Alexander Burnett

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what pathways of support and treatment are available to eating disorder patients who may require non-standardised care.

Answer · Maree Todd: We are committed to supporting people to access the right care at the right time and having support in place to respond to the whole person needs of those who suffer from an eating disorder. That is why in 2023-24 we allocated £55.5 million to Health Boards t…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) discussions it has had regarding and (b) consideration it has given to the use of integrated cognitive behaviour treatment (I-CBTE) for patients with eating disorders and anorexia.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is supporting the NHS to offer the best evidence-based care and treatment to anyone who needs it. Decisions on what the best, and most appropriate, treatment options are for patients are informed by official guidelines, and clinical an…

20 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been carried out of the number of eating disorder patients who are neurodivergent.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not collect this data. Individual NHS boards may hold this data locally and are best placed to advise. We do know that eating disorders can co-occur with neurodevelopmental conditions including autism and ADHD. The draft National…

19 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to set up regional blood testing centres for Lyme disease. 

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government provides baseline funding to NHS boards. It is for each NHS Board to determine how best to utilise the funding and resources provided by the Scottish Government to meet the needs and priorities of their local populations, and to ensure…

19 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it is doing to (a) raise awareness of and (b) improve (i) diagnosis and (ii) treatment of Lyme disease.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is committed to continuing its work on preventing, raising awareness and improving our understanding of Lyme disease and ticks. The Scottish Government-led Lyme Disease Awareness Raising Group will run the Lyme Disease Awareness Raisi…

19 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has taken to improve medical professionals’ understanding, recognition and treatment of Lyme disease.

Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26312 on 8 April 2024. 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…

19 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in Scotland have Lyme disease.

Answer · Jenni Minto: This information is not held centrally. Public Health Scotland published a Gastrointestinal and Zoonoses report on 7 February 2023 which provides figures and trends of Lyme Disease. The report can be found at Gastrointestinal and Zoonoses - Biennial report 2…

19 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what public awareness campaigns it (a) has held and (b) is planning in 2024 on Lyme disease, including its prevention and symptoms.

Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26312 on 8 April 2024. 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…

19 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to S5W-31031 by Joe FitzPatrick on 24 August 2020, whether it will provide an update on how many visits the NHS Lyme disease webpage has had since it was created.

Answer · Jenni Minto: As at 25 March 2024, the NHS Inform Lyme Disease page has had 264,020 views since 1 April 2022. An additional page, 'Avoiding bugs and germs outdoors', which also contains information relating to Lyme Disease, has had 8,741 views in the same time. Additional…

19 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-11374 by Aileen Campbell on 28 September 2017, whether it will provide an update on what preventative action (a) Health Protection Scotland and (b) each NHS board has taken to warn of tick-related health conditions; what (i) posters, leaflets and ot…

Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26312 on 8 April 2024. 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…

19 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to ensure that visitors to parks and other areas for outdoor recreation are aware of the risk of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.

Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26312 on 8 April 2024. 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…

14 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the discretionary funding that it reportedly promised to Aberdeenshire Council on the eve of the local authority's budget setting, which is reported to be in the vicinity of £3 million, will be delivered, and whether it will confirm the exact amount that the local authority will rec…

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Deputy First Minister has confirmed in a letter on 6 March to COSLA that £62.7 million of additional funding will be provided in 2024-25 and local authorities will have full autonomy to allocate the funding based on local needs and priorities. While all n…

13 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of applications submitted to Home Energy Scotland for energy efficiency support regarding houses with a floor area of greater than 230 square metres have been successful.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: There is no limitation on the property size that could qualify for support to install measures via the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan scheme. The information requested is not collated by Energy Savings Trust, who administer the scheme on behalf of…

13 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to extending Home Energy Scotland support to include houses with a floor area of greater than 230 square metres, which meet the other criteria for energy efficiency support.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: Home Energy Scotland (HES) energy efficiency support is not restricted by property size. The HES advice service is available to all householders in Scotland and the HES Grant and Loan scheme is open to all owner-occupiers. Neither has any limitation or eligib…

11 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-25727 by Angela Constance on 4 March 2024, whether it will provide details of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service's work to minimise the cost of producing transcripts of court cases, and what the timescales are for the completion of this work.

Answer · Angela Constance: The SCTS is committed to exploring new technologies, including the potential for Artificial Intelligence, to help improve its services. During the 2024-25 financial year the SCTS will assess the potential to use AI-supported natural language processing in sup…

11 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-25728 by Angela Constance on 4 March 2024, whether it can provide a detailed breakdown of the £91.23 hourly cost; what its position is on whether this cost represents value for money, and what details it can provide regarding the procurement con…

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS) record solemn criminal proceedings using a Digital Audio Recording System. While the record of proceedings will be retained by SCTS, they are not routinely transcribed. Transcription is done by an external agen…

6 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-25840 by Siobhian Brown on 5 March 2024, how many Scottish Fire and Rescue Service officers in the North East Scotland region have received training for operational competence on lithium-ion batteries and battery storage unit sites.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) training procedures are an operational matter for the service to consider. SFRS consults both internal and external subject matter experts to ensure that all latest technologies, developments, lessons learned, and…

6 Mar 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many registered physiotherapists there have been in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested on how many registered (qualified) physiotherapists there have been in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHS Scotland workforce |…

28 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of reports that several leading mortgage lenders do not provide mortgages on houses that have had spray foam insulation installed as part of schemes administered by Home Energy Scotland (HES), and, if so, what efforts have been made to make applicants receiving grants…

Answer · Patrick Harvie: As a consumer led scheme, the choice of material for insulation measures funded through the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme is the sole choice of the applicant, and therefore some may choose to install spray foam. During the advice and appli…

28 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there will be a review of minor injuries units in Deeside and south Aberdeenshire.

Answer · Neil Gray: I should firstly say that the Scottish Government do not have a specific policy on the provision of Minor Injury Units in communities. It is for local health boards and integrated joint boards to get the best combination of local and specialist services that …

27 Feb 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the finance secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the impact of its current income tax policy, in light of reports that higher taxes could deter experienced professionals from moving to Scotland.

26 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-25091 by Siobhian Brown on 16 February 2024, what specialist training is required for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service officers regarding large battery storage unit sites.

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) undertakes Training for Operational Competence on Lithium-ION batteries as a standalone training module and has an electricity module which includes battery storage unit sites. SFRS consults both internal and extern…

21 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason transcripts of court cases are reportedly not provided to those involved in the case, free of charge, on request.

Answer · Angela Constance: The provision of court transcripts to those involved in the case, other than a person convicted at the trial, is governed by Section 94(2)(b) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 which allows for, on payment of the relevant costs, and subject to the …

21 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Court of Session reportedly charges £129.29 per hour to have audio recordings of court cases transcribed.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service outsource the provision of Audio Transcription Services and the provider offers a number of turnaround service levels depending on urgency of the requirement. The standard service used costs £91.23 per hour or £1.52 p…

21 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are to digitise audio recordings of court cases that can be easily provided to those involved in a case, if requested.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government continues to work with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service to see how the application of new technology might help minimise the cost of producing transcripts for all those who wish to access them.

21 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its funding schemes administered by Energy Saving Trust (EST), whether it is aware of any viruses affecting the EST application portal, and what information it holds on what efforts have been taken to remove any such viruses.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: Energy Savings Trust (EST) have not reported to the Scottish Government any instance of a computer virus affecting the online application portal for Heat in Buildings Grant and Loan Schemes since the portal was introduced in December 2023. EST met the technic…

20 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the increase in the number of storms in Scotland in recent months compared with 2022-23, whether it will increase Scottish Forestry’s budget to reflect the increase in its workload due to these storms.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Scottish Forestry has well developed arrangements in place to respond to major storms and has recently revised its Windblow Contingency Plan and initiated several multi-agency working groups to inform improvements. There are no plans to increase the Scottish …

20 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24855 by Gillian Martin on 6 February 2024, how many members of staff are currently working in the Energy Consents Unit; in relation to the increased staffing resource, by how many the current number of staff in the unit has increased by since 2022-…

Answer · Gillian Martin: As of 23 February 2024, the Energy Consents Unit have an allocation of 35 posts. Whereas, in March 2023, the Energy Consents Unit had an allocation of 30 posts. Work to set budgets for the financial year 2024-25 is still ongoing and resourcing requirements a…

9 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many registered pathologists there have been in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Neil Gray: The information requested on how many registered pathologists there have been in each of the last 10 years is not centrally available. Information on Chemical pathologists and Histopathology, can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce sta…

6 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23198 by Maree Todd on 11 December 2023, whether it will provide clarification on whether the start of treatment for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) patients is the first initial appointment that they have following a referral to…

Answer · Maree Todd: Public Health Scotland defines ‘start of treatment’ as “when a patient’s treatment starts noting that not all people who are referred go on to have treatment. Some people attend an assessment appointment, need no further treatment, and so are removed from t…