Parliamentary questions
Jamie Greene
1,978 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent findings of a report by the Fraser of Allander Institute, which state that just 6% of Scottish businesses believe that the Scottish Government “engages effectively” with their sector.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government is working intensively with business organisations and stakeholders to deliver on our shared ambitions, including through the New Deal for Business Group, which helped shape the First Minister’s recent Programme for Government an…
29 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to improve palliative care provision.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is currently consulting on Scotland’s draft palliative care strategy Palliative Care Matters for All. The consultation is open until 10 January 2025 and builds on extensive stakeholder engagement to develop a framework to support…
29 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it expects the MV Glen Sannox to be handed over to CMAL, in light of the handover date of 14 October 2024 reportedly being delayed due to a blackout experienced during the vessel's sea trials.
Answer · Kate Forbes: In his latest letter to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee (NZET) on 11 October, Ferguson Marine’s interim Chief Executive reported that recent acceptance sea trials were successfully completed and assured the Committee that a definitive hando…
24 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many level three incidents have been declared or required at each prison in each year since 2016, broken down by the reason.
Answer · Angela Constance: I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:SPS have reported or recorded 0 level three incidents since 2016.
24 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) High, (b) Sheriff and (c) Justice of the Peace Court trials (i) have been delayed since April 2024 and (ii) were delayed in each year since 2017-18.
Answer · Angela Constance: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days.
24 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to removing the so-called cliff edge earnings limit for recipients of the Carer Support Payment.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Carer Support Payment is replacing Carer’s Allowance in Scotland. Ahead of delivering the benefit we engaged extensively with carers and support organisations to consider how our benefit could work better, and we know the earnings limit is an area where…
24 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much basic payment scheme funding has been awarded to crofters in each year since 2016, also broken down by what proportion of the scheme's budget this represented.
Answer · Jim Fairlie: Details are as follows:Scheme YearBasic PaymentSchemeGreeningYoung Farmer PaymentTotal PaymentsPercentageof Budget2016£13,159,516.98£8,034,413.77£82,710.65£21,276,641.405.3%2017£14,717,656.80£8,346,051.08£100,820.05&p…
23 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs there are currently in the low-carbon economy, and how this compares with each of the last seven years.
Answer · Gillian Martin: The most up to date estimates from the Low Carbon and Renewable Energy Economy (LCREE) survey published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that there were 25,700 direct full time equivalent LCREE jobs in Scotland in 2022.A seven year time series…
23 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many children have been educated in category (a) C and (b) D school buildings in each of the last eight years.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Statistics on the number of children educated in category (a) C and (b) D school buildings in each of the last eight years are available in Table 4.1c of the school estate supplementary statistics, available on the Scottish Government website at: School estat…
23 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average class size has been for each primary school year group in each year since 2016.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Statistics on the average class size for each primary school year group in each year since 2016 are available from Table 2.10 of the pupil census supplementary statistics, available on the Scottish Government website at:Pupil census supplementary statistics -…
23 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much each local authority has received from the Attainment Scotland Fund in each year since 2016.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Attainment Scotland Fund has been providing funding to local authorities and schools since 2015 with the aim of using education to improve outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty, with a focus on tackling the poverty-related attainment …
23 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the pupil-teacher ratio has been in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 2019.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Statistics on the pupil-teacher ratio in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 2019 are published in Figure 4 of Summary statistics for schools in Scotland 2023, which is available on the Scottish Government website at:Summary statistics fo…
22 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many seven-day emergency readmissions there have been in each year since 2016, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Neil Gray: Table 1 provides information on the number of emergency readmissions within 7 days of a prior hospital discharge. The data are broken down by financial year (2016-17 to 2023-24) and NHS board of residence, in Scotland.Table 1: Emergency Readmissions within 7 …
22 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many GP practices are currently closed to new patient registrations in each NHS board.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Practices must apply to their Health Boards to close their lists and agree the conditions and timelines for reopening them.Circumstances will arise where GP practices experience capacity issues and are u…
22 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many delayed discharges there were in NHS Ayrshire and Arran in each month from January 2022 to September 2024.
Answer · Neil Gray: Public Health Scotland's latest monthly statistics publication Delayed discharges in NHSScotland monthly - Figures for September 2024 - Delayed discharges in NHSScotland monthly - Publications - Public Health Scotland, published on 5 November, shows the numbe…
22 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of any benefits of Scotland’s Green Freeports to Scotland’s wider economy.
Answer · Kate Forbes: As part of the business case setup phase, each Green Freeport is required to submit detailed analysis to Government setting out the benefits they will deliver. By driving new investment, creating high-quality employment and promoting decarbonisation, both Gre…
22 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the potential for creating additional Green Freeports in Scotland.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government, in partnership with UK Government, agreed to deliver two Green Freeports in Scotland, and we are focussed on supporting the two selected Green Freeports to deliver maximum impact as soon as possible. There are no current plans to crea…
1 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will support economic growth in light of The Hunter Foundation's plans to support Scottish businesses through its ScaleUpScotland programme.
Answer · Kate Forbes: Supporting fair and green economic growth is a core priority for this Government, as highlighted in our recently published Programme for Government. Since 2007, Scotland’s GDP per capita has grown by 10.7%, outpacing the UK’s growth of 5.6%. Produ…
1 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the reported fall in the number of pupils taking STEM subjects at Higher level.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The latest SQA data shows that the total number of entries into STEM National Qualifications at Higher have increased every year since 2019, with entries in 2024 being 3.4% higher than 2023.Work has been ongoing since 2017 to implement the STEM Training and E…
1 Oct 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the main goal is of alcohol minimum unit pricing, and what its position is on whether this goal has been achieved.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The aim of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) of alcohol is to reduce health harms caused by alcohol consumption by setting a floor price below which alcohol cannot be sold. In particular, it targets a reduction in consumption of alcohol that is considered cheap, rel…
25 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment by the Chief Constable whengiving evidence to the Criminal Justice Committee on 11 September 2024 that"The demands made by the criminal justice system form one of the largestelements that saps away the capacity of policing in Scotland. Going to courttakes away 500…
Answer · Angela Constance: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-30024 on 1 October 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-committee…
25 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that its international offices have spent over £430,000 on events such as whisky tastings over the last three years.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The activities of our external network of international offices deliver tangible benefits to Scotland’s people, businesses and institutions, for example, supporting £1.73 billion in forecast export sales and more than 8,500 jobs in 2022-23. The of…
25 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported increase in alcohol-related deaths in Scotland, what plans it has to review the effectiveness of minimum unit pricing.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Every life lost to alcohol is a tragedy and the recent alcohol specific deaths statistics, published by the National Records of Scotland, is a stark reminder of the challenge we face in tackling alcohol harm across Scotland.The Scottish Government commissione…
24 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve communication between hospitals and local GP surgeries to ensure the continuation of care for all patients, particularly those with a terminal illness.
Answer · Neil Gray: All Health Boards should have appropriate arrangements in place to ensure co-ordination of care for patients across primary, community and hospital health care services. This includes patients with a terminal illness.To date the Scottish Government has provid…
24 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that patients with a terminal illness are able to access GP surgery appointments requested by their specialists without any undue delay or distress.
Answer · Neil Gray: All Health Boards should have appropriate arrangements in place to ensure co-ordination of care for patients across primary, community and hospital health care services. This includes patients with a terminal illness.To date the Scottish Government has provid…
24 Sep 2024 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the first statutory National Islands Plan, published in 2019, has been a success.
23 Sep 2024 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported announcement that issues with the gearbox of the MV Caledonian Isles have been identified, resulting in a further delay to its return to service on the Arran route.
18 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that more than one million calls to Police Scotland's 101 service went unanswered over the last two years.
Answer · Angela Constance: As I made clear in the Chamber on 18 September during Portfolio Questions in reply to Katy Clark MSP, Police Scotland does not recognise those figures. Indeed Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond said:"It is misleading and inaccurate to suggest that non-emerge…
18 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to improve efficiency within the justice system, in light of the reported comment from the chief constable of Police Scotland that as many as 500 police officers each day are taken off Scotland's streets to appear at court.
Answer · Angela Constance: The citation of witnesses is a matter for Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Office. As outlined in the 2022 Vision for Justice, and Programme for Government 2024-25 Serving Scotland, the Scottish Government is supporting justice partners to drive key areas o…
18 Sep 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to (a) dementia charities and (b) health and social care partnerships for the provision of support for people with dementia.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Dementia Strategy for Scotland (published by Scottish Government and COSLA in 2023) sets out an ambitious 10-year vision for dementia policy in Scotland, developed in collaboration with people with lived experience and wider partners. This includes third …