Alexander Burnett

18 Jun 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on offering blood tests to anyone considered to be at risk of having contracted Lyme disease.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Current guidelines state that Lyme disease should be diagnosed and treated based on clinical presentation or suspicion of the disease, supported where necessary by laboratory testing. It is not current practice to treat people for Lyme disease who do not have…

18 Jun 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made since August 2018 on increasing the number of foundation, modern and graduate apprenticeships that are offered and taken up.

28 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the partnership between Aberdeenshire Council and private, voluntary and independent sector childcare providers will be able to deliver the expansion to 1,140 hours of funded childcare by August 2020, and whether it will publish the details of any …

Answer · Maree Todd: All local authorities recognise that funded providers across the private and third sectors are vital to the delivery of the 1140 offer. This is reflected in local authority expansion plans which indicate that around a quarter of funded hours will be delivered…

28 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place for private, voluntary and independent sector providers in Aberdeenshire that wish to comment on the decision-making process for the expansion for the delivery of 1,140 hours of funded childcare by August 2020.

Answer · Maree Todd: Meaningful and genuine partnership working between local authorities and funded providers is key to the expansion of funded early learning and childcare. The Scottish Government and COSLA established the ELC Partnership Forum to bring together local authorit…

28 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to address the reported increase in staff moving from private, voluntary and independent sector childcare providers to local authority-run services.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government’s Delivery Support Plan for Providers, published on 19 December 2018, set out how we will ensure providers, including childminders, are supported through the transition to 2020. This includes the following measures which aim to support…

28 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage local authority transparency in the setting of the hourly rate for providing childcare services.

Answer · Maree Todd: Guidance was published on 29 April 2019 - Funding Follows the Child and the National Standard for Early Learning and Childcare Providers: Guidance for Setting Sustainable Rates from August 2020 – to support local authorities to set sustainable rates for provi…

28 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the cost of the day-to-day running of childcare services for private, voluntary and independent sector providers in Aberdeenshire will compare with that for North Lanarkshire by August 2020, and how any variance will impact on future provision.

Answer · Maree Todd: From August 2020 all providers in the private and third sector, including childminders, who are delivering the funded early learning and childcare entitlement will receive a sustainable funding rate that reflects the cost of delivery. The funding to enable pr…

21 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of Brexit on consumer confidence in relation to VAT receipts in Scotland; whether it will clarify comments by its official at the Finance and Constitution Committee meeting on 8 May 2019 that VAT receipts in Scotland had been lower than in the re…

Answer · Derek Mackay: The uncertainty relating to Brexit is impacting key economic indicators for Scotland with business and consumer sentiment surveys reporting notable falls in confidence. The Scottish Government assesses consumer confidence through its Consumer Sentiment Indic…

20 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will offer people in Scotland who lost money due to the collapse of London Capital & Finance to seek compensation.

Answer · Kate Forbes: This is a stressful time for all who are affected by the collapse of London Capital and Finance (LC&F). The regulation of financial services, including the services your constituent has highlighted, is a reserved matter to the UK Government. Consequently, Sco…

15 May 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop resources to support the expansion of tourism and culture.

8 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reported decline in catches of salmon and sea trout is having on the (a) economic value of wild fisheries and (b) economy in rural areas.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government has not undertaken any new assessment of the impact of the most recent salmon and sea trout catch statistics. Our most recent assessment comes from a report by economic consultants PACEC, commissioned in 2015 and published in March 201…

25 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what safeguards are in place to ensure that windfarms are decommissioned correctly and, in particular, where companies owning windfarms are in liquidation or insolvent.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: As set out in paragraph 169 of the Scottish Planning Policy, it is for the relevant planning authority, before determining any application, to consider the need for conditions relating to the decommissioning of developments, including ancillary infrastructure…

18 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of concerns regarding illegal licencing practices by some caravan park site owners, whether it will review the maximum 10% commission entitlement to mobile home owners specified in the Mobile Homes (Written Statement) (Scotland) Regulations 2013.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has carried out a considerable amount of work on mobile home issues since 2012. The Mobile Homes Act 1983 (Amendment of Schedule 1) (Scotland) Order 2013 significantly enhanced the protection of mobile home residents in Scotland. As pa…

8 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20098 by John Swinney on 4 December 2018, in light of the cabinet secretary's comment that he had "paused the publication of the revised presumption of mainstreaming guidance and research into the experiences of children receiving additional support…

Answer · John Swinney: The Guidance on the presumption to provide education in a mainstream setting was informed by a wide range of information and evidence including the Not Included, Not Engaged and Not Involved report. The guidance takes account of the matters raised in the repo…

4 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many acres of land are and (b) what percentage of (i) land and property titles and (ii) land mass coverage is registered in the Land Register.

Answer · Kate Forbes: This is a question for the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland. She advises me that that: 1. 2,750,488 hectares of land are registered and 2. the percentage of (i) land and property titles of 67.0% (ii) and 34.35% land mass coverage is registered in the Lan…

3 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) staff, (b) external legal and (c) other costs it incurred in its action against Ineos and Reach Coal Seam Gas regarding fracking.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government did not take “action against Ineos and Reach Coal Seam Gas” as has been asserted in the Member’s question. However, on 09 January 2018 INEOS Upstream Ltd and Reach Coal Seam Gas Ltd announced their decision to seek a judicial review o…

2 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with setting up low emission zones in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Dundee and (c) Edinburgh.

Answer · Michael Matheson: We are working in partnership with Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh city councils to deliver our commitment to introduce low emission zones in these cities by the end of 2020. Aberdeen is in the early stages of developing their plans and will be collecting new …

6 Mar 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of the European Union (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill (not EU Withdrawal (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill).

21 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21286 by Clare Haughey on 18 February 2019, what outputs will be published at each stage of the public consultation, and by what date these will be released.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The independent review of Learning Disability and Autism in the Mental Health Act is due to report to Ministers by the end of this year. However, interim documents will be published at the end of each public engagement phase and can be accessed on the review’…

19 Feb 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with stakeholders to improve its autism strategy.

6 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-02764 by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 January 2019, how communities will be provided with sufficient funds to protect themselves from flooding, and what its response is to reports that, although the number of houses in potentially vulnerable areas has …

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: No country can entirely remove the risk of flooding. Our approach has been to ensure that investment is targeted to where it can have the most impact. Flood Risk Management Strategies and Local Plans have been developed to reduce the devastating and costly im…

6 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-02764 by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 January 2019, what its response is to concerns that people living in newly-appointed potentially vulnerable areas have reportedly stated that they have been given insufficient opportunity by SEPA to comment and tha…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: SEPA carried out a three month public consultation on the identification of Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs) commencing on 1 May 2018 and this was promoted in a number of publications and through social media. There was also a radio campaign broadcasting t…

5 Feb 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5T-01462 by Aileen Campbell on 29 January 2019 (Official Report, c. 3), what due diligence of Our Power was carried out, and whether Audit Scotland plans to review this.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government made commercial decisions about its support for Our Power based upon due diligence. These decisions were made alongside other lenders as part of a Securities Trust. The due diligence undertaken included obtaining independent expert adv…

29 Jan 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the terms will be of the inquiry into the detainment of patients with learning difficulties at the State Hospital; when the inquiry will begin, and how long it will take.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government has made clear that the independent review of Learning Disability and Autism in the Mental Health Act, which began in January 2018, is investigating the wider issue of whether the current legislation needs to change for people with lea…

23 Jan 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers have had with civil servants regarding the EU Withdrawal (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill since the Supreme Court’s judgement on it.

9 Jan 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the status of the communities that are due to be listed as potentially vulnerable areas.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Members should be aware this question is about flood management . Scottish Ministers approved the revised set of Potentially Vulnerable Areas submitted by SEPA in September 2018 and these were published on SEPA's website on 22 December 2018. Working closely …

11 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what contribution it anticipates to emissions reduction and renewable heat targets for domestic and non-domestic buildings envisaged in its Energy Strategy and Climate Change plan will be derived from (a) electric heat pumps, (b) biomass heating systems and (c) district heating.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Scotland’s Climate Change Plan sets out an ambitious trajectory for decarbonising heat, where, by 2032, low carbon heat would supply 35% of domestic buildings’ heat and 70% of non-domestic buildings’ heat. Our Energy Strategy further commits us to ensuring th…

11 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason over 1,000 NHS dental practices are reported to be exempt from the higher standard of Health Improvement Scotland inspection and enforcement.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: NHS dental practices and practices with a combination of NHS and private work are regulated by the local health board. using the Combined Practice Inspection (CPI) checklist for regulation and inspection which has been in place since 1 January 2014. The CPI C…

11 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the inspection and regulation process in the rest of the UK covering all dental practices equally, for what reason a reported 30-35 non-NHS dental practices in Scotland are identified for inspection and regulation, while over 1,000 NHS dental practices are inspected to a mor…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Until April 2016 wholly private dental practices were not subject to any scrutiny or inspection. They are now subject to the same level of scrutiny and inspection as their NHS counterparts. Non-NHS dental practices, which provide only private services, meet t…

11 Dec 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Health Improvement Scotland fee structure is reportedly more expensive in Scotland compared with inspecting authorities in other UK regions for the same level of regulation and inspection.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government’s policy is that the regulation of independent healthcare in Scotland should be entirely funded through the fees paid by those providers who are being regulated. The rate of the fees, which is based on a cost recovery basis, was subjec…