had access to a breast cancer specialist nurse is not held centrally. As part of the National Cancer Plan, we are providing up to £2.5 million to NHS boards to support 12 pilot programm…
17 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a voluntary additional COVID-19 booster programme to enable people to meet international travel requirements, where a destination country requires the last vaccine to have been administered within a certain number of days before travel.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Since its beginning, the aim of the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 Vaccination Programme has been to reduce the number of severe COVID-19 infections, hospitalisations and deaths. From its outset it has been guided by the expert advice provided by the Joint Co…
16 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it is doing to support the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel in homes across Scotland.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: The 2018 advice from the Climate Change Committee (CCC), our statutory advisers, was that over the next decade government policies should only support biomass use where this a) provides cost-effective abatement whilst avoiding ‘lock-in’ to sub-optimal uses, …
8 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that people are still able to access community defibrillators, that require an access code sent to a mobile phone, during times when mobile phone networks are down, such as during the recent storms Arwen, Malik and Corrie.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Strategy 2021 to 2026 , recognises the importance of defibrillation within the chain of survival. The strategy outlines a number of actions to ensure that Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) are mapped, maintained a…
8 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to legislate regarding “Ready to Burn” certification for firewood and briquette suppliers, and when will any such legislation come into force.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government has no immediate plans to introduce such legislation. However our new air quality strategy 'Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 - Towards a Better Place for Everyone' sets out a series of actions intended to deliver further air quality improvem…
3 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to communities in LOT 1 of its R100 broadband programme, in light of reports that, due to high interest in Openreach's Fibre Community Partnership programme, the company has had to temporarily pause new registrations while focussing on existing requests.
Answer · Kate Forbes: Openreach’s Fibre Community Partnership is a commercial offering and, therefore, the Scottish Government has no remit to intervene in their operation of that scheme, given the reserved nature of telecoms in the UK. Properties, including those in the R100 Nor…
3 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Healthcare Improvement Scotland will implement the updated NICE guideline, NG207, on induced labour, published on 4 November 2021, and, if so, what measures it will take to provide expectant mothers with information on the possible outcomes of induced labour, in line with the gui…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Where national guidance, including in the form of Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), does not exist, as in this case, NHS Boards develop guidance using up to date evidence, including NICE guidelines through their existing Board governance str…
2 Feb 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support NHS and social care recruitment in rural areas.
1 Feb 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether families with two working parents should be prioritised for nursery placements under the 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare scheme.
Answer · Clare Haughey: All three and four year olds and around a quarter of two year olds in Scotland have a statutory entitlement to up to 1140 hours of funded early learning and childcare a year. Our funded ELC offer is the most generous across the United Kingdom. Unlike the UK…
31 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of discontinuing 3G networks in rural areas, in light of reports that Vodafone has announced plans to switch off its ageing UK 3G network by the end of 2023.
Answer · Kate Forbes: Policy relating to mobile telecommunications is currently reserved to the UK Government and is regulated by Ofcom. However the Scottish Government recognises the vital importance of mobile connectivity for rural, remote and island communities and businesses.…
31 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the levels of stocks of smoke alarms available to people seeking to install battery-operated alarms in line with the new legislation on interlinked fire alarms.
Answer · Shona Robison: We are aware that there is significant public interest in carrying out work to comply with the new standard for fire alarms in all Scottish homes. We are also aware that some retailers have short term supply issues, and may be affected by difficulties with im…
28 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to open a long COVID clinic in the north and north east of Scotland.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: In September 2021, the Scottish Government set out our approach and 16 commitments to improve care and support for people with long COVID in Scotland. Our approach is to ensure people have access to the support they need for assessment, diagnosis, care and …
27 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what advice it can provide regarding how patients can raise timely complaints against privately-run GP practices, in light of reports that there is often no formal online complaints procedure, and what action it can take to introduce a central complaints body for patients to raise compla…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: GP practices which are run by independent contractors must have arrangements in place which operate in accordance with section 15 of the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011. Patients should raise their concerns in the first instance by phoning, writing to or e…
27 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05688 by Maree Todd on 26 January 2022, whether the Maternity and Children’s Quality Improvement Collaborative (MCQIC) will produce a report on the improvement of the understanding of the variation in caesarean section rates in Scotland, and, if so,…
Answer · Maree Todd: The Maternity and Children’s Quality Improvement Collaborative (MCQIC) is taking a quality improvement (QI) approach in its work to improve our understanding of the variation in caesarean section rates in Scotland. This work is in its early stages, with initi…
26 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what procedure should be followed by an individual who considers that they have been a victim of “gear conflict”, of the type “Other Shellfish Pots/ Creels + Other Shellfish Pots/ Creels”, and what should that individual expect as a result of following that procedure.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: In 2020 Marine Scotland introduced a new mechanism for reporting gear loss that aims to take a holistic approach, facilitating fishers being reunited with displaced gear. A report of lost gear can be made via any of our 18 Fishery Offices. The aim of this is…
26 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents of “gear conflict”, of the type “Other Shellfish Pots/ Creels + Other Shellfish Pots/ Creels”, have led to prosecution, broken down by the number of convictions, in each of the last seven years since this offence was identified as a priority in the Report of the Task F…
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: As noted in the report of the Task Force on Gear Conflict, there are no statutory requirements for gear conflict avoidance or resolution. Gear damage and vandalism is a crime and a matter for Police Scotland. It is not a fisheries offence and therefore Marine…
26 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many instances of targeted surveillance have been undertaken in areas where there is historically known to be gear conflict, since this was recommended in the Report of the Task Force on Gear Conflict, in December 2015, and what the results were of any such surveillance.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Report of the Task Force on Gear Conflict, while recommending Marine Scotland undertake targeted surveillance in areas where there is historically known to be gear conflict, also recognised that there are no statutory requirements for gear conflict avoida…
26 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action has been taken to assess and obtain technology for gathering evidence to tackle perpetrators of gear conflict, as recommended in the Report of the Task Force on Gear Conflict, in December 2015.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government are continuing to progress our commitment to modernise the Scottish fleet by deploying appropriate and proportionate vessel tracking and monitoring systems across inshore vessels. Work is well underway with the extension of Remote Elec…
26 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will conduct a review of wayleave widths following Storm Arwen.
Answer · John Swinney: Resilience of the Energy Sector is reserved and therefore the responsibility of the UK Government. Power Companies are required to meet statutory obligations under the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 with respect to minimum cleara…
26 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to facilitate access for businesses to information on COVID-19 outbreaks by area, in light of reports of insurance companies requiring evidence of this, prior to processing claims.
Answer · Ivan McKee: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published guidance on what is reasonable for a policyholder to rely on to satisfy the burden of proof for claims against Business Interruption Insurance. This includes, but is not limited to, a range of publicly avail…
26 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the eligibility criteria for Funeral Support Payments, in order that state pension recipients are also eligible, if they can demonstrate economic hardship.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The Scottish Government has no plans at this time to review the eligibility criteria for Funeral Support Payment but we continue to monitor and evaluate all our benefits. During the development of Funeral Support Payment we consulted and engaged with stakeho…
26 Jan 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve the safety and resilience of roads and bridges in the north east.
25 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether local authorities, emergency services, and energy and connectivity suppliers will be permitted to share vulnerable people's contact information to facilitate the provision of support to those people in times of emergencies, such as during the response to Storm Arwen.
Answer · John Swinney: During times of emergency, those responders designated as either Category 1 or 2 by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 are permitted to share personal information by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (Contingency Planning) Regulations 2005.
25 Jan 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its engagement with the UK Government on the delivery of the Project Gigabit scheme in Scotland.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government is currently working closely with Building Digital UK (BDUK) to develop our understanding of what Project Gigabit means for Scotland. To date, Project Gigabit has primarily focussed on England with the procurement approach developed fo…