Finlay Carson

27 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are current SIGN guidelines for myeloma.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: There are no current SIGN guidelines for myeloma. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network’s (SIGN) list of current guidelines, guidelines under development and archived guidelines that have been, or are being developed or updated by SIGN is available…

27 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have been diagnosed with blood cancer through the Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres since their establishment, broken down by type of blood cancer.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The information requested is not yet publically available. Scotland’s first three Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres (ECDC) are pilots to help inform wider roll-out of an optimal model for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer. All three C…

16 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the (a) full details of the evaluation process for deciding on new national parks and (b) timelines for the process.

Answer · Lorna Slater: Part of the current national conversation about our National Parks is aimed at developing an Evaluation Framework to identify the next areas to be progressed to National Park status. The Scottish Government and NatureScot will shortly be announcing the second…

16 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether any changes in primary legislation in relation to the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 are being considered.

Answer · Lorna Slater: As part of the national conversation about our National Parks, we are considering the roles and functions National Park Authorities should have to help them continue delivering the aims set out in the 2000 Act, but also to play a key role in addressing the tw…

15 Jun 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will address the reported shortage of nurses in rural areas.

13 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the majority of primary liver cancer cases in Scotland involve hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and that such cases tripled among men between 1997 and 2017, what steps it is taking to ensure equitable treatment for HCC in (a) the Galloway and West Dumfries consti…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We agree that everyone should have fair and equitable access to high quality care. It remains an unwelcome reality that communities experience health, quality of life and even life expectancy differently across our society. The Scottish Government is support…

13 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure equitable access to liver cancer treatment that includes both curative and palliative care.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish HepatoPancreatoBiliary Network (SHPBN) is a key partner in improving cancer services and ensuring equitable access to treatment for liver cancer patients. Under the National Cancer Plan, the SHPBN has been awarded £653,000 over two financial year…

8 Jun 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to unpaid carers who are experiencing poor mental health.

7 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many publicly available electric vehicle (EV) charging points have been created in the Galloway and West Dumfries constituency in the last year.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Transport Scotland, Scottish Transport Statistics 2020 reported 66 publicly available electric vehicle charge points in the Dumfries & Galloway Boundary Area. This figure has increased in 2021 to 80 publicly available charge points in the Dumfries & Gallo…

7 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing for electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in (a) the Galloway and West Dumfries constituency and (b) other rural areas.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Scotland has the most comprehensive public charging network in the UK outside of London, with close to 3,000 public charge points. The Scottish Government has invested over £50 million to develop the ChargePlace Scotland network, with over a third of charge p…

1 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the timescale is for the full designation of a new national park, including the public consultation process.

Answer · Lorna Slater: We will shortly share further information about the process and timetable for which will enable one or more areas to be designated as a National Park. This designation will take place before the end of the current Parliament.

1 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when a final decision will be taken regarding the location of a new national park.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government has recently closed an initial consultation to start a national discussion about our National Parks. We will be working with NatureScot over the summer to engage further with the general public and stakeholders to help develop the eval…

1 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the timescale is for implementation of the decarbonised railway line between Stranraer and Girvan; what work has been carried out on this, and what progress has been made.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As set out in Transport Scotland’s Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan, by 2035 Transport Scotland aims to have decarbonised the route to Stranraer and Girvan. Decarbonisation of the line to Girvan and Stranraer forms a later phase of the rolling progr…

4 May 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on infrastructure investment in the south of Scotland.

20 Apr 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of the delivery of a cross-government Covid Recovery Strategy, what efforts it is making to ensure the resilience of Scotland’s response to any future pandemic.

13 Apr 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what help it will provide to tackle any NHS backlogs in rural areas.

12 Apr 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what research it is carrying out on the potential impact of (a) increases in land prices on rural communities, in light of reports of people buying farmland to get closer to nature, increase tree planting and for renewable energy schemes, and (b) a concentration of land ownership on loca…

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Government is currently funding two research projects into land values, landownership, and land use change, through the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Strategic Research Programme (SRP) 2022-27. One is at the James Hutton Institut…

21 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional resources will be made available for rural transport infrastructure.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government ambitions for future investment in rural transport infrastructure are included in the 45 draft recommendations within the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2 ), published on the 20 January 2022. The recomme…

16 Mar 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional resources will be made available for rural transport infrastructure.

15 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the television and radio schedules relating to The Living Safely this Winter campaign across all stations and channels.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Full schedules cannot be supplied due to the commercially sensitive information that is included. I can confirm however that the Living Safely This Winter campaign ran from 13 December 2021 to 31 January 2022 and was active across the following channels on T…

15 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05936 by Maree Todd on 14 February 2022, whether it will provide a breakdown of the funding by NHS board area.

Answer · Maree Todd: The breakdown of the additional funding provided to Health Boards for Breastfeeding Initiatives since 2018/19 is as follows:  In £m    Total spend per board HEALTH BOARD 2018- 19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22        NHS Ayrshire and Arran 0.09 0.12 0.12…

14 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings of the Dogs Trust's National Dog Survey that over 97% of dog owners own three or fewer dogs, and what engagement it has had with the UK Government to encourage it to reduce the number of pet animals, which may enter Great Britain in a motor vehicle du…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government welcomes the research of the Dog’s Trust National Survey, and we will continue to engage with our stakeholders to improve animal welfare. I would also like to refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07415 on 29 March 2022 regar…

14 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Dogs Trust's recommendation that the number of pet animals able to travel under the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) should be reduced from five to three per vehicle, and what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the potential impact in Scotland of …

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government continue to engage with our stakeholders to improve animal welfare and this is an issue we would be open to considering. The Scottish Government would be content with this suggested change if the UK Government were minded to amend the…

9 Mar 2022 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding is being provided to restore and enhance rural health services.

23 Feb 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional support and resources it will provide for its actions across government to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

1 Feb 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend the Transvaginal Mesh Removal (Cost Reimbursement) (Scotland) Bill to apply to the use of mesh during other medical procedures, such as hernia operations.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Parliament unanimously backed the Transvaginal Mesh Removal (Cost Reimbursement) (Scotland) Bill on 25 January 2022. The Bill will now proceed to Royal Assent with the reimbursement scheme opening as soon as practically possible thereafter. The …

21 Jan 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been committed to supporting breastfeeding in each of the last five years and, of that, how much has been committed to supporting mothers with post-natal mental health issues.

Answer · Maree Todd: We provide £2.3m per year to NHS Boards to support the 2011 Maternal and Infant Nutrition Framework Action Plan which includes a range of breastfeeding support activities and interventions. We have additionally provided more than £6m over the past four years…

17 Jan 2022 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an update on the delivery of LOT 1 of the R100 programme.

21 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance is available to Stena Line in light of the potential impact of staff absences on sailings from Cairnryan over the Christmas and new year period.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government approved an application from Stena Line for a critical workers exemption to allow essential workers to volunteer to leave self-isolation and return to work. Workers in businesses and organisations providing vital public services can vo…

21 Dec 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will designate Stena Line ferry services from Cairnryan as a vital service, and therefore exempt from the 10-day self-isolation rule if staff are fully vaccinated and have a negative lateral flow test, in order to ensure those services continue to operate.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government recognises the critical importance of the Stena Line ferry service from Loch Ryan Port to Belfast. On 22 December the Scottish Government approved an application from Stena Line for an exemption to allow their essential workers to volu…