Adam Tomkins

29 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the number of such carers has doubled over the last 10 years, what support it provides to kinship carers who offer accommodation and support to looked-after children.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not collect information about the number of kinship carers however we do hold figures for the number of children who are looked after in kinship care, which between 2007 and 2017 has risen from 2094 to 4138. We recognise the impo…

16 Mar 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Legal Aid Board plans to continue funding the Tackling Money Worries programme and, if so, (a) for how long and (b) how much will be allocated each year. 

Answer · Annabelle Ewing: The Scottish Legal Aid Board have proposed that funding totalling £670,000 will continue for the Tackling Money Worries Programme until March 2019. We are currently working with SLAB and colleagues within the wider Scottish Government departments to develop a…

30 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost is of (a) (i) illegal and (ii) prescription drug and (b) alcohol misuse, and how this compares with 2008.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Information on the cost of illegal, prescription drugs and alcohol misuse is not held centrally.

30 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many residential (a) detoxification and (b) rehabilitation facilities for the treatment of (i) illegal drug, (ii) prescription drug and (iii) alcohol addiction there have been in each local authority area in each year since 2008, also broken down by how many of these have been decomm…

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Information on detoxification and rehabilitation facilities for the treatment of substance misuse is not held centrally. The provision and monitoring of residential substance misuse treatment facilities is the responsibility of local Alcohol and Drug Partners…

30 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many children in each local authority area have been taken into care in each year since 2008 because of parental substance abuse.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government does not collect data on the sub-reasons for children becoming looked after, so it is not possible to provide specific data on the numbers of children being placed in care due to parental substance misuse.

30 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding the number of people in each local authority area who have been addicted to (a) illegal and (b) prescription drugs in each year since 2008, also broken down by type of drug.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Information on the number of people addicted to illegal and prescription drugs is not held centrally. The Scottish Government commissions data collection to estimate the number of problem drug users in Scotland and captures data on those seeking treatment fo…

30 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it commissioned the drug and alcohol information system that is in development, and whether it will be (a) launched on time and (b) within budget and, if not, for what reason.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The drug and alcohol information system was commissioned by the Scottish Government in May 2016 with the IT development commencing April 2017. The IT system will be available from April 2018 and there will be a phased implementation to accommodate a delay in …

30 Jan 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) detoxification and (b) rehabilitation beds for the treatment of (i) illegal drug, (ii) prescription drug and (iii) alcohol addiction have been available in each local authority area in each year since 2008.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Information on detoxification and rehabilitation facilities for the treatment of substance misuse (alcohol and drugs) is not held centrally. Provision and monitoring of residential substance misuse treatment facilities is the responsibility of local Alcohol …

16 Jan 2018 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to the Holocaust Educational Trust.

19 Dec 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason in its Draft Budget, spending on equalities is being increased by 12%.

12 Dec 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Scottish Land Commission.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Land Commission was formally established in April and it is making excellent progress in delivering its three-year Strategic Plan and programme of work.

28 Nov 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in developing the delivery plan to tackle child poverty.

22 Nov 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to statistics suggesting that care-experienced young people in Skills Development Scotland Employability Fund scheme have a lower achievement rate than those who have not been in care.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Employability Fund supports care-experienced young people through discretionary funding, which recognises the need to make additional support available for individuals who participate in the programme. Regional guides across each Local Authority area have…

22 Nov 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to statistics suggesting that there are fewer female than male starts in the Skills Development Scotland Employability Fund scheme.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The latest statistics on the Employability Fund indicate participation broadly in line with previous year’s figures. Employability Fund provision is available to those who are referred to the Fund in relation to their specific needs and thus is not subject t…

21 Nov 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the Lord Advocate decides whether a matter is in the public interest.

14 Nov 2017 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to fill vacant teaching posts and encourage the take-up of postgraduate teaching courses.

Answer · John Swinney: It is disappointing that universities have not filled places in some secondary subjects. As I have already said we are taking a number of actions to help fill vacant teaching posts and encourage the take-up of postgraduate teaching courses.

6 Nov 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures from Police Scotland that state that more than 150 children were caught with an offensive or bladed weapon in Glasgow over the last two years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: We are determined to tackle knife crime and, looking across Scotland, offences of possession of offensive weapons are down 69% between 2006-07 and 2015-16. However, we recognise that there is still more to do and that violence is a complex issue. Alongside e…

6 Nov 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the discussions it has had with the Violence Reduction Unit and the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools regarding the possession of offensive weapons among under-16s.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government remains resolute in our determination to tackle knife crime, with offences of possession of offensive weapons down 69% between 2006-07 and 2015-16, and we are continuing to work with schools and local authorities on anti-violence campa…

3 Nov 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the judgment of the Supreme Court to the case of Aberdeen City and Shire Strategic Development Planning Authority v Elsick Development Company Limited.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government will consider the implications of the Supreme Court decision as we take forward the review of planning. In consultations leading up to the introduction of the forthcoming Planning Bill, we have proposed introducing an enabling power fo…

3 Nov 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help deliver strategic infrastructure to support new developments.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The ongoing review of planning aims to better align infrastructure planning and delivery with new development. As part of this, we are exploring options for an infrastructure levy as a means of supporting the delivery of infrastructure, a national delivery gr…

26 Oct 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures published by the National Dental Inspection Programme in October 2017, which highlight the oral health inequalities between children in the least and most deprived communities.

Answer · Shona Robison: These welcome statistics show a further improvement in the oral health of children. More than three quarters (77%) of Primary 7 children now have no obvious tooth decay, compared with 59% a decade ago an improvement has been seen across the whole population. …

26 Oct 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the updated Dental Health Plan will be published.

Answer · Shona Robison: We intend for the Oral Health Improvement Plan to be published by the end of the year.

26 Oct 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reduce the hours lost to absence among staff at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Answer · Shona Robison: We are clear that the welfare of NHS staff is critically important, every Health Board is required to have policies in place and to comply with national Partnership Information Network (PIN) polices on managing health at work, which includes mental health and…

26 Oct 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to help NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde staff who miss work due to anxiety, stress, depression or other psychiatric illnesses.

Answer · Shona Robison: We are clear that the welfare of NHS staff is critically important, every Health Board is required to have policies in place and to comply with national Partnership Information Network (PIN) polices on managing health at work, which includes mental health and…

27 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has supplied to the Justice Committee updating it on the action it has taken since 2013 to engage with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to ensure that the appropriate level of information is given to families of road death victims.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government regularly engages with the Justice Committee regarding developments in victims and witnesses policy and procedure. In September 2016, we wrote to the Justice Committee Clerk to draw members’ attention to the publication of the Crown O…

27 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken since 2013 to engage with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to ensure that the appropriate level of information is given to families of road death victims.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has on-going dialogue with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) on the provision of support and information to victims of crime. The Scottish Government contributed to the development of COPFS Family Liaison Charter …

27 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that families of road death victims should, on request, have a statutory right to receive investigation documents at the conclusion of criminal proceedings or at the end of relevant investigations where there are no criminal proceedings.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government remains of the view that releasing such documents to families might not always be appropriate given the potentially distressing nature of the content. The COPFS Family Liaison Charter outlines the information that COPFS undertakes to …

27 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken since the enactment of the Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014 to encourage improvement in keeping the victims of crime informed as to the progress of cases in which they are involved.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has taken a number of steps in this regard. We implemented section 6 of the 2014 Act in January 2015. This provides victims and witnesses with a new right to request information about the criminal investigation or proceedings in which…

26 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what provision is being made to ensure that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow will be equipped to meet the increased demand on its services during the next winter period.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-11553 on 24 October 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/parliamentarybusiness…

26 Sep 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce A&E waiting times at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is working closely with the local team at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) to support improvements. Whilst performance at the QEUH over the summer months (June and July) improved to over 90%, performance against the fou…