Parliamentary questions
Jamie Greene
1,978 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
10 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Parole Board (Scotland) Rules 2022 would require parole boards to reject the release of convicted murderers who have failed to disclose information about the location of their victims' remains.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Parole Board (Scotland) Rules 2022 make it clear that the Board should reach its decision having taken into account all the matters before it including, where applicable, failure to disclose the location of a victims remains. The decision to refuse parole…
9 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the financial value of the dark web in Scotland, and what recent discussions it has had with Police Scotland, the National Crime Agency and the UK Government on this issue.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold information relating to the financial value of the dark web in Scotland. Regulation of the Internet is reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government maintains a close working relationship with Police Scotland, T…
9 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) guns, (b) knives, (c) other offensive weapons and (d) prohibited drugs have been seized/intercepted in mail and courier delivery services by Police Scotland, including items imported from overseas, in each year since 2016.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government produces a range of Official Statistics that include information on crimes involving firearms, crimes of possessing an offensive weapon and drug seizures, However, we do not hold any information on the number of firearms, weapons or pr…
9 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress ScotRail has made towards its goal of becoming a menopause friendly accredited business by the end of January 2023.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: ScotRail is committed to becoming a menopause friendly employer and has delivered “Let’s Talk about Menopause” training to its Executive Committee and eighty of its senior leaders. ScotRail designed and delivered training for colleagues in ScotRail and the w…
9 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding the future use of the term, minor-attracted person, when referring to paedophiles, and whether it will discourage use of the term across government agencies and public bodies.
Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government has discussed the use of the term Minor Attracted Person with Police Scotland following recent media coverage. Police Scotland has confirmed that it does not use the term and it is not used by its partners. The Scottish Government does…
6 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Kidney Research UK report, Changing the future for chronic kidney disease in Scotland, published in December 2022.
Answer · Maree Todd: We welcome the report by Kidney Research UK and commend its work to support people with chronic kidney disease in Scotland. A number of Scottish Government clinical advisors and partners participated in the roundtable which informed the development of this re…
5 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to reduce the opening hours of any ScotRail ticket offices in (a) Inverclyde and (b) North Ayrshire, and, if so, what discussions it has had with rail users groups on this matter.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13225 on 13 January 2023. 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-committ…
5 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many customer complaints ScotRail has received since it was brought into public ownership.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: ScotRail has provided the below data for its closed customer complaints since 1 April 2022, by four-weekly rail period, with the prior year (2021-22) and final pre-pandemic year (2019-20) included for comparison: Rail Year Period Complaints 2022-23 Compl…
5 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care last visited Inverclyde Royal Hospital in person.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: I visited Inverclyde Royal Hospital on 4 July 2022. All Ministerial engagements, including visits, is routinely published on the Scottish Government website and can be found at: www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/ .
5 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that, between 19 and 25 December 2022, more than 30 patients at the Inverclyde Royal Hospital waited longer than 12 hours to be seen.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: We know that this is one of the toughest winters in the NHS’s 74-year history and long delays clearly demonstrate the challenge our Health Service is facing. Delayed discharges continue to drive up A&E waits, which is why we are working with hospitals acros…
4 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports on 4 January 2022 that, when excluding those aged between 16 and 24 in full-time education, 148,000 people living in Scotland have never been in employment.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Many people who report that they have never worked are suffering from long-term sickness or disability, or are looking after family. Just because someone does not have a job does not mean they are not making a valuable contribution to our economy and society.…
2 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when its representatives last met with (a) representatives and (b) the Chief Executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and what was discussed.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: There are regular meetings between Scottish Government officials and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) representatives, covering a wide range of subjects. The last such meeting took place on 10 January 2023 when the MHRA Cross-UK …
2 Jan 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding any poor customer service processes and response times at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and whether any businesses in Scotland have raised related concerns with the Scottish Government.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government has had no discussions with the UK Government regarding any poor customer service processes and response times at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. No businesses have raised any concerns with the Scottish Governm…
22 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments by Peel NRE that its decision to withdraw plans for a facility in Clydebank to turn plastic waste into fuel for buses and cars was made due to the Scottish Government’s moratorium on thermal treatment facilities, which “creates a negative environ…
Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government’s priority is to move to a circular economy, which means reducing our demand for raw material, increasing reuse and repair, and recycling more. Where we do produce unavoidable and unrecyclable residual waste, we must ensure we treat it…
22 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been diagnosed with kidney failure and in need of a transplant in (a) the NHS Ayrshire and Arran area and (b) Inverclyde in each year since 2016, and what the average waiting time to receive a transplant has been in each year since 2016.
Answer · Maree Todd: The number of patients that have been or are on the active kidney transplant waiting list as of 31 March each year since 2016 in the NHS Ayrshire and Arran and the Inverclyde local authority postcode areas is as follows: Postcode Area 2016 2017 2018 2019…
22 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports on 22 December 2022 that HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland has criticised the “disappointing underuse” of HMP Castle Huntly, with only 100 inmates housed at its last inspection out of a capacity of 285.
Answer · Keith Brown: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows: SPS welcomes the Chief Inspector’s report and her recognition of many areas of good practice at HMP Castle Huntly. Like many areas of…
22 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported rise in burst water pipes as a result of cold weather, what support it is providing to local authorities to enable them to keep local authority owned housing in a good state of repair, and what discussions it has had with local government representatives on this…
Answer · Shona Robison: Local authorities are required, under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, to keep houses they let fit for human habitation and ensure that any repairs are carried out when they are needed. Whilst it is for local authorities to determine how they use funds avail…
22 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many students have (a) applied for and (b) received discretionary funds to support their higher education in each year since 2020.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: In the academic year 2020-21, there were 33,761 applications to the Higher Education Discretionary Funds across colleges and universities. The Discretionary Funds include the additional Covid Fund, introduced to support students during the pandemic. 27,500 a…
22 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people are currently subject to a sexual harm prevention order.
Answer · Keith Brown: Commencement of Sections 10 to 40 of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 will allow Sexual Harm Prevention Orders to be made in Scotland. Commencement of these provisions has been coordinated with the UK Government in order that we can c…
22 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce the current backlog and waiting times for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Sandyford Gender Identity Clinic.
Answer · Maree Todd: A range of work, including via the National Gender Identity Healthcare Reference Group, is being undertaken to help improve service delivery of these clinical services. In addition, the 2023-24 draft Scottish Budget provided £2 million for gender identity he…
21 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many individuals have been resettled in each local authority area in Scotland through the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government regularly publishes data relating to the number of completed matches, where a displaced person from Ukraine has arrived at their hosted and longer term accommodation in Scotland, under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The number of comple…
21 Dec 2022 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service estate.
21 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on its aim of achieving 10% of everyday trips being made by bike by 2020, and whether it will provide a breakdown of progress by local authority area.
Answer · Patrick Harvie: In the previous Parliament, the then Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Michael Matheson, announced on 18 June 2019 that the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland vision that, by 2020, 10% of all journeys in Scotland would be made by bike would not be met. In this P…
21 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Cancer Research UK report, Cancer in the UK: Deprivation and cancer inequalities in Scotland.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government continues to focus on tackling disparities in deprived areas by ensuring equitable access to cancer services through the actions in our National Cancer Plan. We recognise that the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic may have exacerbated …
20 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are currently employed on a temporary or short-term basis at Social Security Scotland.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: Social Security Scotland routinely releases information on workforce as part of the Workforce Information quarterly publications. As published in the latest release, Social Security Scotland - Social Security Scotland – workforce information: September 2022…
20 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of calls to Social Security Scotland went unanswered in each quarter of 2022, including quarter four to date.
Answer · Ben Macpherson: The number and proportion of telephone calls that are not connected to a Social Security Scotland client advisor are provided in the following table, as well as the average call waiting times for connected calls. Quarter Number of calls not connected to a c…
20 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13063 by Elena Whitham on 20 December 2022, which independent contractors it used to carry out this analysis.
Answer · Elena Whitham: The analysis of responses to the consultation on Review of Part 1 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and creation of a Family Justice Modernisation Strategy was carried out by KSO Research Limited following a public tendering exercise.
19 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Mental Health Foundation report, Thriving Learners, published in November 2022, including the section on mental health experiences.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The research laid out in the Mental Health Foundation’s report, ‘Thriving Learners: Initial Findings from Scottish Colleges' together with the Initial Findings from Scottish HEIs, published in November 2021, will inform the Student Mental Health Plan. This Pl…
19 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many currently serving police officers have criminal records.
Answer · Keith Brown: While the Scottish Government does not hold the information requested, we take seriously any concerns raised by or against police officers, and are clear that when things go wrong the police are held to account, lessons learned and improvements made. We gre…
19 Dec 2022 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made since 2018 under each of the articles of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Scottish Government is committed to advancing gender equality in Scotland, and since 2018 has introduced a range of legislative and other measures to implement the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in Sc…