Parliamentary questions
Finlay Carson
905 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
27 Apr 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to expand the rates relief programme to assist groups in the hospitality supply chain, including food and drink wholesalers, that have been impacted by the decision to close restaurants, pubs and other leisure venues during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Kate Forbes: We are determined to help keep companies in business and our financial support now exceeds the £2.3 billion passed on from the UK Government. In designing the relief and grant system we had to balance helping as many businesses as possible against what was af…
27 Apr 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it has given to the food and drink wholesale sector during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-28745 on 12 May 2020. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28…
11 Mar 2020 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting Dumfries and Galloway in transitioning to a low carbon economy.
3 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-27532 by Jeanne Freeman on 2 March 2020, how many GPs have been trained in each of the last five years on how to administer hormone replacement therapy for transgender people, including testosterone, oestrogen and anti-androgens.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The requested information is not centrally held. The primary purpose of the Royal College of GP (RCGP) curriculum is to train future GPs with the types of generalist medical skills and capabilities to work competently and safely within general practice sett…
25 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many ambulances have responded to emergency calls without having a paramedic onboard as part of the crew in the last 12 months, also broken down by operational area.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The following tables show the number of emergency calls responded to by the ambulance service over the past 12 months where a paramedic was not recorded as being on scene, both at a National level and broken down by regional area. To note, the ambulance serv…
20 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS Dumfries and Galloway will be provided additional funding in its 2020-21 budget to address mental health needs in the area.
Answer · Clare Haughey: NHS Boards including NHS Dumfries and Galloway will draw the majority of funding for mental health services from the overall funds allocated to them by the Scottish Government. I expect local budget decisions to reflect the national mental health priorities a…
20 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reduce average waiting times at gender identity clinics.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Prior to Covid19 emergency the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorate was working closely with the National Gender Identity Clinical Network Scotland and those board areas that host gender identity clinics to better understand their needs and …
20 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many GPs have been trained in each of the last five years on how to monitor hormone replacement therapy.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not held centrally. The current Establishment for General Practice is 1184. During 2019 recruitment, 325 General Practice Specialty Training (GPST) posts filled out of a possible 340, achieving the most successful fill rate in five years …
20 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to open more gender identity clinics.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We have no plans to increase the number of gender identity clinics beyond the existing four.
13 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has explored the introduction of night storage heaters as part of a new Green Deal.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Electric storage heaters are being investigated, amongst a range of other low carbon heating measures. The Scottish government will work with each household to analyse which heating solution would be best placed for them. The Scottish Government currently fu…
13 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the process is for planning appeals to be considered where a large-scale wind turbine has been refused planning permission at a local authority level.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Any proposal to construct or operate a power generation scheme with a capacity under the threshold of 50 megawatts are made to the relevant local planning authority and require planning permission under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. Propo…
13 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government to what extent the cumulative impact of windfarm developments locally is considered in planning appeals, where applications have been refused by a local authority.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: The cumulative impact of a proposed development is one of a number of factors taken into account when determining appeals and also in the examination of proposals over 50 megawatts which are dealt with under the Electricity Act. In relation to planning appeal…
13 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on considering a moratorium on new large-scale windfarms in South Ayrshire and Wigtownshire.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Onshore wind is the lowest cost electricity generation at scale and remains vitally important to our decarbonisation ambitions. Paragraph 166 of Scottish Planning Policy states that proposals for onshore wind turbine developments should continue to be determi…
13 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports communities that consider they have been saturated by large-scale wind turbine developments.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government operates a robust and fair planning system. Scottish Planning policy is clear that development plans prepared by planning authorities should identify those areas that are likely to be most appropriate for onshore wind farms, as a guide…
13 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will approach the development of major infrastructure projects in light of the climate emergency.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The global climate emergency is a key consideration of shaping future investment in Scotland’s infrastructure. In January 2020 the Infrastructure Commission for Scotland published its first report “Phase 1: key findings report, A blueprint for Scotland” whic…
13 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given, in terms of its energy policy, to tariffs as a means of reducing emissions and helping tackle climate change.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-27437 on 12 March 2020. 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/parliamentarybusiness/…
13 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on having a trade policy with countries that are responsible for a large volume of carbon emissions.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Tariff policy is reserved to the UK Government. However, tariff-free trade with Europe, the elimination of non-tariff barriers and quick and efficient customs procedures are indispensable to the functioning of Scotland’s energy system and its supply chains. A…
13 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the cumulative impact that large-scale wind farm developments may have on local development planning.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) sets out that planning authorities, in considering proposals for energy infrastructure developments should take account of a range of development management considerations including likely cumulative impacts. SPP recognises that…
13 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of all large-scale wind turbines is situated in each local authority area.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit is responsible for the consideration of applications for large-scale generating stations over 50MW. Any applications for less than 50MW would be considered under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 …
11 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position in on the view that upland raptor populations vary year-on-year, and that licensing grouse shooting before the recommended five-year probationary period is over would be scientifically flawed and an unfair test.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: As stated in the response to S5W-27409 on 9 March 2020, when we are preparing our response to the Independent Review of Grouse Moor Management report we will take account of all relevant evidence, including that heard by the Environment, Climate Change and La…
11 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government Government what its position is on (a) accepting recent evidence by Professor Alan Werritty to the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee, in which he stated that a five-year probationary period is required to offset natural variability in raptor populations before a grous…
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is giving careful consideration to the recommendations in the Independent Review of Grouse Moor Management report and we will publish our response later this year. Our response will cover the key recommendation on the licensing of grou…
11 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will align high animal health standards with its (a) climate change plan, (b) declaration of a climate emergency, (c) proposed Good Food Nation Bill and (d) proposed Agriculture Bill.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Efficient agricultural production is an important component of the Scottish Government’s plan to tackle the climate emergency. Improving animal health is one aspect of livestock production efficiency alongside optimising feed and management systems, breeding …
11 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the cost of vaccine-preventable livestock diseases to the industry, and what assessment it has made of the cost-effectiveness of incentivising vaccinations to support a vibrant agricultural sector.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The use of vaccines for prevention of diseases in livestock should only be carried out under the supervision of a veterinary surgeon and the costs of vaccines are carried by livestock keepers. Published literature on this topic is available, however disease c…
11 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the environmental benefits of tackling endemic diseases on farms through a preventative approach to animal health, and whether it considers tackling livestock diseases key to meeting its 2030 carbon reduction targets.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Scottish Government has supported 2 formal assessments of the impact of diseases on livestock production, one conducted by ADAS and a second by the SG funded Centre of Expertise on Climate Change. The Scottish Government has a history of supporting R&D and c…
10 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what complaints procedures can be used against the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission when an ombudsman finds in favour of the complainant.
Answer · Ash Denham: The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission ( SLCC) is a non-departmental public body responsible for providing the single point of contact with unresolved complaints against lawyers operating in Scotland. It was established under the Legal Profession and Legal …
10 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are to reform how the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission operates while investigating itself.
Answer · Ash Denham: The Report of the Independent Review of Legal Services Regulation in Scotland considered what changes may be required to the statutory framework for the regulation of legal services to protect consumer interests and promote a flourishing legal sector. The …
5 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26787 by Joe FitzPatrick on 9 January 2020, what the timescale is for moving to the Shingrix vaccine.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Shingrix® is not currently available in the UK as there is insufficient vaccine to meet global demand. We cannot yet give an indication about how and when the JCVI’s advice might be implemented. This will be kept under review as more information about vaccine…
5 Feb 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a statutory requirement for all fire and smoke alarms in homes to be interlinked by 2021 and, if so, what funding streams are open to home owners and landlords to assist with this.
Answer · Kevin Stewart: Through the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 (Tolerable Standard) (Extension of Criterion) Order 2019, the Tolerable Standard has been amended to include new elements covering fire and carbon monoxide detection. The new standard for fire and carbon monoxide detect…
22 Jan 2020 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it tackles social isolation among older people in rural communities.
14 Jan 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much of its £600 million connectivity budget has been spend on R100 infrastructure, broken down by (a) lot section and (b) local authority area.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is funding £579 million (or 96.5%) of the £600 million committed to the Reaching 100% (R100) programme, which will ensure that every home and business in Scotland can access superfast broadband. The R100 programme has not yet incurred …