Jamie Greene

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Public Health Scotland report, Gonorrhoea infection in Scotland: 2013-2022, which shows that the incidence of diagnosed gonorrhoea infection has increased since May 2021 from three positives per 100,000 people to 17.2 positives per 100,000 people in November 2…

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government recognises the continuing rise in gonorrhoea diagnoses, and we are grateful for the efforts of the dedicated clinicians who continue to work to find and treat affected individuals. We acknowledge the impact that the pandemic has had o…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many instances of cuckooing have been (a) reported to and (b) identified by Police Scotland in each year since 2017 and what steps it is taking to tackle this activity.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government is fully committed to tackling serious and organised crime and strongly condemns the illegal practice of ‘cuckooing’ and the subsequent misery it causes victims. The Scottish Government does not hold information on the operational int…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in NHS (a) Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (b) Ayrshire and Arran have been treated by an ear, nose and throat specialist for a condition caused by (i) cocaine use and (ii) any other nasal drug consumption in each year since 2013.

Answer · Elena Whitham: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. We advise the member to contact the NHS Boards directly.

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many trees, that have been planted by its agencies or through publicly-funded tree-planting initiatives, it estimates have died before reaching maturity, in each year for which data is available.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government does not produce estimates or collect data on the number of trees that have died and the age when this occurs. All forests once established will experience some mortality and natural thinning through competition between individual tre…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15589 by Elena Whitham on 14 March 2023, whether it will list the stakeholders that it (a) has already consulted and (b) plans to gather views from on potentially raising the legal age of marriage to 18, in line with the recommendation of the UN Com…

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Scottish Government officials have met with the following groups and organisations on the minimum age of marriage and related matters: AMINA- Muslim Women’s Resource Centre Article 12 in Scotland Association of Registrars of Scotland Caledonian Humanist A…

9 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that 180 Freedom of Information requests to the Scottish Government regarding Ferguson Marine and Scotland's ferry network remain outstanding, with many not being processed within the statutory timeframe.

Answer · George Adam: The Scottish Government regrets any instance in which the statutory 20 working day deadline for responding to information requests is not met. It remains committed to its obligations under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act to ensure openness and trans…

9 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses in the West Scotland region had registered with the Deposit Return Scheme by 1 March 2023, and how this compares with the number of businesses that were expected to register.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. As the Deposit Return Scheme regulator, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is required to publish a list of all producers registered with the scheme before the scheme launches in August. This…

9 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15443 by John Swinney on 8 March 2023, whether it will name the law firms that have received a share of the £100,244, broken down by how much each firm received.

Answer · John Swinney: Since the response to question S6W-15443 on 8 March 20232, further legal fee claims have been paid. As of 15 March 2023, £124,650 has been paid to 10 firms. It is not appropriate to name the firms as to do so could be interpreted as guiding applicants to par…

8 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Education Scotland report, Approaches to recording and monitoring incidents of bullying in schools, published in February 2023.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The report shows that staff across schools are committed to promoting positive relationships within an inclusive environment and seek to prevent and address bullying. We take the findings of the report very seriously and have put in place a range of actions …

8 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with SafeDeposits Scotland regarding the increase in its estimated response time, which, according to SafeDeposits Scotland’s automatic reply to website enquiries, is currently up to 5 working days and attributed to the launch of its new system in 2022, and wh…

Answer · Patrick Harvie: Scottish Government officials have had regular engagement on progress throughout the implementation of the Safe Deposits Scotland (SDS) system upgrade and were made aware of some teething issues with system functions. SDS has since confirmed all priority bugs…

8 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Transport Scotland report, Women's and girls' views and experiences of personal safety when using public transport, which was published on 7 March 2023.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The research on Women and Girls’ safety on Public Transport Scotland makes 10 recommendations Transport Scotland will continue to work with stakeholders and operators to identify actions in the recommendations and work towards progressing those. As part of th…

8 Mar 2023 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce violence in schools.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Violence towards anyone is unacceptable and the safety of our children, young people and staff at school is paramount. We have produced guidance for local authorities and schools to promote positive relationships and manage behaviour, including de-escalatio…

7 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), also known as drones, have been available for use by Police Scotland officers in each year since 2019, and how many officers have received RPAS training.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. RPAS use, including training, is a matter for Police Scotland.

7 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it (a) last met and (b) next plans to meet the chief executive of (i) Safe Deposits Scotland, (ii) Letting Protection Service Scotland and (iii) MyDeposits Scotland.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: The role of the Scottish Government, since the three approved schemes began operating in July 2012, is to monitor each scheme for compliance. This includes being satisfied that the tenancy deposit schemes have clear and substantial processes in place that mee…

7 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will next review its list of tenancy deposit scheme providers, and what criteria it will use to assess whether those organisations are providing a (a) suitable and (b) fair standard of service to (i) tenants and (ii) landlords.

Answer · Patrick Harvie: Part 4, section 122 (4) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, gives Scottish Ministers a power to approve a tenancy deposit scheme and obliges Ministers to review each scheme from time to time and gives them power, once they have done so, to ensure that any sch…

7 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many train stations that are currently in use do not have full disabled access, and whether it will name any such stations.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As the member will know, rail accessibility is reserved to the UK Government. However, Transport Scotland continues to develop opportunities, where possible, to deliver accessibility improvements within larger projects, such as at Carstairs, and additionally …

7 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients under 18 have been admitted to an NHS facility for vaping-related illnesses or disorders in each year since 2019.

Answer · Maree Todd: This data is not held by the Scottish Government.  

2 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the February 2023 Cranfield Trust report, Demand, Survival, Change: The challenges facing charity management in Scotland.

Answer · Shona Robison: The third sector is hugely diverse and works alongside the public and private sectors across all services and industries, often providing lifeline services in our most vulnerable communities. It faces many pressures but we know that there are particular chall…

2 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the British Retail Consortium publication, Crime Survey 2023 Report, and its Scotland-specific findings.

Answer · Elena Whitham: The British Retail Consortium publication, Crime Survey 2023 Report, does not have a Scotland specific section, but does include references to the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021 contained within it. T…

2 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many Forced Marriage Protection Orders have been (a) issued and (b) breached in each year since 2012.

Answer · Keith Brown: Please see the answers to your questions in the following table. There were no Forced Marriage Protection orders issued or breached prior to the 2017-18 financial year.  2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 Forced Marriage Protection Orders Granted 1 5 0 …

2 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of people resident in Scotland who have undergone forced marriages abroad in each year for which data is available.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has not made any estimates of number of people resident in Scotland who have undergone forced marriages abroad in each year. Whilst we do have data on forced marriages, this data does not identify where the marriage itself took place. …

2 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recommendation of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child for setting a global minimum age for marriage with and without parental consent to 18 years.

Answer · Elena Whitham: The Scottish Government is aware of the UN Committee’s General Comment and is taking seriously concerns that 16- and 17-year-olds may need more protection. Clearly, all marriages and civil partnerships should be entered into with full consent of both parties…

2 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average response time was to phone calls to the Citizens Advice Scotland Helpline, and how many calls were (a) received and (b) discontinued in each year since 2019.

Answer · Shona Robison: This is not a matter for the Scottish Government.

2 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) volunteers and (b) paid staff currently work at Citizens Advice Scotland.

Answer · Shona Robison: This is not a matter for the Scottish Government.  

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to support parents in Glasgow and the west of Scotland to find alternative childcare in light of the forthcoming closure of Rising Stars childcare centres on 31 March 2023.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government provides local authorities with funding to allow them to deliver their statutory duty to ensure all eligible children can access 1140 hours of high-quality funded early learning and childcare. Scottish Government officials have spoken …

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Business UK independent report, Independence Uncovered: The Economic and Social Impacts of Scottish Independence, published in February 2023.

Answer · John Swinney: The findings presented in this report do not fully address the question of independence in Scotland. The modelling undertaken makes a range of simplifying assumptions and does not account for the many economic opportunities that would be available to an indep…

1 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the (a) Diffley Partnership report, Understanding Scotland – Economy, published in February 2023 and (b) finding that healthcare and the NHS were top priorities for survey respondents.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government notes the findings from the Diffley Partnership report on Understanding Scotland - Economy. The survey shows that Healthcare and the NHS has remained a high priority for survey respondents in recent years and has now overtaken the Cos…

28 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the (a) February 2023 Audit Scotland report, NHS in Scotland 2022, and (b) statement that the Scottish Government’s plan to "increase the GP workforce by 800 (headcount) by 2027" is "not on track".

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We will give full consideration to the recommendations of this report, which sets out both the challenges, and successes, of the continued recovery of our NHS from a global pandemic. We are making good progress against our GP commitment and since 2017 GP hea…

28 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns regarding the funding for the investigation into the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie.

Answer · Keith Brown: Our thoughts remain with all those who lost loved ones on board Pan Am Flight 103 and those in the town of Lockerbie. Decisions around the allocation of police resources are operational matters for Police Scotland in dialogue with the Scottish Police Authori…

28 Feb 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on Scotland’s Redress Scheme, in light of reports that legal firms are bypassing the scheme’s fixed fee structure.

Answer · John Swinney: Scotland’s Redress Scheme provides freedom of choice for applicants throughout the process. The scheme is designed to ensure that applicants do not have to fund legal costs from any redress payment they may receive. While applications can be made without the …