Parliamentary questions
Oliver Mundell
1,091 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
27 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the signage to Moffat on the A74(M) will be improved, and how the local community can influence any future decisions on this matter.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Transport Scotland recognise the importance of tourism to the Scottish economy and the role that Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders serve within this sector as popular tourist destinations. As the current signs on the M74 are in a good state of re…
26 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to any additional costs and administrative work for preschool and early years settings as a result of them being required to go directly to shops to purchase milk, and what it anticipates the impact will be on such settings if they are unable to find a loc…
Answer · Clare Haughey: Our ambition is that as many children as possible attending eligible childcare settings can access the milk and healthy snack offer via the Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme, embedding the habit of regular consumption of high-quality dairy produce and fr…
26 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what system is in place to compensate preschool and early years settings should they be unable to source milk at a price within the local serving rates specified in the new Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme from 1 August 2021.
Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government utilised a variety of data sources to derive Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme Local Serving Rates (LSR) using a formula agreed with COSLA Leaders in line with standard practice for allocation of funds by the Scottish Government t…
26 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that all children at pre-school and early years settings who currently receive free milk through the UK Government Nursery Milk Scheme will continue to receive free milk when the existing scheme is replaced by the new Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Sche…
Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme replaced the UK Nursery Milk Scheme (UK NMS) in Scotland from 1 August 2021 following further devolution. 3,079 Scottish settings were registered to the UK NMS and claimed from that scheme in the 12 months to 1 Augu…
19 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what training is available to teachers regarding drug and alcohol misuse.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government recognises the dangers of drug and alcohol misuse and the importance of supporting practitioners to develop and deliver appropriate lessons for children and young people on this subject. The Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) empowers in…
13 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase the percentage of native broadleaf planting within commercial forestry schemes.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government’s Forestry Grant Scheme supports the planting of all types of trees to create new woodlands. Over the last 3 years it has supported the planting of over 12,000 hectares of native trees, including within commercial forestry schemes. Thi…
13 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to minimise the loss of farming opportunities for new entrants to farming that might arise as a result of plans to increase forestry cover.
Answer · Mairi McAllan: All applicants to Scottish Forestry for woodland creation grants are expected to undertake pre-application due diligence to identify significant issues from the proposal. Depending upon the agricultural land classification as defined by the James Hutton Inst…
13 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the funding given to each local authority to employ additional teachers, as part of its first-100-days commitment, and how many additional teachers it expects each local authority to recruit.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: These funding allocations are subject to agreement by COSLA Leaders and will be confirmed shortly. This information will be published on the Scottish Government when it is available at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/policies/schools/teachers/
5 Jul 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish revised wedding guidance in advance of future changes to COVID-19 restrictions in order to allow the industry and couples to better plan the day.
Answer · Ivan McKee: Following the First Minister’s announcement on 13 July, we will update our published guidance for marriage ceremonies and wedding receptions as soon as possible to take account of the new arrangements. In advance of that, we are writing to our principal conta…
23 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the (a) prices and (b) performance of companies that install boilers under Scottish Government-funded schemes.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government provides funding for energy efficiency schemes that provide grant and/or loans for the installation of boilers. Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS) operates a National Customer Price mechanism that ensures customers throughout Scotland have t…
17 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps have been taken to ensure that people can access NHS dental treatment, and what estimate it has made of the number of people waiting for appointments.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government has recently announced a suite of measures to continue to support NHS dentistry, including a vital funding package of up to £5M for improved ventilation in dental premises, and an extension of free PPE for the dental sector, which from…
14 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party manifesto commitment to abolish NHS dentistry charges, when it will implement this policy.
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00274 on 15 June 2021. 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…
3 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00220 by Humza Yousaf on 3 June 2021, what funding provision is in place for cross-border treatment.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: General Practice in Scotland is funded through a "Global Sum" which is divided between all practices on the basis of their share of the estimated workload (the Scottish Workload Formula). All patients, whether resident in Scotland or living across the border,…
2 Jun 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason COVID-19 reimbursement claims from Cunninghame Housing Association to local firms in Dumfries and Galloway have not yet been paid.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government published guidance outlining the action that local authorities and Registered Social Landlords should be taking to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on delivering grant funded affordable housing projects which were contractually awa…
1 Jun 2021 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to ensure there are sufficient resources in place to prevent schools exceeding its maximum class size limits during the next academic year, in light of reports that a number of schools are currently exceeding these limits.
27 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the (a) time and (b) dosage of medication administered in care homes is recorded.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Medicine administration is primarily recorded on medicine administration record (MAR) charts. The dose/dosage is recorded along with the times for administration. This will either be specific times or it may be words such as breakfast, noon etc. A small numbe…
27 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that medication is being (a) correctly and (b) timeously administered in care homes.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Care Inspectorate is the regulatory body for care services in Scotland, which supports improvement. The Care Inspectorate carry out regular comprehensive inspections of all care homes in Scotland, and are accountable to Scottish Ministers. By law all care…
26 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what advice it provides to local authorities regarding the number of meat-based options there should be on school-meal menus; what discussions it has with Dumfries and Galloway Council regarding that local authority's decision to have fewer such options for its schools; whether it is awa…
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government expects all local authorities to comply with the school food and drink Regulations which are based on up to date scientific evidence and dietary advice about what energy and nutrients children and young people need in order to grow and…
25 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason patients in Dumfries and Galloway who live near the border have been informed that they can no longer register with a GP practice in England.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. It would be a matter for individual GP practices in England to decide whether or not to register patients outside their practice areas.
25 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason people in Dumfries and Galloway are being pre-booked by central teams for vaccination appointments that cannot be reached by public transport from their community, and which are an 80-mile round-trip from their homes.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: NHS Scotland Health Boards use the delivery model which is most suitable for their local circumstances, whilst maintaining a Covid-19 safe environment. The NHS Dumfries and Galloway system schedules its own appointments using a booking algorithm, which works…
25 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason NHS Dumfries and Galloway has no input or control over centrally-allocated COVID-19 appointments.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: NHS Scotland Health Boards use the delivery model which is most suitable for their local circumstances, whilst maintaining a Covid-19 safe environment. The NHS Dumfries and Galloway system schedules its own appointments using a booking algorithm, which works…
25 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure the provision of accessible toilets on the public transport network.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Scottish Government officials work closely with transport operators and disabled peoples organisations to improve the experience of disabled passengers and remove the barriers which prevent them from travelling, or make their journey an unpleasant experience.…
25 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been rejected for loans by Home Energy Scotland as a result of poor credit scores.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The number of people who have been rejected for Home Energy Scotland loans as a result of poor credit scores is 886 out of a total of 9335 applications since 2017.
25 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what options are available to householders who have been turned down for loans from Home Energy Scotland due to alleged issues with credit scores, and what impact this will have on wider policy objectives.
Answer · Michael Matheson: When householders contact Home Energy Scotland, they are advised on the range of support schemes available, including whether they may be eligible for grant funded schemes such as Warmer Homes Scotland and the Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Schemes, be…
21 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action has been taken in response to the report of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review (a) as a whole and (b) in relation to the recommendations on people harmed by sodium valproate.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is committed to implementing all of the recommendations of Baroness Cumberlege’s Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, entitled First Do No Harm, where they relate to the responsibilities of the Scottish Government. …
21 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the private voluntary independent nursery sector in light of ongoing recruitment issues such as the closure of ABC Nursery in Ecclefechan after 30 years.
Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government has taken a range of actions to support the private voluntary independent nursery sector throughout the 1140 hours early learning and childcare expansion programme, including to support the recruitment of highly qualified childcare sta…
21 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the £400 payment to secondary school teachers and lecturers involved in awarding national qualifications will be made.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The one-off payment will be made following completion of teachers’ and lecturers’ work in relation to the Alternative Certification Model. We are continuing to work with partners to finalise the details and delivery mechanisms for the payment which will be an…
19 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are to replace the passenger footbridge at Kirkconnel Railway Station to improve platform access for disabled people.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Accessibility is a reserved matter under the Devolution Settlement and for rail accessibility there is a DfT-sponsored fund, Access for All, that enables eligible projects to be supported. Unfortunately, Kirkconnel did not fulfil the criteria for funding unde…
19 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Dumfries and Galloway Council in response to the reported parental and staff concerns regarding its policy on staff thresholds in small rural schools.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: National maximum class sizes for different types of class are set through legislation or in teachers’ terms and conditions. Any additional provision, for example, for small schools, is a matter of local policy. The Scottish Government has had no formal disc…
19 May 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review maximum class numbers for composite classes where there are more than three class age groups, particularly for small rural schools.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Teachers’ terms and conditions stipulate that composite classes cannot exceed 25 pupils. Local authorities have flexibility over how year groups should be balanced within a composite class. The Scottish Government’s view is that the quality of the teacher a…