Annie Wells

8 Nov 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the Emergency Budget Review will have on the provision of financial support to homeowners for cladding remediation work.

Answer · Shona Robison: There will be no impact to homeowners as the overall budget remains unchanged.  

18 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding streams have been affected by the £53 million reduction in Employability spending announced by the Deputy First Minister in September 2022, and how many jobs would have been supported by this spending had it not been reduced.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The £53 million announced as a saving was intended to support additional employability activity around child poverty in 2022-23. At a time of acute labour shortages, historically low unemployment and soaring inflation, we have taken the view that we must prio…

6 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to provide aid to countries impacted by the effects of climate change through Loss and Damage finance schemes.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: At COP26, the Scottish Government pledged £2m to address loss and damage and in doing so became the first government in the Global North to explicitly pledge such finance. £1.7m of the £2m is now allocated and supporting projects in Bangladesh, the pacific an…

4 Oct 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take to strengthen legislation in regard to improving the safety and welfare of racing dogs, particularly those involved in racing on any unlicensed, or so-called "flapper", tracks.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, ensures that action can be taken if the welfare needs of greyhounds are not being met. This applies whether the dogs are still racing or retired. Part 2 of the Act applies to all persons responsible for anima…

29 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to make changes to the eligibility criteria regarding NHS-funded IVF treatment. 

Answer · Maree Todd: The National Fertility Group make recommendations to Scottish Government on eligibility criteria for NHS IVF Fertility Treatment. The criteria are kept under constant review by the Group.

28 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how Education Scotland is supporting schools and early learning and childcare settings post-COVID-19-pandemic.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Education Scotland recognises the effects of the pandemic on learning and those who work in education. This is why Education Scotland continues to undertake a wide range of programmes to provide additional support for learners and educators alongside all the …

28 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools and early learning and childcare settings have volunteered to take part in a so-called recovery visit.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Taking the ongoing challenges settings and schools face in dealing with COVID-19 and stakeholder views into account, HM Inspectors of Education did not resume the routine early learning and childcare (ELC) and school inspection programme as originally planned…

20 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to reduce waiting times for appointments to assess attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: We provided an additional £9m to NHS Boards in 2021-22 to address waiting lists for Psychological Therapies. It is encouraging to see this reflected in a consistent and sustained reduction in waits of over 52 weeks over the past year and a more recent reducti…

20 Sep 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking, in collaboration with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, to remobilise dermatology services across Glasgow following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Remobilisation of Dermatology services within NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (GGC) is continuing across all sites. In common with many other specialties, services have experienced workforce challenges; however, the dermatology multidisciplinary team are working…

21 Jun 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the recommendations of the Ventilation Short-Life Working Group (a) were submitted to the Scottish Government and (b) will be published, and what the reasons are for any delay.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09259 on 4 July 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/…

4 May 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress it has made in closing the attainment gap among school pupils.

27 Apr 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is doing to support the revival of cultural and heritage institutions in Glasgow city centre, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

13 Apr 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the support it is providing to high streets and businesses.

16 Mar 2022 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it is scheduled to meet with UK Government ministers to discuss the implementation of the Energy Company Obligation 4 scheme in Scotland.

3 Mar 2022 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of reports of people facing long waiting times when contacting the Scotland's Census 2022 helpline, and, if so, what action it is taking to address this.

Answer · Angus Robertson: The Scotland’s Census 2022 contact centre experienced high volumes of calls in its first few days of operation and we are aware that some callers have experienced longer than average wait times at peak points during the day. National Records of Scotland apolo…

11 Oct 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what plans it has to review its COVID-19 guidance to end the mandatory use of face coverings for people attending places of worship.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is required by law to regularly review all protective measures that are currently in place, such as the mandatory requirement for the wearing of face coverings in most indoor settings, including places of worship. This measure will con…

28 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to run public awareness campaigns regarding the change to routine cervical screening intervals from three to five years.

Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01510 on 4 August 2021. I can now update that the cervical screening marketing campaign was launched on 11 October 2021. Although the primary focus of this campaign will be on encouraging those eligible to atte…

15 Sep 2021 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding it plans to allocate to Glasgow City Council to support the improvement of local authority services.

9 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce waiting times for dermatology services, and whether it will extend the collection of waiting times data in dermatology.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The NHS Recovery Plan sets out how we will take forward our aim of increasing NHS capacity by at least 10% in order to address the backlog of care and meet the ongoing healthcare needs of the country. The plan, backed by more than £1 billion of investment, fo…

9 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve awareness of the links between psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02924 on 28 September 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commi…

9 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many adults have been diagnosed with (a) psoriasis and (b) psoriatic arthritis in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Maree Todd: This information is not collected centrally.

9 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps each NHS board is taking to improve the health outcomes of people with (a) psoriasis and (b) psoriatic arthritis.

Answer · Maree Todd: We expect NHS Boards to adhere to current guidelines on the treatment options from authorative sources such as The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network guidelines - Diagnosis and management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in adults. (SIGN Guideli…

9 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support people with (a) psoriasis and (b) psoriatic arthritis who experience mental health conditions associated with the condition, including depression and anxiety.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Government understands that those with long term health conditions such as psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis may also need support to deal with the impact this may have on their mental wellbeing. GPs or local healthcare teams are best placed to offer fur…

9 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of people with osteoporosis remain on anti-osteoporosis medication after one year, and what steps it has taken to improve adherence rates.

Answer · Maree Todd: Diagnostic information on osteoporosis, or on medical adherence, is not centrally held by Public Health Scotland. Patients are not routinely tracked year on year and so this analysis is not available. In addition, medicines that are commonly prescribed for os…

9 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve fracture liaison services.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Scotland is the second country in the world, after New Zealand, with 100 per cent Fracture Liaison Service provision across all 14 Health Boards. Our NHS Recovery Plan, published on 25 August, outlines that the Centre for Sustainable Delivery will work colla…

9 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to (a) address the reported backlog and (b) reduce waiting times for bone density (DEXA) scans for people who are at high risk of fracture due to osteoporosis.

Answer · Maree Todd: We expect NHS Boards to ensure that people with osteoporosis, including those who may be awaiting a bone-density scan, have timely access to high-quality care as set out in the SIGN guideline Management of osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fracture…

9 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19003 by Jeane Freeman on 11 October 2018, by what date it will publish the national falls and fracture prevention strategy.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The consultation on the draft National Falls and Fractures Strategy closed on 30 September 2019. Analysis of the responses highlighted a disparate range of views, expectations and desired outcomes from a strategy including feedback that a separate strategy ma…

9 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the NHS Recovery Plan will improve services and outcomes for people with osteoporosis.

Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02919 on? 27 September 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-comm…

9 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason regular cervical screening tests have been changed from every three to every five years.

Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02513 on 21 September 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commi…

10 Aug 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that some people who have received their second COVID-19 vaccination on or after 22 July 2021 have experienced delays in their online vaccination status certificate being updated.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: There are no specific delays recorded affecting the updating of online vaccination status on or after 22 July 2021. Currently there is an interim solution to provide access to vaccination status for those who need it for international travel. It is only desi…