Parliamentary questions
Jamie Greene
1,978 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022, in light of reported comments from the Scottish Property Federation that a lack of engagement with the investor community has resulted in a loss of confidence in the Scottish Government.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: As part of our ongoing statutory duty to keep the provisions of the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 under review, a series of reports have been published setting out the evidence as to why the Scottish Government believes the Act remain…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to protect island connectivity, in light of the reported series of disruptions to the Arran ferry service.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The delay regarding the MV Caledonian Isles is regrettable and I recognise the frustration felt by communities as a result. The responsibility for operational decisions regarding ferry services lies with CalMac as the operator. I spoke with CalMac’s Chief Exe…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments by a former health secretary that aspects of the NHS are not fit for purpose and are in need of "radical reform".
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government continues to make significant investment in Scotland’s NHS while recognising the need to reform the way we deliver services to meet the changing needs of the people in Scotland. The Government has been clear in the Policy Prospectus an…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its target to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.
Answer · Paul McLennan: From 23 March 2022 to end September 2023, 15,765 homes have now been delivered towards the 110,000 affordable homes target, of which 12,188 (77%) are homes for social rent. We are expecting the next set of quarterly statistics, covering the period to end Dec…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments from Peel Ports that “endless tinkering” by the Scottish Government has caused the delays to the repair of Ardrossan Harbour.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: We refute any such suggestion and remain committed to delivering efficient and sustainable ferry service for the Arran community. The development of the Ardrossan project remains challenging for all partners. The tender design work identified gaps in the ori…
24 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many CalMac sailings have been cancelled because of mechanical, technical, or structural issues with vessels in each of the last five years, broken down by vessel.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: CalMac Ferries Limited are unable to provide the information requested as the data is not held in this format. In each of the last 5 years during CY03 – CY07 the total number of cancellations amounted to 40,130. Of this number 6,302 were due to technical issu…
24 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, for each vessel in the CalMac fleet, how many days each vessel has been out of service or unable to operate in each of the last five years because of (a) bad weather and (b) non-weather-related reasons.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: CalMac Ferries Limited are unable to provide the information requested as the data is not held in this format. CalMac do not measure vessels outage in days, as many technical issues are resolved in a number of hours. I have provided reference to a previous P…
24 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the vessels in CalMac's fleet, broken down by the (a) age and (b) recommended timeline for the replacement of each vessel.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The following table provides the answer to : 1. age of each vessel was at the start of 2024 2. total length of service of each vessel has been with the CalMac fleet and any previous operators. Vessel Built Entry into CFL Service Current age (Years) Tim…
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure the reliability of ferry services, in light of reported figures showing that CalMac's annual compensation figures are eight times higher than they were in 2017-18.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: To improve Scotland’s ferry, the Scottish Government have committed to investing around £700m in ports and vessels. This includes 6 new major vessels for the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service (CHFS) fleet before the end of this Parliament session. Caledonian …
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to increasing its support for cancer patients, in light of reported figures from the cancer care charity, Maggie's, stating that 40% of people with cancer in the UK have used annual leave for their appointments.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has been working in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support to improve the support offered to those affected by cancer through the Transforming Cancer Care Programme (TCC) since 2016. This partnership - the first of its kind in the U…
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) stating that almost 200,000 people were out of work because of ill health between July 2022 and June 2023, which is reportedly around 29,000 more than in the same period before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Neil Gray: More recent statistics are available for comparison from the ONS Annual Population Survey.In the pre-COVID period October 2018 to September 2019, 762,700 people were classed as economically inactive. Of this, 215,800 or 28.3% said that long-term sickness was …
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported figures from Citizens Advice Scotland stating that nearly 24,000 people have been forced onto an electric prepayment meter against their wishes, and around 12,000 have been forced onto a prepayment meter for gas.
Answer · Gillian Martin: We share the concerns that have been expressed by Citizens Advice Scotland and others concerning the reintroduction of forced pre-payment meter installations. Ofgem's Code of Practice requiring suppliers to meet a number of conditions before taking such actio…
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported figures published by Reform Scotland showing that 611 school pupils between P1 and S3 did not attend a single day of school in 2023.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I am advised that data cited from Reform Scotland was gathered via FOI in October for school years, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2021-22 and 2022-23. Whilst most local authorities provided some information, I am advised that there was not 100% return across all areas an…
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve mental health waiting times for young people, in light of reported figures showing that at least one patient in NHS Ayrshire and Arran waited 91 weeks before their first child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) appointment.
Answer · Maree Todd: The latest statistics show that 75.6% of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) patients started treatment within 18 weeks of their referral. At Board level, 13 out of 14 CAMHS services have effectively eliminated their long waiting lists where 3…
16 Jan 2024 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments by the Faculty of Advocates and the Law Society of Scotland that an exodus of defence solicitors has left the legal system close to collapse.
8 Jan 2024 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reconsider its position on further regulating the ownership of American XL bully dogs in Scotland, in light of reports that widespread rehoming from England to Scotland is raising public safety and animal welfare concerns.
18 Dec 2023 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government can promote and assist organisations that tackle loneliness, isolation and self-harm over the festive period.
5 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its progress towards closing the attainment gap among school pupils.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The latest 2022-23 Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) data, published last week, show that the proportions of pupils in primary achieving expected levels of literacy and numeracy have reached record highs for children from both the most an…
27 Nov 2023 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the finance secretary’s letter to the Finance and Public Administration Committee on 21 November, whether it will provide an update on the delivery of “vessels and piers” projects, including the Small Vessels Replacement Programme and the port works at Ardrossan and Gourock h…
23 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the British Transport Police regarding expanding its remit beyond rail travel to other public transport networks, such as trams, as is the case with the London Tramlink.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: As the member is aware, the British Transport Police (BTP) reports to the Department for Transport (DfT) through the British Transport Police Authority. Any expansion of the BTP’s remit would be a matter for the DfT.
22 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22900 by Jenni Minto on 22 November 2023, whether it will provide the current percentage of P7 children with no obvious tooth decay in each individual NHS board, also broken down by SIMD quintile, as set out in Table 5 of the National Dental Inspect…
Answer · Jenni Minto: Information in the format the member requests is not included in the 2023 report. Collation and publication of National Dental Inspection Programme data is managed by Public Health Scotland, independently of Scottish Government, and therefore specific enquir…
14 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many prisoners have (a) died from and (b) attempted suicide in each of the last 10 years, and what information it has on how many were (i) considered at risk of attempting suicide and (ii) receiving treatment for mental health problems, broken down by (A) institution and (B) gender.
Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: In relation to part (a) of the question, information regarding Deaths in Prison Custody (including apparent cause of death, location a…
9 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide current data on the percentage of P7 children with no obvious tooth decay experience broken down by (a) Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile and (b) NHS board area, in light of the latter breakdown being included in the 2022 report of the Nationa…
Answer · Jenni Minto: This information is available and can be found on the Public Health Scotland website (tables 2 and 3): https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/national-dental-inspection-programme/national-dental-inspection-programme-20222023/
9 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report of the National Dental Inspection Programme 2023, for what reason only 21.9% of P7 pupils received a “detailed inspection”, and whether any target was in place for the (a) number and (b) percentage of P7 pupils that should receive a “detailed inspection”, between …
Answer · Jenni Minto: The National Dental Inspection Programme carries out a basic inspection on all P1 and P7 pupils each year and then a representative sample of around 20% of pupils in either P1 or P7 receive a detailed inspection. A minimum threshold of around 20%, weighted to…
7 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22430 by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2023, in light of it having provided this data in the answer to question S4W-23569 by Derek Mackay on 21 January 2015, for what reason it stated in its answer that it does not hold this data, and whether it will n…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: As noted in the answer to S6W-22430 by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2023, we do not hold specific data on the frequency or average duration of road closures for the purpose of crime scene investigation. This is consistent with the answer to S4W-23569, answered …
7 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22456 by Fiona Hyslop on 7 November 2023, in light of it having provided this data in the answer to question S4W-04735 by Keith Brown on 12 January 2012, for what reason it stated in its answer that this information is not held centrally, and whethe…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The general policy of the Scottish Government is to advise MSPs to directly approach public bodies and organisations for information held by them which is not held by the Scottish Government, and although acting to collate non-Scottish Government held informa…
1 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-22175 by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023, in light of it having provided this data in the answer to question S3W-33114 by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 May 2010, for what reason it stated in its answer that this information is not held centrally, and whether …
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. For convenience, the National Records of Scotland have provided the data requested below: Table 1: Acute gastroenteropathy due to Norovirus (A08.1) was the underlying cause of death, 2015 to 2…
1 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what 10 breeds, or types, of dog have most often been the subject of Dog Control Notices in each year since 2018.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: he system of Dog Control Notices is operated by local authorities. Information requested on what breeds, or types, of dog have most often been the subject of Dog Control Notices in each year since 2018 is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The Sc…
31 Oct 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to introduce controls on pavement parking in urban areas.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The prohibition on pavement parking was brought in with the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. To support this, a suite of secondary legislation is required to bring this legislation into force. Final enforcement and accounts Regulations were laid in Parliament o…
26 Oct 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has allocated to each local authority for Gaelic-medium education in each year since 2012.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: In the most challenging budget settlement since devolution we are providing nearly £13.5bn in the Local Government Settlement 2023-24. We are increasing the resources available to Local Government by over £793m, which represents a real terms increase of £376m…