Emma Harper

12 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding its current position in relation to potentially lifting the prohibition on fishing vessels landing berried hen lobsters from the (a) Solway Firth and (b) North Channel of the Irish Sea, in light of reported concerns from the fishing industry th…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The situation in the Solway Firth and Northern Channel was unique, as those areas were not covered by our crab and lobster assessment areas. Therefore they did not benefit from the robust evidence base we have used to underpin our decision making. After list…

28 May 2024 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to increase access to diabetes technologies.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone living with diabetes can access the care that they need to live their lives well. This includes increasing access to diabetes technologies. Between 2016 and 2022, we invested £29.6 million of ad…

21 May 2024 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has identified during the course of its ongoing investigation any other public sector organisations that have been impacted by the cyber attack on NHS Dumfries and Galloway infrastructure.

Answer · Neil Gray: As part of the on-going forensic analysis, NHS Dumfries & Galloway identified that files belonging to National Records of Scotland, that were stored on the NHS D&G IT infrastructure, have been stolen as part of the cyber-attack. As National Records of Scotlan…

23 Apr 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on (a) the uptake and (b) any assessment that it has made of the effectiveness of the Small Producers Pilot Fund, since it was launched.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands launched the Small Producer Pilot Fund in December 2023 with £180,000 of funding in financial year 2023-2024 for two small-scale abattoir projects, a new information resource webpage for small p…

15 Apr 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assist the Scottish Prison Service in the recruitment of new officers, in light of reported concerns regarding an ageing prison officer workforce.

10 Apr 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to reiterate the harms caused to both livestock and farmers by livestock worrying.

2 Apr 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported announcement from DADDS dental practice in Dumfries that it is to close, which will reportedly lead to the deregistration of 4,000 NHS patients, whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to support access to dental care for people residing wit…

Answer · Jenni Minto: We introduced major NHS dental payment reform on 1 November 2023 which includes a new fee structure designed to make it more attractive for dentists to provide NHS services, and this has generally been well received by the sector. I acknowledge that access r…

4 Mar 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with the health secretary regarding implementing the commitments contained within the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022.

26 Feb 2024 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its further consultation paper on restricting promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Improving diet and levels of healthy weight remains a public health priority for this Government. As part of a range of action to improve diet, and help create a food environment which better supports healthier choices, we remain committed to restricting prom…

26 Feb 2024 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the latest reported figures highlighting the impact of livestock worrying in Scotland.

16 Feb 2024 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress regarding its plans for delivering on its new Dementia Strategy for Scotland.

Answer · Maree Todd: We are pleased to announce the launch of the Scottish Government and COSLA’s joint initial 2-year Delivery Plan , which sets out the key deliverables we’ll prioritise to help achieve the ambitions set out in our new Dementia Strategy for Scotland, published…

9 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure early and consistent diagnosis of severe asthma across the NHS.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government’s Respiratory care - action plan: 2021 to 2026 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) sets out our priorities and commitments for driving improvement in the prevention, diagnosis, care, treatment and support of people living with respiratory cond…

8 Feb 2024 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to continue direct payments in the new rural support framework.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government has committed to no cliff edges in support between existing schemes and the introduction of the new four tier framework. We remain committed to supporting active farming and sustainable food production with direct payments, while also …

30 Jan 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has held with South of Scotland Enterprise regarding any preliminary analysis of the outcome of its recently implemented four-day working week pilot.

29 Jan 2024 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement from the UK Government that it plans to ban single-use vapes to protect children’s health, whether it will outline what action is being taken in Scotland.

26 Jan 2024 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the action that it will take following the closure of the four nations consultation, Creating a Smokefree Generation and Tackling Youth Vaping.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Our 2023 Tobacco and Vaping Framework includes action to raise the age limit for the sale of tobacco, and review what action is needed to limit the appeal of vapes to children, young people and non-smokers. Key to this work were the proposals consulted on in …

24 Jan 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to cultural organisations to promote Robert Burns this Burns season.

15 Jan 2024 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister, in light of reported concerns regarding food labelling being a devolved matter, what the Scottish Government's position is on what impact the UK Government’s reported plans to roll out "not for EU" labelling on food and drink products across the whole of the UK could have on Scotland’s food …

14 Dec 2023 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s proposal to retain interim changes to local Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy services made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Under the established major service change process in the NHS (outlined in the national Planning with People guidance), this proposal, which was agreed by the Board of NHS Ayrshire & Arran at its meeting on 9 October 2023, is subject to Ministerial approval. …

29 Nov 2023 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on plans to ensure that all women aged over 71 can self-refer for a breast screening appointment, as was the case prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Jenni Minto: As set out previously, since 29 August 2022 women aged 71 to 74, and those 75 and over with a history of breast cancer, were able to register for self-referral appointments by contacting their local breast screening service. From 1 st December, all women aged…

28 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage young people to register to vote in elections, including through education on registering to vote in the school curriculum.

Answer · George Adam: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring everyone who is eligible to vote can do so and is working with partners to look at potential new ways to increase registration levels amongst under-represented groups including young people. Curriculum for Exc…

22 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting expedited payments, from Social Security Scotland, for the Adult Disability Payment, in cases where a young person has come to severe financial harm due to an unexpected medical diagnosis.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Adult Disability Payment provides support for people who have a long-term disability or health condition. To be entitled for Adult Disability Payment an individual must have had needs relating to their disability or health condition for 13 weeks before entitl…

21 Nov 2023 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its refreshed Tobacco Action Plan.

Answer · Jenni Minto: I am pleased to announce that today we have launched our new Tobacco and Vaping Framework - roadmap to 2034. Our high-level Framework will focus on both tobacco and vaping, with actions underpinned by a series of shorter 2-year action-focused implementation …

15 Nov 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting businesses in rural areas to become accredited Living Wage employers.

10 Nov 2023 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what discussions it has had regarding support for children and young people from rural areas to visit the Scottish Parliament.

Answer · Christine Grahame (on Behalf of the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body: The SPCB provides a free school engagement programme. Our Education Services staff deliver sessions and tours at the Parliament, online, and visit schools across Scotland. Digital and outreach education sessions are popular and especially appreciated by t…

23 Oct 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it defines "sustainability" when creating policies aimed at reaching its net zero targets. 

18 Oct 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the recruitment of police officers in Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders.

6 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of its Respiratory Care Action Plan.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Since the publication of the Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland (RCAP), the Scottish Government has established the Scottish Respiratory Advisory Committee (SRAC) to oversee its implementation. Since publication of the Plan, the SRAC identified three …

26 Sep 2023 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation of Social Care Support in Scotland recommendation report will be published.

Answer · Maree Todd: I can confirm Dame Sue Bruce, the Chair of the Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation of Social Care Support in Scotland, has submitted her findings to Ministers and the Independent Review of Inspection, Scrutiny and Regulation Recommendat…

25 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many GPs there currently are per head of population in Scotland, and what information it has on how this compares with (a) England and (b) Wales.

Answer · Michael Matheson: In September 2022, there were 83 GPs per 100,000 population in Scotland compared to (a) 63 per 100,000 in England and (b) 64 per 100,000 in Wales, excluding GP trainees and locums. The latest Public Health Scotland GP headcount statistics and comparative fig…