Alexander Burnett

25 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports local authorities in helping young people with chronic conditions access education when they are physically or mentally unable to attend mainstream school.

Answer · John Swinney: The Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000 places duties on education authorities to make special arrangements for children or young people who are unable to attend school due to ill health to receive education elsewhere than at an educational establis…

23 Apr 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to support young people with autism and Asperger's who are in mainstream education or who are seeking apprenticeships or other work placements.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: There are a range of mechanisms in place to support young people with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome in schools, who are seeking apprenticeships or other work placements. These include:additional support for learning in schools;support for apprenticeships fr…

23 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) plans to adopt the latest National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines regarding Lyme disease and, if so, by what date.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Where there is no SIGN guideline on a particular topic, SIGN would expect healthcare professionals in Scotland to look for another high quality, evidence based guideline, such as the recently published NICE guideline on Lyme disease. This latest NICE guidelin…

23 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish leaflets and information for (a) medical practitioners and (b) the public in all NHS board areas regarding Lyme disease.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Published information on Lyme disease for medical practitioners can be found at: http://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/education-and-training/by-theme-initiative/public-health/health-protection/gastrointestinal-infection-and-zoonoses/lyme-disease.aspx and for the pub…

19 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on developing a (a) platform that showcases the digital health options that are available to people and (b) formal approval system of health apps.

Answer · Shona Robison: As set out in my answer to S5W-14011 on 1 February 2018, the Scottish Government is undertaking a Proof of Concept with the West of Scotland NHS Boards to examine how a Health and Social Care Services Portal may be developed to help citizens in the management…

18 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on developing an equivalent body to the NHS Digital service that is in place in England.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government, in partnership with COSLA, has now published Scotland’s Digital Health and Care Strategy which sets out a clear national direction for digital health and care delivery. We will now be working across the Scottish Government, NHS Scotla…

18 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review drainage charges for nursery schools, which are reported to have been subject to large increases as a result of new property rateable values.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Government has no plans to review drainage charges. All businesses, including nursery schools, are required to pay water, sewerage and drainage charges where they are connected to public services. Where a nursery school is a charity, it can seek exemption…

17 Apr 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans NHS Education for Scotland (NES) has to provide training for staff who deal with adults with ME.

Answer · Shona Robison: I have asked Caroline Lamb, Chief Executive Officer of NHS Education for Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows: NHS Education for Scotland (NES) has a key role in co-ordinating recruitment to and overseeing the quality of postgraduate Medical trai…

28 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what qualifications firearms licensing officers require, and whether people applying for these posts must undergo basic firearms training as part of the application process.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This is an operational matter for Police Scotland.

26 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-01905 by Aileen Campbell on 14 March 2018, how it plans to encourage young people to take up golf, in light of (a) a reported shortfall in funding from sportscotland to Scottish Golf and (b) it no longer providing funding to ClubGolf beyond 2018, wh…

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government is committed to working with sport scotland and Scottish Golf to widen participation and to promote golf to young people across Scotland. That is why we are supporting major events such as the Solheim Cup in 2019 which will provide opp…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14829 by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 March 2018, how much it estimates it will cost for an oil storage facility to comply with the regulations; what information it has regarding how many sites (a) comply and (b) do not comply with these, and what its p…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: SEPA has offered advice and provided a checklist to assist operators in carrying out a compliance assessment. Until such times as this process is carried out SEPA will not have an indication of the number of licences required. Those sites which are compliant…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14829 by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 March 2018, whether it has carried out a marketplace impact assessment of the licenses and, if so, whether it will publish this.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: A market place impact assessment of the licences was not carried out. SEPA has, however, engaged with the sector on the proposed approach to determining whether sites will require a licence.

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14829 by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 March 2018, whether it will publish the findings of the 2015 study on the condition of the oil storage facilities.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: This SEPA study was published as evidence in the Public Petitions Committee Report of case PE1522.  http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01522

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with VisitScotland to discuss new signage on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Road (AWPR); what plans it has to install tourist signage on the road to promote nearby points of interest and attractions, including the Cairngorms National Park, Highland and Deeside T…

Answer · Keith Brown: It has not been necessary for the Scottish Government to hold any meetings with Visit Scotland to discuss new signage on the AWPR/B-T. The provision of tourist signage is dependent on eligibility criteria set out in Visit Scotland’s ‘Eligibility for Brown Tou…

21 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14829 by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 March 2018, how much the SEPA licences will cost, and how much revenue they will generate.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The current licence fee is £2,101 (following 1 April RPI increase). The fee is on a cost recovery basis which covers cost of licence determination and any required compliance visits.

20 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been allocated to each NHS board to provide FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring devices to people with type 1 diabetes, and how many each board has issued.

Answer · Shona Robison: FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring sensors were added to the Scottish Drug Tariff in November 2017. It is for NHS Boards to consider their inclusion on local prescribing formularies. These decisions will be informed by evidence of clinical and cost effe…

13 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the practice adopted in Europe, what consideration it has given to using pure rock salt instead of a mix of grit and rocksalt during hazardous icy road conditions, which is understood to minimise issues caused by excess grit.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Our winter service includes precautionary salting of all carriageways and the more important footways in advance of forecast ice and snow. Since 2007-08, pre-wetted salting has been used on all our trunk roads. Our pre-wetted salting involves spreading dry r…

13 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-14676 by Jamie Hepburn on 6 March 2018, what additional financial support it provides to unemployed people (a) to update their CVs, including to pay for any (i) support and (ii) training required to help them compile these and (b) who require System…

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: As I outlined in my answer to S5W-14676, The Scottish Government, in partnership with Skills Development Scotland and employability providers, has a range of support packages available to help support individuals to make the transition from one career into an…

12 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans NHS Grampian has to adopt the Abbot Diabetic Blood Monitoring System.

Answer · Shona Robison: On 28 February 2018 NHS Grampian issued a position statement with regard to the prescription of FreeStyle Libre. The statement is published on the NHS Board web site and can be found through the following link http://www.nhsgrampian.co.uk/nhsgrampian/files/N…

6 Mar 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to maintain the legacy of the 2014 Ryder Cup tournament at Gleneagles.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: As a direct legacy of our successful hosting of the Ryder Cup, in 2015 Scotland was chosen as the host for the Solheim Cup, also to be held at Gleneagles in 2019. Hosting the highest profile event in women’s golf will further enhance Scotland’s international …

5 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing legislation regarding the mandatory use of winter tyres.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The regulation governing the construction, weight, use and equipment of motor vehicles is a reserved matter. The Scottish Government has no plans to explore the introduction of legislation to make the use of winter tyres mandatory in Scotland at this time. W…

28 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what resources are being used to help universities deal with the application process for the £20,000 bursaries for STEM subjects that was announced in October 2017, and how many applications there have been.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government announced on 7 March that the STEM bursary scheme will open for applications on 3 April on the STEM Bursary Scotland website, which is hosted by Skills Development Scotland.

22 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on oil distribution companies of the changes to the Controlled Activities Regulations when applying for a SEPA licence, and how many companies these changes will affect.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: A study was carried out in 2015 into the condition of oil storage facilities used for onward distribution, which were exempt from oil storage legislation. A number of issues were found which had potential to impact on public safety, or the environment. It had…

20 Feb 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce drug use in prisons.

15 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) support and (b) funding it provides to unemployed people who require specific certifications to transition from one job sector to another.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government, in partnership with Skills Development Scotland and employability providers, has a range of support packages available to help support individuals to make the transition from one career into another, where that requires a specific cer…

15 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what initiatives it is putting in place to (a) provide and (b) fund System Applications Products (SAP) courses, exams and certificates for unemployed people wishing to return to work in the oil and gas industry.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Transition Training Fund (TTF) was announced by the First Minister in February 2016. Its purpose is to support individuals who have lost, or are at risk of losing, their jobs in the oil and gas sector. The Fund provides support by offering grants to indiv…

8 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-13542 by Shona Robison on 9 February 2018, what its position is on whether the NHS has increased its reliance on privately-funded lab results for diagnosis in order to address backlogs and waiting periods for NHS-funded laboratory results.

Answer · Shona Robison: The use of private laboratories by the NHS is a matter for individual Boards and will be dependent on demand and availability of services. Private laboratories are not used by the NHS to process Scottish Clinical Microbiology and Virology samples however thi…

8 Feb 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what qualifications are required in order to become a police firearms officer, and whether candidates are required to undergo basic firearms training before being considered for such a position.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The appointment of police firearms officers is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. All successful applicants must successfully complete an 11-week initial firearms course.

18 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what new initiatives are being considered to support vulnerable children with mental health issues, in light of the reported decrease in the budget for child and adolescent mental health services.

Answer · Maureen Watt: All children and young people have the right to be cared for, protected from harm, and to grow up in a safe environment in which their rights and needs are respected. We expect all children and young people to have their needs met by the mental health system,…

19 Dec 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what emergency support measures are in place for people who could be affected by severe weather over the festive period.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government’s Resilience operation is active every day of the year, including weekends and public holidays over the festive period, analysing and responding as required to any weather and flood alerts that are identified by the Met Office and the …