Parliamentary questions

Alex Cole-Hamilton

2,700 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

29 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will request that Scottish Water introduces sewage monitoring in the nine local authority areas that do not have any at present.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: As previously explained in my answer to S6W-15158 on 13 March 2023, Scottish Water has identified priority locations for 1,000 spill monitors, with installation programmed over 2023 and 2024. Decisions about the locations of these monitors are not based on lo…

29 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times Scottish Water has been fined by SEPA for sewage spills in each of the last five years.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has a number of options in its enforcement toolkit, ranging from informal advice and guidance to the use of formal enforcement measures including final warning letters, statutory notices, monetary penalties, a…

29 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether monitoring of the whole sewage network will be a commitment in the next River Basin Management Plan.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: River Basin Management Planning has a six year cycle with the next Plan due for publication at the end of 2027. The objective of the Plan is to protect and improve Scotland’s water environment based on comprehensive monitoring, assessment and classification c…

29 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has carried out to ensure that, where sewage is discharged into areas where there are environmental protections in place, there is no impact on the biodiversity of these areas.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) regulates sewage discharges to the water environment under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 and must consider protection of designated nature conservation areas when de…

29 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Scottish Water to discuss combined sewage overflows.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: I last met Scottish Water on 7 June 2023.

27 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the meeting of the Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) Cross Sector Working Group on 14 August 2023, what action it has taken to “signpost and share information which supports effective assessment and reporting on RAAC as a potential building defect”.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Cross-Sector Working Group on RAAC remains our main forum for engagement with public sector partners and key stakeholders in the private sector. Meetings provide updates on sector progress, recent UK information and topics of interest such as RAAC identif…

27 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that the key stakeholders in the private sector are aware of the issue of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete and know where to go for advice, as referenced in the minutes of the meeting of the Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) Cross Sect…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Cross-Sector Working Group on RAAC remains our main forum for engagement with key stakeholders in the private sector. The minutes of the meetings of that group are published on The Scottish Government Website. Outwith those meetings, officials will also …

18 Sep 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

14 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has ever met with the Institution of Structural Engineers regarding the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in public buildings, and, if so, when the first such meeting took place, and whether the papers and minutes from any such meetings will be published.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I can confirm that officials from the Building Standards Division met with the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) regarding Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete in public buildings on 5 September 2023, and again on 12 September 2023. IStructE pr…

11 Sep 2023 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered undertaking a comprehensive review into the reach of any Chinese state surveillance in Scotland.

7 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6F-02316 by Humza Yousaf on 7 September 2023, whether it can confirm when it first provided education leaders with guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers regarding reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC); on what dates the Cabinet …

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Scottish Government officials have been sharing information about RAAC with local authorities’ Scottish Heads of Property Services (SHOPS) and Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES) networks since July 2022. Scottish Government officials sha…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its role is in setting the strategic policy for NHS Scotland, NHS boards and healthcare professionals locally who have responsibility for both service delivery and people’s care, and how its oversight is ensuring that long COVID care provisions meet the need of patients, as recommen…

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is responsible for setting the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland. Legal responsibility for service delivery rests locally with Health Boards who configure services taking into account local circumstances and the reasonable needs…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what public health education it has planned to address the impact of long COVID, and how this will be communicated to the public.

Answer · Jenni Minto: NHS Inform is Scotland’s national health information service. Its aim is to provide the people of Scotland with accurate and relevant information to help them make informed decisions about their own health and the health of the people they care for. NHS Info…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is using health data to inform better provision of long COVID services where these exist.

Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21155 on? 22 September 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-com…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what specific long COVID pathways currently exist for children in each NHS board.

Answer · Jenni Minto: All NHS Scotland Boards are providing support for children and young people with long COVID. Assessment and initial investigation is being provided by local primary care teams, who can give advice and guidance about the management of symptoms and any potent…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is actively undertaking in partnership with the National Strategic Network to provide a leadership role in reviewing the best practice of long COVID clinics and evaluating whether they may be an appropriate development in Scotland.

Answer · Jenni Minto: I wrote to NHS National Services Scotland on 16 June 2023 to request that an evaluation of post COVID services (including long COVID clinics) in comparison to pathways in Scotland was added to the long COVID Strategic Network’s workplan for 2023-24. Consequen…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the rationale for removing COVID-19 guidelines for wearing face coverings in healthcare settings.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government uses a robust process to support the development and updating of all national COVID-19 guidance. This includes the use of national clinical expertise and consideration of evidence and research. In this instance, in April 2023 Antimicr…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the commencement date is for the five remaining long COVID pathways not yet active in NHS boards, as of July 2023.

Answer · Jenni Minto: 11 out of 14 territorial NHS Scotland Boards have long COVID pathways in operation. The following table outlines anticipated commencement date of the remainder, where applicable. NHS Board Date NHS Dumfries and Galloway December 2023 NHS Fife March 2024…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is pursuing to address any health inequalities experienced by people with long COVID, including inequities between NHS boards.

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is engaging with people from BAME backgrounds who are affected by long COVID, and how it is assessing, monitoring and addressing their needs.

Answer · Jenni Minto: We have commissioned NHS National Services Scotland to establish a National Strategic Network to ensure the development of our approach to supporting people living with long COVID is informed by evidence and expertise. As part of this activity, NHS National S…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter of 16 June 2023 from the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health to the COVID-19 Recovery Committee, setting out its response to the report, Long COVID, whether it will provide further details of the fourth paragraph of its response to the recommendation at p…

Answer · Jenni Minto: Under the leadership of Public Health Scotland (PHS), the long COVID Strategic Network has developed a theory of change and logframe which form the basis of a comprehensive framework to evaluate long COVID services. Both the theory of change and logframe were…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what metrics it will use to ensure that future funding considerations for long COVID meet any increasing need for services.

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is evidencing and reviewing the work that the long COVID strategic network is carrying out in a way that is both clear and transparent.

Answer · Jenni Minto: As outlined in our response of 16 June 2023 to the COVID-19 Recovery Committee report on long COVID, I wrote to NHS National Services Scotland on 16 June 2023 to request implementation of a range of actions to support internal and external communication regar…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has put in place in response to the recommendation by the COVID-19 Recovery Committee in its report, Long COVID, that the Scottish Government and the National Strategic Network should work with NHS boards to introduce a single point of contact for each long COVID patient…

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is making available funding of £3 million over this financial year to support NHS Boards to increase the capacity of existing services providing support to people with long COVID, develop these in to more clearly defined pathways and t…

5 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many times it has been contacted by human rights organisations in the last five years, in relation to any concerns that have been raised regarding mental health treatment being incompatible with human rights in Scotland.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is contacted by a wide range of organisations and individuals on various policy issues, and we are committed to ensuring everyone in our society can live with dignity and enjoy their rights in full. Within mental health, we work closel…

5 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the carer awareness training will be developed, and what resources are being set aside, as set out in its recent publication, Scottish Mental Health Law review: Our Response.

Answer · Maree Todd: In our response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review we committed to establish a Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme to further enhance and protect human rights within legislation, policy and practice. This includes a commitment to enhance carers’…

5 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what pathways are in place for someone to raise concerns if they have not been able to access mental health services and what plans it has for any improvements to these services.

Answer · Maree Todd: Patient care and service delivery are the statutory responsibility of local healthcare providers. NHS Boards are responsible for working with their partners to plan and provide health services which meet the needs of their populations. When a patient has an …

5 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been removed from mental health waiting lists without asking to be removed in each of the last five years.

Answer · Maree Todd: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The National Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Specification (published in February 2020) and the National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young P…

5 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to improve the accessibility of mental health services.

Answer · Maree Todd: We have allocated £48.6 million of supplementary funding to Boards this year via the Mental Health Outcomes Framework to improve the quality and delivery of mental health and psychological services for all. This is in addition to £36.7 million allocated to He…

4 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it next plans to review the regulation of property factors.

Answer · Paul McLennan: The Scottish Government revised the Code of Conduct for Property Factors in August 2021 to make it clearer, to drive up standards and to improve transparency and consistency. The changes ensured that the Code remains up to date and responds to concerns raised…