Alexander Burnett

7 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing advisory speed limit signs, including at dangerous bends, before crossroads and in densely populated areas, similar to those operated elsewhere in the UK.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Traffic signs and permitted variants that can be used on public roads in Scotland are contained in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 (the TSRGD). The use of signs is restricted by TSRGD to various permitted combinations and layouts to …

7 Jan 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many specialist bereavement midwives are employed by each NHS board, also broken down by how many positions are vacant.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Information on the number of specialist bereavement midwives employed by each Health Board is not collected centrally. However, we know that some Health Boards have specialist bereavement midwives; other Health Boards take a different approach and have indivi…

11 Dec 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is responding to reports that knowledge of changes in pupil performance is at a 70-year low.

26 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there is a consistent approach across local authorities to the installation and use of defibrillators in sports centres and buildings that they fully or partially own or manage.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The provision and location of life saving equipment at individual organisations in their local community is for local authorities or leisure trusts to determine. Scotland’s Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Strategy recognises the importance of Public Ac…

20 Nov 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase investment in the Autism Training Framework.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Since 2013-14 we have provided funding of £671,000 to NHS Education for Scotland to support Autism Training resources for NHS professionals as part of our Scottish Strategy for Autism.   We commission NHS Education for Scotland to engage with NHS Boards …

14 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it informs householders about low-carbon heating and energy efficiency options for their homes, and what support it offers to assist them with the installation of these.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government funds Home Energy Scotland which provides free and impartial advice on energy efficiency, renewables and energy storage. Home Energy Scotland provides a 'one-stop shop' with tailored advice, home visits and access to a range of loan a…

14 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on piloting the use of thermal storage and electric batteries in (a) homes and (b) businesses to help reduce fuel bills.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government already supports the uptake of thermal and electric battery storage to help reduce fuel costs for consumers and businesses, including large scale demonstration projects such as deployment of heat batteries alongside solar photo voltaic…

14 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what disparity there is between the domestic energy bills of households that are on and off the gas grid, and what plans it has to address any gap.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is concerned that many energy consumers in Scotland continue to struggle to access the full benefit of the energy market, the regulation of which remains, at present, a reserved matter, and therefore the responsibility of UK Ministers …

14 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being taken to ensure that there is continued financial support for renewable heating technologies after the Renewable Heat Incentive ends in 2021.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is concerned at the decision by the UK Government to end the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme and continues to press UK Ministers on the need for a successor scheme to the RHI, given RHI is due to end in March 2021. It is imperati…

14 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to inform householders regarding the implications of decarbonising the energy system to help achieve its net-zero carbon target by 2045.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Scottish Government has committed to producing an update to the Climate Change Plan by the end of April 2019. In addition, we are revising our climate change public engagement strategy and hope to publish a new strategy in Spring 2020, setting out our approac…

7 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to research carried out by Scottish Wildcat Action and its partners into wildcat den locations and the impact that logging has on their population.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Data from the ongoing Scottish Wildcat Action research is fed back to Forestry and Land Scotland staff and used to inform the management of forestry operations, for example in ensuring appropriate mitigation is in place around den and rest sites. The current …

6 Nov 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding will be given to local authorities to support maintenance of essential transport infrastructure.

6 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on the investment in and delivery of targeted training to improve the understanding of autism across the health and social care workforce, in line with the Autism Training Framework detailed in the Scottish Strategy for Autism 2018-2021.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is committed to improving the lives of autistic people in Scotland. We are committed to implementing the priorities as laid out in the refreshed Scottish Strategy for Autism Outcomes and Priorities 2018-2021. Since 2013-14 the Scott…

5 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being taken to protect Clashindarroch Forest wildcats from the impact of logging during kitten season.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The following measures are being, or have been, taken in Clashindarroch Forest:During the winter of 2015-16 and again in 2017-18, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and Scottish Wildcat Action (SWA) partners employed extensive camera trapping surveys to gain a …

5 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has undertaken into wildcat den locations and the impact that logging has on their population.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Wildcat Action (SWA) partnership, which includes the Scottish Government, has been involved in the GPS tracking of wildcats over the past two years, as part of a collaboration with the University of Oxford. One of the objectives of this research…

5 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the campaign and petition to protect wildcats in Clashindarroch Forest.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Wildcats are one of Scotland’s most endangered animals. Their conservation and protection is of the highest priority requiring a well-informed and collaborative approach to understanding their ecology to give their remaining populations the best possible chan…

1 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will give an update on what consideration it is giving to the use of hernia mesh devices and fixtures, in light of public petition PE01517.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: While the use of hernia mesh remains accepted practice across the UK, the Scottish Government is aware of the concerns that have been expressed by patients and others about the use of mesh in a non-transvaginal setting. As such, the Scottish Government took t…

25 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20486 by Joe FitzPatrick on 20 December 2018, when the branded tick removers will be distributed, and where these will be made available.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: A number of branded tick removers were purchased by Health Protection Scotland (HPS) to aid promotion of the 'avoiding bugs and germs outdoors' webpage on NHS Inform. These have been distributed throughout the summer to organisers of and/or exhibitors at vari…

24 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement that it will provide funding to repair or replace a closed Moray beach bridge, whether funding will be made available to Aberdeenshire Council to allow for the repair or replacement of Park Bridge and, if so, when.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Maintenance of the local road network is the responsibility of local authorities to allocate resources on the basis of local priorities. The vast majority of funding to local authorities from the Scottish Government is provided via a block grant and we do not…

11 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on establishing a Scottish Energy Networks Group, as outlined in its 2030 vision for Scotland’s electricity and gas networks.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government continues to engage closely with senior representatives from industry, Government and consumer groups to help achieve our goals as set out in the recently published Networks vision to 2030. An important part of that engagement will ta…

11 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the proposed benefits of the expansion of pumped storage hydro at Cruachan in relation to securing flexibility and storage capacity for Scotland's energy mix.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government co-authored a report, in partnership with Scottish Renewables, that details the benefits of pumped storage hydro. This report can be found here: https://www.scottishrenewables.com/publications/benefits-pumped-storage-hydro-uk/ . The…

11 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it continues to support the expansion of pumped storage hydro capacity at Cruachan as part of its Energy Strategy commitment to promote storage and flexibility.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government believes strongly in the strategic, system and economic value of pumped storage hydro capacity. Scotland already has around 30 GWh of pumped storage hydro capability, with more in the pipeline. Alongside the proposed expansion of Crua…

9 Sep 2019 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister when an action plan for delivery of residential services for drug and alcohol rehabilitation across the country will be provided, in line with its Drug and Alcohol Strategy.

5 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to improve the energy efficiency of listed buildings.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government remains committed to achieving the vision of our Energy Efficient Scotland (EES) Programme that by 2040 our homes and buildings are warmer, greener and more efficient. The EES Route Map, published in May 2018, outlines our objectives …

3 Sep 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its anticipated timescale is for the progress of the Scottish Elections (Reform) Bill.

3 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05394 by Roseanna Cunningham on 20 December 2016, for what reason statutory protection of the freshwater pearl mussel population in the unnamed water, river X, has still not been implemented.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We are carefully considering advice from Scottish Natural Heritage on this issue, including on the Scottish suite of Special Areas of Conservation for freshwater pearl mussel.

28 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can offer or is offering to former consumers of Our Power, who are reportedly facing ongoing issues regarding their energy supply.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Our Power went into administration in January 2019 with their customers transferred to Utilita Energy. When an energy supplier goes out of business, the GB energy regulator Ofgem uses a competitive process called the Supplier of Last Resort (SOLR) to select a…

28 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking or can take to increase the number of suppliers available to homes that are electric only.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W- 25022 on 20 September 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusi…

28 Aug 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what efforts it is making or can make to ensure that electric-only supplied houses are provided a broad choice of suppliers.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Consumer fairness is a key priority for the Scottish Government. We continue to call on the UK Government for an equitable energy market that serves all consumers fairly regardless of location, circumstance or meter type. I recently responded to Ofgem’s cons…

18 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on setting up a regional or national blood testing centre in the NHS Grampian area, and what support it can offer toward this.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: NHS National Services Scotland’s National Services Division (NSD) commission and manage nationally designated specialist services in Scotland. Proposals may be submitted to the National Specialist Services Committee throughout the year. NSD already commissio…