Annie Wells

16 Jan 2017 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the availability of maternity care, in light of reports of pregnant women being turned away by the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Answer · Shona Robison: The temporary divert in place for a few hours on 12 January 2017 at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital’s maternity unit was caused by an unusual combination of high levels of admissions and a number of women and babies developing complications. NHS Great…

11 Jan 2017 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is tackling youth unemployment.

14 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of social rent households is fuel poor, and what action it is taking to reduce this level.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish House Condition Survey indicates that around 33% of households in the social housing sector were fuel poor in 2015. This equates to around 199,000 households and is around 47,000 fewer households than in 2014. The Energy Efficiency Standard for …

13 Dec 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to monitor and improve air quality in Glasgow.

13 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the reported increase in the number of planned operation cancellations by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde due to capacity or non-clinical reasons.

Answer · Shona Robison: Published information by ISD Scotland shows that the number of patients whose operations were cancelled by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde due to capacity or non-clinical reasons was 113 for the month of November 2016. This compares with 111 in October 2016 …

13 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that private rents in Scotland are increasing at a faster rate than in central London.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The latest monthly figures from the Office of National Statistics on the changes in prices of renting residential property from private landlords in Great Britain, published on 24 November 2016, show that private rents in Scotland fell by 0.2% in the year to …

12 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent analysis by the Chartered Management Institute, which indicates that the gender-pay gap in Scotland for managerial positions is the highest in the UK, what action it will take to bring the gender-pay gap for these positions in line with that of the rest of the UK.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The official source for UK earnings estimates is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) published by Office for National Statistics. The latest information for 2016 was published on 26 October 2016. The long-term trends in relation to the gender pay g…

7 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that local authorities can deal effectively with emergency cases of homelessness outwith office hours and in a way that does not rely on the person having access to the internet or a phone line.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Local authorities have the duty to deliver homelessness services in their area including providing appropriate out of hours services in case of emergency. It is for the local authority to determine what form this should take. This is supported by the statuto…

7 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that school pupils with learning difficulties receive adequate support.

Answer · Mark McDonald: The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 was put in place to ensure that all children and young people with additional support needs receive the support they require to achieve their potential. The Act places strict duties on local…

7 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings of the recent survey by the National Centre for Social Research regarding how the Scottish electorate voted in the EU referendum.

Answer · Michael Russell: In the EU referendum, Scotland voted clearly and decisively to remain within the EU, with majorities in every local authority area. The Scottish Government is working to ensure that the vote is respected.

5 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will tackle the reported shortage of mental health beds in Glasgow.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The number and provision of mental health beds is a matter for each board to determine in terms of its service design. We have been working with Health boards, to introduce the Inpatient Bed Census for mental health, addictions and learning disability. Under…

30 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in light of the recent report by National Records of Scotland, Life Expectancy in Scottish Areas, which found that life expectancy in Scotland is lower than anywhere else in the UK, and that Glasgow has the lowest life expectancy rate of the whole UK.

Answer · Shona Robison: Life expectancy in Scotland is increasing. The gap between life expectancy for men and for women is Scotland is continuing to narrow. Reducing health inequalities is one of the biggest challenges we face. To tackle this we recognise that the root of health …

28 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to offset the loss of retail jobs, in light of recent figures from the Scottish Retail Consortium, which show that 4,630 retail workers have lost their jobs since 2014.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The retail sector remains a very significant part of Scotland’s economy employing over 240,000 people in 2015, 9.6% of total employment in Scotland. The reduction in retail workforce since 2014 equates to less than 2% of total sector employment. We recognise…

25 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had or plans with the T in the Park organisers regarding the future of the event, including its possible relocation to Glasgow.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Immediately following the media speculation of 20 November 2016 suggesting that T in the Park might not take place in 2017, my officials contacted DF Concerts to seek clarification on its future plans for the event. At that point DF Concerts stated it was not…

25 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to move its staff and departments away from the major cities.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government has no current plans to relocate its staff and departments away from the major cities.

25 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03390 by Maureen Watt on 31 October 2016, what the outcome was of the assessment on reducing waiting time for diagnosing children, and whether it will consider setting a waiting times target for this.

Answer · Maureen Watt: NHS Boards are responsible for providing diagnostic services for people with autism in line with their statutory obligations and Scottish Government policy. Reducing diagnostic waiting times for children and adults is a priority for the Scottish Strategy for…

18 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it takes to discourage food waste.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government recognises that reducing food waste is a moral, environmental and economic imperative. This is why we have introduced the Scottish Food Waste Reduction Target, to reduce Scotland's food waste by 33% by 2025, to focus attention on the i…

18 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has used to encourage cycling in Glasgow.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government provides grant funding to Sustrans, Paths for All and Cycling Scotland to implement measures across all local authorities to encourage cycling. Since 2014-15, Glasgow City Council has received £3.5 million from Sustrans for Community…

18 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff (a) it and (b) its agencies have employed in Glasgow in each year since 2007, and what information it has regarding other public sector staff.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The following table shows the full-time equivalent count of directly-employed staff working within the core directorates of the Scottish Government, its executive agencies, and non-departmental public bodies & other bodies within Glasgow City Council area as …

14 Nov 2016 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to tackle cyber-bullying.

30 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication in 2014 of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Waiting for assessment - Executive Summary, what the current waiting times are for diagnosing children with autism spectrum conditions, and whether the targets set out in The Scottish Strategy for Autism are being met.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government is committed to meeting the needs of children with autism. We want all children and young people to be diagnosed early. Whilst reducing waiting times is a priority, the Scottish Strategy for Autism does not set out targets for waitin…

30 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to offset the reported lack of parking provision at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

Answer · Shona Robison: Provision of parking facilities at hospitals is the responsibility of Health Boards. Scottish Government officials are in on-going dialogue with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on the issue of parking at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. They are closely…

30 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has in place to ensure that Police Scotland is equipped to ensure spectator safety at the Rangers v Celtic football match on 31 December 2016.

Answer · Michael Matheson: This is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland, under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority.

26 Sep 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on waiting times for people to begin treatment for cancer following an urgent referral.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has two set standards for cancer treatment. A 62-day standard from' urgent referral with suspicion of cancer', until first treatment. This includes referrals from the national cancer screening programmes and A 31-day standard from d…

21 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) affordable homes and (b) homes for social rent were demolished in the last parliamentary session in (i) the Glasgow City Council area and (ii) Scotland.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government does not hold specific information on the number of demolitions of (a) affordable homes and (b) homes for social rent. Information on demolitions or closure of (a) Local Authority (b) Registered Social Landlord (RSL) and (c) private h…

21 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the 33,490 affordable houses delivered in the last parliamentary session were in the Glasgow City Council area.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: 7033 of the 33,490 affordable homes delivered during the last parliamentary term were delivered in the Glasgow City Council area.

12 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01434 by Mark McDonald on 27 July 2016, within what timeframe the internet safety plan will be (a) completed and (b) implemented.

Answer · Mark McDonald: The Scottish Government will publish a refreshed internet safety action plan by March 2017. A timeframe for implementation has not yet been agreed; however this will be established in discussions with stakeholders in the coming months.

12 Jul 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in refreshing its internet safety action plan.

Answer · Mark McDonald: We are currently working across government to update the internet safety action plan, ensuring it is linked to both our Digital Participation and Cyber Resilience strategies. We are also taking steps to ensure the refreshed action plan is linked to work being…

6 Jun 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it provides for children with additional support needs.

Answer · Mark McDonald: The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 was put in place to ensure that all children and young people with additional support needs receive the support they require to achieve their potential. The Act places strict duties on local…