Parliamentary questions
Alex Cole-Hamilton
2,700 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the minutes of the meeting of the Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) Cross Sector Working Group on 11 October 2023, which hospital has RAAC present and also has some water ingress.
Answer · Neil Gray: The building referred to on 11 October 2023 Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) Cross Sector Working Group minutes was the Ward 1 Plant Room at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh. The Plant room was surveyed on Friday 22 September 2023 . The…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the 10 universities that have been identified as having reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) present in their buildings.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Eleven universities have confirmed the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in their buildings. These are:University of AberdeenAbertay UniversityUniversity of DundeeEdinburgh UniversityEdinburgh Napier UniversityUniversity of GlasgowHeriot-Watt…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the six colleges that have been identified as having reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) present in their buildings.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Seven colleges have confirmed the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in their buildings. These are:UHI Moray CollegeBorders College Dundee & Angus CollegeEdinburgh CollegeFife CollegeGlasgow Clyde CollegeWest College Scotland
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list the 37 schools that have been identified as having reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) present in their buildings.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: It is important that there is transparency around the schools where RAAC has been identified and the mitigations in place, and a list of the initial local authorities with confirmed cases of RAAC was published in a Scottish Government news release on 8 th Sep…
30 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the minutes of the meeting of the Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) Cross Sector Working Group on 11 October 2023, which four public bodies have confirmed that there is RAAC present in their buildings.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Public Bodies referenced in the minutes of 11 October in respect of the presence of RAAC were NHS Lanarkshire, the Scottish Police Authority, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and SportScotland.
29 Jan 2024 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.
24 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to free earwax removal services provided through NHS Scotland, how many people have accessed these services in each of the last five years; whether there are any plans to withdraw these services, and whether there are any NHS boards that do not currently offer these services.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many people have accessed earwax removal services. Health Boards are responsible for the delivery of primary medical services in their areas. Formerly most ear wax management procedures were carried ou…
24 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many mental health first aiders (a) have been trained in each of the last five years and (b) are currently being trained; how many people are currently employed to train mental health first aiders, and how much money it (i) has spent in each of the last five years and (ii) is current…
Answer · Maree Todd: The following table shows the number of participants undertaking Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training over the last 5 years, including numbers to date in 2024, based on the latest available data, as well as the total number of MHFA trainers (active and ina…
23 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any issues with the supply of Creon, which is a pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy required to aid the uptake of nutrients from food for people with cystic fibrosis, and what action is being taken to resolve any such supply issues.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is aware that there have been supply issues with Pancreatin, also known as Creon, with one or more strengths over a number of years. Other brands of prescription pancreatic enzymes are also available including Nutrizym® and Pancrex®. P…
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) original estimated (i) cost and (ii) opening date was and (b) current estimated (A) cost and (B) opening date is for each National Treatment Centre.
Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24710 on 5 February 2024. 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-committ…
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government at what stage in the construction process each National Treatment Centre is.
Answer · Michael Matheson: Undertaking a health capital investment project is an iterative process and estimating the cost and completion date is a complex exercise and we did not identify individual budgets and completion dates when the programme of investment was originally announced…
18 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to publicise the ban on pavement parking, and when it will publish data on its enforcement.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The prohibition of pavement parking, along with double parking and parking at dropped kerbs at known crossing points was brought in with the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. With the passing of necessary secondary legislation, local authorities have the powers …
11 Jan 2024 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to contribute funding to the NorthTick project, in light of the UK's exit from the EU.
Answer · Angus Robertson: The NorthTick project is part of the 'Interreg IV' programme, in which future participation is a reserved matter for the UK Government.
8 Jan 2024 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.
21 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in a building has any safety implications during an incident where firefighters are required to attend.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: The recent concerns noted around Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) are acknowledged by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and partner agencies. Where the material is in poor condition, has degraded or has been incorrectly installed, there…
7 Dec 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason medical outreach and medical hospital support for pupils who cannot attend school due to illness is only available up to S4 in Scotland, in light of it reportedly extending beyond Year 11 in England, and what plans it has to review this.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Under section 14(1)(b) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, education authorities have a statutory duty to make special arrangements for pupils of any age and stage of school education, who are unable to attend school due to illness, to continue receiving th…
4 Dec 2023 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.
28 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture raised any concerns in relation to human rights during his recent visit to China.
Answer · Angus Robertson: I visited China between 22 – 29 November. The programme concentrated on the three pillars of the Scottish Government’s focus with China: tackling climate change and biodiversity loss; encouraging people-to-people links in areas such as education, culture and …
27 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the date by which it expects reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) to be removed from all NHS buildings, and whether it has a comparable target to that set in England to eradicate RAAC from the NHS estate by 2035.
Answer · Michael Matheson: NHSScotland is following the guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) who do not recommend that all sites with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) should be vacated simply because RAAC is present. They do however recommend th…
27 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its response to Freedom of Information request FOI/202300374485, how many of its officials attended the Structural Safety Group meeting that took place in May 2020.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: One Scottish Government official attended the meeting.
24 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many of the 39 school buildings that have reportedly been identified as still needing a reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) assessment have (a) been confirmed as containing the substance and (b) received a RAG rating for any RAAC identified.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Although it is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage and main their school estate, the Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust continue to be in close contact with local authorities in relation to RAAC in schools. All 32 local aut…
24 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it is doing to support local authorities in locating and addressing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete outside of schools and housing.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is working with all public sector partners to understand the extent of, and risks associated with, RAAC across all public bodies. In respect of issues concerning RAAC outside of schools and housing, Scottish Government officials are wo…
24 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will create a reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete register, covering the Scottish Government estate and public bodies, similar to the one reportedly being looked at by the UK Government.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government currently has no plans to introduce a RAAC Register in Scotland. We expect building owners to communicate risks associated with RAAC in their buildings to the public, service users and employees, this includes the Scottish Government. …
21 Nov 2023 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what it can do to ensure that the Scottish Parliament building is safe from any outside interference, in light of the reported allegations of Chinese state spies in the UK Parliament.
Answer · Claire Baker (on behalf of the SPCB): The SPCB is aware of the serious risk of possible outside interference to the Scottish Parliament. We have a range of measures in place to mitigate the risk as far as possible. As these measures impact on the security of the Scottish Parliament, it would not …
17 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what meetings (a) ministers and (b) officials have had in relation to the four-day working week public sector pilot since April 2023, and whether it will publish the agendas and minutes of any such meetings.
Answer · Neil Gray: There has been one meeting on 5 October 2023 between myself and Maggie Chapman (Scottish Green Party MSP) on the four-day working week public sector pilot. There have been no further formal meetings with Ministers on the pilot since April 2023. Officials hav…
17 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the analysis of the outcomes of its four-day working week public sector pilot, how this work will be carried out and by whom, including whether it plans to appoint any consultants or outside organisations, and whether it will publish a final report.
Answer · Neil Gray: The aim of the 4 Day Working Week public sector pilot is to assess environmental, health and wellbeing benefits, and efficiency gains, that a four-day working week could bring. An expert partner with industry experience in 4 Day Work Week trials and research…
17 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what departments or agencies have expressed an interest in being involved in its four-day working week public sector pilot.
Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23120 7 December 2023. 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…
17 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its four-day working week public sector pilot, how much money has been (a) allocated to support this and (b) spent to date, and whether it will provide a breakdown of these costs.
Answer · Neil Gray: Funding of £100,000 has been allocated through a Grant Fund Award in the 2023-24 financial year to support the onboarding of an expert partner organisation, with £80,000 being the indicative funding of this award for 2024-25. None of these funds have been spe…
17 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date its four-day working week public sector pilot will (a) begin and (b) conclude.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government will commence work on the 4 Day Working Week public sector pilot by the end of the calendar year. The pilot will take place over a 12 month period. A number of public bodies expressed an interest in the 4DWW public sector pilot. Pilot…
17 Nov 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff will be involved in its four-day working week public sector pilot, broken down by (a) department or agency and (b) civil service pay band, and how many staff members (i) are currently participating in the pilot (ii) have agreed to participate but not yet started the pilot …
Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23120 on 7 December 2023. 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-committ…