Annie Wells

21 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of which NHS staff will be given suicide prevention training under Action 2 of its suicide prevention action plan, Every Life Matters, and by what date they will have all received this.

Answer · Clare Haughey: As indicated in the answer to question S5W-18333 on 5 September 2018, detail on this will be considered by the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group, which will make recommendations to Ministers on detail. All answers to written parliamentary questions…

21 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS staff will have received suicide prevention training by May 2019.

Answer · Clare Haughey: As stated in the new Suicide Prevention Action Plan, the training is to be developed by May 2019. Detail on this, including categories and groups of NHS staff who should be prioritised for the training, will be considered by the National Suicide Prevention Le…

13 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide more information on the commitment in Scotland’s Suicide Prevention Action Plan that, by the end of academic year 2019-20, every local authority will be offered training for teachers in mental health first aid.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government will fund the creation and implementation of refreshed Mental Health and Suicide Prevention training by May 2019 and will support delivery across local authorities. To date, 18 local authorities have received this Scottish Mental Healt…

1 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the average length of contract is for Community Link Workers employed on fixed-term contracts.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: 31 of the directly SG-funded link workers are employed on a fixed term contract. Of these, 13 in Edinburgh are on fixed term contracts of 18 months. The Integration Authority intends to sustain these posts at the end of the current procurement period. The o…

1 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the Community Link Workers already recruited are employed on fixed-term contracts.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Of the 56 directly SG-funded link workers in post, 31 are employed on a fixed term contract. 13 of the fixed term posts are in Edinburgh and 18 in Glasgow.

1 Aug 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its commitment in its Programme for Government 2016-17 to recruit up to 250 community link workers to work in GP surgeries by the end of the parliamentary session, how many were recruited by July 2018, including those recruited by health and social care partnerships.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: There are 56 directly SG-funded community link workers in post covering 72 practices in 6 locations across Scotland.

30 Jul 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects a decision will be made regarding HIV Scotland's business case to outline a sustainable vision for its future.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: HIV Scotland has submitted a business case which is still under consideration. The interim funding provided to HIV Scotland has been extended to cover this period.

30 Jul 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent Shelter Scotland report, which states that, on one day in March 2018, 6,615 children were living in temporary accommodation and that this was the fourth consecutive year in which the figure has risen, and that homeless families with children spend an av…

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government is clear that one person being made homeless is too many, particularly in households which include children. That is why preventing and ending homelessness and transforming temporary accommodation are key priorities for the Scottish G…

19 Jul 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is provided as part of teacher-training on how best to support pupils with autism.

Answer · John Swinney: All courses of Initial Teacher Education are accredited and approved by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) as the independent, regulatory body for the teaching profession. The GTCS only grant accreditation if they are satisfied that the content …

21 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many times NHS staff have faced (a) gender-based, (b) racial and (c) other forms of discrimination in each of the last five years, also broken down by how many times the alleged perpetrator was another NHS employee.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not held centrally, the formal recording of any incident of discrimination is a matter for NHS Scotland health boards. The welfare of NHS Staff is absolutely paramount and we expect all health boards to take any reported incidents seriousl…

21 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the NHS ensures that its staff are given adequate equality training, and how it measures the effectiveness of this.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: NHS Scotland’s national Partnership Information Network (PIN) policy: “Embracing Equality, Diversity and Human Rights in NHSScotland, accessible at: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0044/00441232.pdf explicitly requires that all staff are provided with equality…

20 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-17080 by John Swinney on 14 June 2018, how it will publicise its plan to allow COSLA, local authorities, third sector organisations and children and young people the opportunity to hear about the main findings of the review, identify gaps and inform…

Answer · John Swinney: An engagement session with COSLA, the Association of Directors in Scotland (ADES) and local authority representatives took place on the 25 June 2018. A workshop with key third sector organisations has been arranged for 9 August and a dedicated seminar on the…

19 Jun 2018 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle hate crime.

6 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the findings of its review into personal and social education and school counselling.

Answer · John Swinney: The review of personal and social education (PSE) commenced in July 2017 and will be completed by the end of 2018.

6 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the third supplementary to question S5F-02355 by Nicola Sturgeon on 17 May 2018 (Official Report, c.22), whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding whether it will roll out a national programme of mental health teacher training and impr…

Answer · John Swinney: We take child and adolescent mental health very seriously. We know that prevention and early intervention make a big difference in reducing the risk of developing mental health problems. Since 2014, Education Scotland has been delivering Scotland’s Mental Hea…

6 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will include an open evidence stage as part of the review into personal and social education and school counselling so that schools that have not been selected to take part in the review can contribute.

Answer · John Swinney: Prior to the commencement of the PSE Review, an engagement session was held in conjunction with Education Scotland and COSLA, to help shape the scope of the PSE review. There was wide representation from local authorities at this session. This ensured that lo…

5 Jun 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-02066 by Maureen Watt on 9 May 2018 (Official Report, c. 29), whether the annual report on the mental health strategy’s actions will be presented to the Parliament prior to the summer recess and, if not, by what date it will be.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The annual report on the Mental Health Strategy’s actions will be published in Summer 2018, after parliamentary recess.

21 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comment of the president of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association that pupil disobedience in schools is at "unprecedented levels".

Answer · John Swinney: We published the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research 2016 in December 2017. This is based on the views of head teachers, teachers and support staff at both primary and secondary schools across Scotland. The research found that the majority of pupils are we…

21 May 2018 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that nearly £4 million is being spent on sending X-rays, and CT and MRI scans to radiologists outwith Scotland.

14 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the estimated cost of the project to reduce journey times on the Glasgow-Falkirk-Edinburgh rail service has increased from £742 million to £858 million.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: I confirmed to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee on 16 May that I was disappointed that Network Rail’s anticipated final costs for the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) have risen to that level. However, the delivery of EGIP remains af…

11 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the seed funding for the service having ceased, how it will support the One Stop Shop initiative in providing support for people with autism and their families.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The one stop shop model was initially funded by the Scottish Government from the Scottish Strategy for Autism as a pilot to ensure autistic people received the support they needed following an autism assessment. There was an expectation that the six one stop …

9 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, what its response is to the comment made by the managing director of the ScotRail Alliance to the Rural Affairs and Connectivity Committee on 9 May 2018 (Official Report, c. 3) that, in light of the £1.6 million fine issued to the operator because of missed targets in 2018, "our perform…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Service Quality Incentive Regime (SQUIRE) is working as per design and continues to incentivise ScotRail to manage the improvement in performance of the services and facilities it is contracted to provide. Due to the level of performance, Scottish Govern…

9 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the finding in the report, No Problem Here: Understanding Racism in Scotland, that black and minority ethnic applicants for large public sector organisations in Scotland had a 1.1% chance of being appointed, compared with 8.1% for white applicants.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Creating diverse workforces and inclusive workplaces that harness the talents of everyone is crucial to support continuous improvement in Scotland’s public services. Public authorities are subject to a comprehensive set of equality requirements, as set out i…

9 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the finding in the report, No Problem Here: Understanding Racism in Scotland, that Scotland has a higher rate of murders that were known or suspected to have a racist element than the rest of the UK.

Answer · Angela Constance: Racism is completely unacceptable and we are committed to tackling it. Racist incidents and racist hate crime have shown a downwards trend in Scotland in recent times, with racially motivated homicides being rare (in 2016-17, there were two victims of homici…

9 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, what its response is to the comment made by the managing director of the ScotRail Alliance to the Rural Affairs and Connectivity Committee on 9 May 2018 (Official Report, c.10) regarding the Glasgow-Falkirk-Edinburgh service that "we would like to deliver 42-minute journeys on the brand…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The intention to provide a 42 minute journey on the Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk High route has always been aligned with the December 2018 timetable change date. Alex Hynes, ScotRail Alliance Managing Director, confirmed at his appearance at the Rural Eco…

8 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what training regarding autism is provided to (a) people working in the criminal justice system, (b) teachers and (c) community psychiatric nurses.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government is committed to increasing awareness and understanding of autism for staff working in health and social care, education and criminal justice. a) Through the Scottish Strategy for Autism , the Scottish Government has committed funding …

8 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that autism services provide equal access to diagnosis.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Strategy for Autism sets out a framework which seeks the removal of barriers to diagnosis across Scotland; however, diagnosis is a matter for Integration Authorities (IAs). Access to diagnosis varies across IAs, and in some there is no diagnostic…

8 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is provided immediately after a diagnosis of autism.

Answer · Maureen Watt: This is a matter for Integration Authorities (IAs) and varies across Scotland. In some areas support is provided in-house, while in others it is provided by the national autism charities and local third sector organisations. We recognise the importance of pr…

8 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it commissions autism services.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government does not commission autism services. Integration Authorities are responsible for the strategic planning and decision making for all functions delegated to them, including autism services for autistic people in line with their statutory…

8 May 2018 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what standards it expects from services that claim to offer specialism in dealing with autism.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Strategy for Autism provides a framework for Integration Authorities (IAs), who are responsible for the strategic planning and decision making for all functions delegated to them, including autism services. The Scottish Government expects IAs to …