Finlay Carson

11 Oct 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the importance of cottage hospitals in the transitional period from acute hospital to home.

Answer · Shona Robison: Community (Cottage) Hospitals deliver valuable services in many local communities. They can be an important part of providing people with the care and support they need closer to home and also help to reduce unnecessary admissions to acute hospitals. In addit…

11 Oct 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the retention of cottage hospitals in Dumfries and Galloway.

Answer · Shona Robison: Decisions around the future of community hospitals are for the local Health and Social Care Partnership to take. Health & social care facilities must be fit for purpose, meet the needs of the local community and sit within the wider strategic direction of loc…

11 Oct 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it recognises the Fisheries Management Agreement 2012 and if so, in what capacity.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is a signatory to the Fisheries Management Agreement 2012. The agreement sets out the main aspects of the arrangements for the management of fisheries between the Fisheries Administrations of the United Kingdom and of the Isle of Man i…

11 Oct 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the importance of landing scallop catches in Kirkcudbright and of local processing factories and associated shoreside infrastructure to the economy of Dumfries and Galloway.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government recognises that the scallop fishery is highly important to Kirkcudbright and the economy of Dumfries and Galloway, as well as many other coastal communities around Scotland where it helps support jobs on vessels and onshore in processi…

11 Oct 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any regulation changes being proposed by the Isle of Man Government that would have a detrimental effect on Scotland's scallop fishing industry.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: We are informed that based on a scientific stock assessment of the king scallop stock within the Isle of Man territorial sea, a total allowable catch for the season commencing 1 November 2017 is going to be introduced of 3,203 tonnes. All vessels operating i…

11 Oct 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has powers to veto any changes proposed to the Fisheries Management Agreement 2012 between the UK and Isle of Man fisheries.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is a signatory to the Fisheries Management Agreement 2012 which sets out the main aspects of the arrangements for the management of fisheries between the Fisheries Administrations of the United Kingdom and of the Isle of Man in respect…

26 Sep 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Dumfries and Galloway regarding equity and equality of service across its area.

26 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money was set aside for the new NVZ (Nitrate Vulnerable Zones), Stranraer Lowlands, to enable farmers to apply for a slurry storage grant.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The 2016 slurry storage application round was restricted to applicants within the areas newly designated as Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) on 1 January 2016, including the Stranraer Lowlands. No funding was specifically set aside for the 2016 slurry storage a…

26 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the funding for the new NVZ (Nitrate Vulnerable Zones), Stranraer Lowlands, was (a) spent and (b) returned.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: SRDP contracts with a total value of £162,260 were issued for slurry storage in the newly designated Stranraer Lowlands Nitrate Vulnerable Zone. One offer of contract worth £35,250 was not accepted by the applicant. The recent poor weather appears to have ham…

13 Sep 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the funding for community sentences.

12 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what agreements it has in place with the Isle of Man Government regarding fisheries, including shared fishing stocks, and what recent discussions there have been regarding (a) scallop fishing and (b) the rights of Scotland's scallop fleet.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government maintains regular contact with the Isle of Man and other UK administrations, in relation to the management of the king and queen scallop fisheries in Isle of Man and UK waters. There is a formal Fisheries Management Agreement in place …

5 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the controlled trial of electrofishing for razor clams will take place; where the trial areas will be, and how it will ensure that non Scottish-owned vessels will be subject to the same rules as those owned in Scotland.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: It is intended to open the trial of electrofishing for razor clams in Scottish waters to applications before the end of 2017. Stock surveys are under way now to assess which areas are suitable for a trial commercial fishery, and these surveys will be complete…

4 Aug 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware or has been notified of any issues regarding the construction of the new hospital in Dumfries.

Answer · Shona Robison: Scottish Government officials have regular dialogue with NHS Dumfries and Galloway concerning the progress of the new hospital, and no material issues have been highlighted recently. The project is progressing on time, on budget, and is due to be handed over …

3 Jul 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish an implementation strategy alongside the 2014 Diabetes Improvement Plan.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Diabetes Improvement Plan 2014 identifies eight priorities for improvement, and the actions to be undertaken at a national level, to achieve the aims of the Plan. In addition, the Plan sets out the role of diabetes MCNs in identifying and impleme…

3 Jul 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many hospital bed days have been used by people with diabetes in each of the last five years.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The total number of bed days occupied in NHS Scotland where Diabetes is recorded as the Principal Diagnosis, for each of the past five financial years, is shown in the following table. NHS Scotland: 2011-12 - 2015-16: Total Number of days where Diabetes Mell…

3 Jul 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates NHS Scotland will spend on diabetes over the next five years.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government does not hold official estimates of current and projected spend on diabetes in NHS Scotland. The allocation of spend is determined by territorial Health Boards. Although individual estimates are available for the economic costs of diab…

28 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-09710 by Kevin Stewart on 27 June 2017, whether it plans to provide new funding streams to community councils.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: As set out in my answer to the previous question S5W-09710 on 27 June 2017 the Scottish Government does not provide funding to Community Councils as it is for each local authority to decide the level of funding for Community Councils in their area. All answer…

26 Jun 2017 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will meet the 30 June deadline for the processing of 2016 CAP payments.

20 Jun 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle poverty.

Answer · Angela Constance: Alongside these actions to develop a fairer future we continue to mitigate the damning welfare cuts imposed by Westminster. Since 2013-14 we have invested over £350 million to mitigate the worst impacts of the UK Government welfare cuts to protect those on th…

15 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it provides to community councils.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Local authorities have statutory oversight of Community Councils and it is for each local authority to decide the level of funding for Community Councils in their area. In recent years the Scottish Government has worked collaboratively with COSLA, the Improve…

14 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on allowing professional celebrants to perform all aspects of marriage ceremonies.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government outlined its position on this in paragraph 28 of the Policy Memorandum for the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill: http://www.parliament.scot/S4_Bills/Marriage%20and%20Civil%20Partnership%20(Scotland)%20Bill/b36s4-introd-pm…

13 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to teachers and schools on sex education for primary school children.

Answer · John Swinney: All schools under local authority control are expected to teach the experiences and outcomes for relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education in Curriculum for Excellence. The statutory responsibility for delivering the curriculum rests with l…

13 Jun 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to physically disabled adults to access sporting and fitness facilities.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government’s commitment to the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is set out in our disability action plan which was published last December. We believe that a fairer Scotland can only be realis…

13 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-08480 by Shona Robison on 29 March 2017, by what date the (a) Short Life Working Group's review and (b) code of practice will be published.

Answer · Shona Robison: We continue to work in conjunction with the BMA and NHS Boards to produce a national Code of Practice for NHS Boards when a contractor wishes the Board to acquire property or take on the contractor’s responsibilities under an existing lease. The GP Premises S…

6 Jun 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to undertake a review of the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003, specifically in relation to the level of fine that can be imposed.

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Government carried out a consultation on responsible dog ownership in 2014 which included questions about dog fouling. Following this on 1 April 2016 the fixed penalty for dog fouling was increased from £40 to £80. No further review is planned at…

31 May 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to promote economic growth in the south of Scotland.

30 May 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering a standalone board for the new south of Scotland enterprise agency, similar to that of Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The second phase of the Enterprise and Skills Review has been exploring options for the new South of Scotland vehicle which will be set out in the final report to be published in late June. The detail of the governance arrangements will be further developed a…

23 May 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the procedure is for people in Scotland to raise concerns regarding the application of section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989, consent required for overhead lines.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Applications made under Section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 are subject to public consultation procedures set out in Schedule 8 of the Act and within the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017, where these Regulatio…

23 May 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the report by Fujitsu regarding the IT system used to process CAP payments.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The report from Fujitsu contains sensitive commercial information as well as technical detail which has implications for cyber-security – publishing such detail could compromise the security of the CAP payments IT platform and, at this critical juncture in th…

10 May 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing low-emission zones in cities to reduce congestion and improve air quality, and what assessment it has made of the economic impact of such a policy.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government is engaging with local authorities and other key stakeholders to identify an early adopter City Council to put in place Scotland’s first low-emission zone by 2018. We will collaborate with local authorities during the appraisal and des…