Parliamentary questions
Rachael Hamilton
1,432 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
9 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many applicants to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in each year since 2007 were (a) male and (b) female.
Answer · John Swinney: Information on the number of applicants and applications to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is collected by UCAS. UCAS do not publish information on the number of applicants to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. However they do publish the number of ap…
7 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce overcrowding on trains (a) on commuter services between Waverley and Tweedbank and (b) overall.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Since the opening of the Borders railway we have gradually increased the number of peak services which have more carriages than the normal two. The following table shows the number of seats provided in the morning and evening peaks. August 16 May 17 Dec …
7 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce stop-skipping on the Borders Railway; how it is monitoring the effectiveness of this approach, and what information it has regarding how many services on the line have skipped stations each year.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Following engagement by the Scottish Government, ScotRail will now only deploy the practice of “skip-stopping” in exceptional circumstances. The effectiveness of this process is monitored by Transport Scotland. On the Borders Railway: there were 27 reported …
7 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve stage 1 detection of (a) colorectal, (b) lung and (c) breast cancer in NHS Borders.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Detect Cancer Early (DCE) Programme demonstrates the Scottish Government’s committed to increasing the proportion of breast, colorectal and lung cancers diagnosed at the earliest stage, when the chance of survival is higher. A number of initiatives are un…
7 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that business start-up rates across the Borders are slower than the rest of the country, and what action it is taking to improve these.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government acknowledges the important contribution of small and medium-sized enterprises to the Scottish economy and is committed to creating conditions which support businesses to start up and grow. Supporting public, private, and third sector …
7 Aug 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assist farmers whose fodder supplies have been impacted on by the recent warmer weather.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-17952 on ?20 August 2018. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusines…
14 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to the Borderlands deal.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government made clear our support to developing the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal in our 2018-19 Budget and reaffirmed that commitment at the Borderlands Stakeholders' Conference on Monday 18 June. My officials are engaging with the Borderlan…
12 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of a reduction in the number of police patrols in rural communities, and, in light of these reports, how it can ensure that such areas are adequately protected.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is committed to working with Police Scotland and other partners to tackle crime in rural communities, including through the work of the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime. Day to day decisions about the deployment of police offic…
11 Jun 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce delayed discharge at NHS Borders.
7 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-01755 by Keith Brown on 7 February 2018 (Official Report, c. 3), on what date the Brussels trade hub will open.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government made a Programme for Government commitment to establish Innovation and Investment Hubs in Dublin, London, Brussels, Berlin and Paris as an integral part of wider work across the Scottish Government, partners and businesses to support t…
7 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment in the Programme for Government that "we are also doubling the number of people working for Scottish Development International (SDI) in Europe", whether it will confirm how many permanent SDI staff have been based on the continent in each of the last three years.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-11830 on ?2 November 2017. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusine…
7 Jun 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many companies have received funding under the Digital Skills Fund; how much has been allocated, and what the (a) highest and (b) average award was.
Answer · Keith Brown: There is no Digital Skills Fund. However, I believe the question relates to the Digital Growth Fund, which was announced in March 2017 to offer up to £36m of loans to SMEs to enhance digital skills and capabilities. Phase one of this will be launched in June …
30 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to ensure that burial grounds are maintained and with the full consent and knowledge of anyone who may be affected by any actions such as the removal of headstones.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (as amended) statutory responsibility for ensuring burial ground safety rests with individual burial authorities. In contrast, the general maintenance and upkeep of headstones and memorials is the responsibili…
30 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action people who authorise the sale of alcohol, or manage or supervise in premises where alcohol is sold, require to take to maintain their Scottish Certificate for Personal Licence Holders, and whether these certificates will be valid for renewal in 12 months.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The personal licence is a key element of the alcohol licensing regime and many licence holders will require to renew these before September 2019 – the “ten year point”. The Act requires that renewal applications are lodged no earlier than twelve months prior…
23 May 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to raise awareness of the support that is available for the victims of workplace bullying.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government has made clear that bullying and harassment of any worker, under any circumstances, is unacceptable. Through the Scottish Government's endorsement and promotion of the Fair Work Convention's Framework, we are making clear that every w…
22 May 2018 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce underemployment.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The latest statistics show that the underemployment rate in Scotland is 8.0%. This is down from 10.0% in 2012 and down from 8.4 per cent in 2016. To help reduce underemployment further we are taking steps across government to encourage employers to adopt fai…
3 May 2018 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government will take to reduce the number of cancelled NHS operations.
26 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes historically significant sites.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Section 2 of the Historic Environment Scotland Act 2014 provides that Historic Environment Scotland’s general function is to investigate, care for and promote Scotland’s historic environment. The Scottish Government provided £37,145,000 in grant-in-aid to His…
23 Apr 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it will ensure that local authorities are able to increase the provision of funded early learning and childcare to 1,140 hours per year by 2020.
18 Apr 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in its Enterprise and Skills Review: Report on Phase 2 to "develop a clearer shared understanding of priority countries....by end 2017", which priority countries were identified.
Answer · Keith Brown: The specific commitment within the Enterprise & Skills Review report was to “Develop a clearer, shared understanding of priority countries, recognising that these may be different for trade, investment and Scotland’s other interests”. This agreement recognise…
18 Apr 2018 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to close the attainment gap.
26 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress it is making with its plans to deliver 1,140 hours of free early learning and childcare from 2020, and what recent discussions it has had with (a) COSLA and (b) local authorities regarding any funding concerns that have been expressed ab…
Answer · Maree Todd: In March 2017 the Scottish Government published A Blueprint for 2020: 2017-18 Action Plan . This set out the policy vision and framework for delivering the expansion of the early learning and childcare (ELC) entitlement. It committed us to a series of actions…
13 Mar 2018 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers to people from lower income backgrounds to tackle inequality.
12 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-01803 by Fergus Ewing on 22 February 2018, what percentage of premises in the Scottish Borders will have access to superfast broadband by 31 December 2018.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: As of the end of Q2 2017-18, 82.7% of all premises in the Scottish Borders are now able to access fibre broadband, and 79.7% are able to access speeds of 24Mbps and above. Without the investment made through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) pro…
12 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it makes available at a (a) community and (b) national level to promote disabled musicians, and what action it can take to protect this.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: This Government recognises the pivotal role that culture, creativity and music plays in people’s lives across Scotland which is why the 2018-19 Budget includes an increase in culture funding of almost 10%, despite the continued UK Government real terms cuts t…
12 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help connect disabled and non-disabled people at (a) a community, (b) a national and (c) an international level.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The primary aim of the Disability Action Plan, A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People , is to remove the barriers that stop disabled people from participating fully in their communities, and at national and international levels. Our goal is for all disabled pe…
12 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the prejudice and stigma that disabled musicians might face.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: There is no place for prejudice or stigma of any kind in Scotland. Culture contributes to the development of a fairer and more diverse Scotland and as a Government we are committed to tackling inequality and making Scotland a stronger, fairer, more inclusive …
12 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effectiveness of the assistive music technology, which has been pioneered by the Drake Music School, in making music accessible, and how it encourages and supports the developments of such initiatives.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting, developing and promoting Scotland's creative talent, and ensuring that Scotland's culture reaches a wide audience at home and abroad. The use of technology and innovation in making music making more accessib…
12 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve access to music venues for disabled (a) performers and (b) people wishing to attend events.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Disability Action Plan A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People is removing barriers that stop disabled people from participating fully in communities. We are ensuring barriers to accessing and participating in Scotland's culture are removed. We are currentl…
12 Mar 2018 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to remove the (a) physical and (b) social barriers that disabled musicians face.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The primary aim of the Disability Action Plan, A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People , is to remove the barriers that stop disabled people from participating fully in their communities, and at national and international levels. Our goal is for all disabled pe…