Alex Cole-Hamilton

28 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many live homeless applications there were in each local authority area on Christmas Day in 2018, and how many (a) adults and (b) children these related to.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The following table gives the number of live homeless applications at 25 December 2018 for each local authority for each, along with the number of adults and children these applications refer to.  Live cases at 25 December 2018 Number of adults Number of c…

23 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Caithness mothers-to-be have been travelling long distances to give birth, whether it will (a) meet with health campaigners to discuss viable options to alleviate the situation and (b) provide a safety audit for expectant mothers.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: a) Shona Robison, the former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, met with the Caithness Health Action Team (CHAT) on 7 February last year to discuss health services in Caithness, and the Chief Medical Officer also visited Caithness to discuss the issues t…

23 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the outcome of the extracorporeal life support study, what it is doing to improve earlier detection of lung cancer, including whether it plans to roll out a programme of the EarlyCDT/lung blood test.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government, along with the rest of the UK is advised on all aspects of screening by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) an independent expert advisory group. Due to a lack of evidence to support the use of the screen tests within a popul…

23 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of figures publish by The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which estimate that, by 2020, benefit changes will bring 400,000 people across the UK into poverty, what action it plans to support people in Scotland.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: As highlighted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, this projected increase is a direct result of the freeze on working age benefits – which alongside other UK Government welfare reforms is impacting on the incomes of the most vulnerable in our society. In Sco…

23 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comment in its September 2019 paper, Annual Report on Welfare Reform, that "alongside removal of the first child premium, [key recent changes to the welfare system] could reduce benefit spending in Scotland by around £500 million per year once [universal credit] is fully…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government’s 2019 Welfare Reform Report estimated the effect of major UK Government welfare reforms that have been introduced since 2015. These reforms include the benefit freeze, Universal Credit work allowance changes, changes to the first chil…

23 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to reduce A&E waiting times, and what the average A&E waiting time is in each NHS board.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: This government has made clear our commitment to ensuring every patient who arrives in A&E is treated in a timely way and that the care they receive is safe, person-centred and effective. Scotland’s A&E departments have outperformed those in the rest of the U…

23 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment set out in December 2016 in the Health and Social Care Delivery Plan that “progress will be regularly reviewed to ensure that actions not only remain on track and anticipated outcomes can be fully realised, but that the delivery plan is updated with new measur…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Health and Social Care Delivery Plan: Progress Report was published on the Scottish Government’s website today ( http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781839603389 ). The Report sets out the good progress that has been made to date across our ambitious reform prog…

23 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it defines the "inappropriate use of hospital services" as set out in December 2016 in the Health and Social Care Delivery Plan.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: There are a range of reasons why patients may be inappropriately admitted to hospital. This can include admissions due to a lack of suitable community support to keep an older, vulnerable patient safe in their own home. Delays in hospital discharge, and the a…

23 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its publication, Good Food Nation proposals for legislation: analysis of consultation responses, what it is doing to ensure that workers in the food industry receive fair pay; whether it considers there is a need for mandatory food labelling and, if so, for what reason; what…

Answer · Fergus Ewing: As set out in the Programme for Government, we intend to publish a Good Food Nation bill this year to underpin the significant work already planned or underway to deliver the Good Food Nation ambition in Scotland. It will place responsibilities on Scottish Mi…

22 Oct 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland publication, MHA monitoring report 2018-19.

22 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response is to reports that doctors are retiring before reaching the state pension age because of overwork.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is not aware of data that suggests doctors are retiring before reaching the state pension age due to overwork. However we know that Annual and Lifetime Allowances, and particularly the Annual Allowance taper, are a serious issue for a…

21 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government in light of the findings of the report that was led by the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, Digital Resilience, Inclusion & Wellbeing for Looked after Children & Young People, whether it will include details of an approach regarding equality of access to the internet in i…

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government welcomes this report led by the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, and recognises the importance of ensuring that children and young people who are looked after are afforded the same opportunities as their non-looked afte…

21 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the finding in the report that was led by the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, Digital Resilience, Inclusion & Wellbeing for Looked after Children & Young People, which suggests that digital inequalities exist between young people i…

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government welcomes this report led by the Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, and recognises the importance of ensuring that children and young people who are looked after are afforded the same opportunities as their non-looked afte…

18 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support children and their families who are affected by Developmental Language Disorder.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government wants all children and young people to reach their full learning potential and has put in place a range of legislation and guidance to support that aim. Under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, (as am…

11 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25314 by Jeane Freeman on 25 September 2019, what its position is on introducing a national database that identifies support for people experiencing poor mental health that can be accessed by schools and other agencies to allow them to signpost this…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: There are no current plans to develop a national database that that identifies support for people experiencing poor mental health. However, as set out in our Programme for Government commitments, we will:undertake to develop 24/7 crisis support for children …

10 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the £3.7 million additional investment being made in facilities and equipment at the current (a) Royal Hospital for Sick Children and (b) Department of Clinical Neurosciences, and which investments, broken down by cost, (i) replicate facilities or e…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-25543 on 30 September 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusin…

10 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the turnover has been since 4 July 2019 among staff already working at the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and Department of Clinical Neurosciences, broken down by role, the training each received, and the cost of this training.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The information requested is not held centrally and the member should make this request of NHS Lothian as the employing Board.

9 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will publish the responses to its consultation, Incorporating the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots Law.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government published the responses to the consultation on incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into our domestic law in Scotland on 26 September 2019 on the Scottish Government website.

9 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that children with a food allergy or intolerance who are eligible for free school meals have their requirements met.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that our children and young people are provided with balanced and nutritious food and drink at school. We expect all local authorities to have robust procedures in place to ensure that pupils' medical and dieta…

7 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to tackle the spread of (a) Himalayan balsam and (b) other invasive plants.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: As one of the five main drivers of biodiversity loss, the Scottish Government has for many years taken the control of invasive non-native species seriously. While Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and other public bodies take an operational lead on supporting t…

7 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment is made of a person's (a) practical, (b) social, (c) psychological, (d) physical and (e) financial capacity to live independently at home prior to discharge from hospital; who in the health and care system is responsible for assessing this, and what mechanism there is for…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Under the terms of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 it is the responsibility of local social work services to arrange for the assessment of an individual's practical, social, psychological, physical and financial needs, and to provide any support the indiv…

7 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to implement the recommendation of the British Red Cross report, Life beyond the ward, Recommendations for improving hospital discharge in Scotland, that patients should be assessed within 72 hours of hospital discharge to see if they can live independently at home.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Government officials met with the British Red Cross on 16 October to discuss the report, and how the Scottish Government can support the implementation of the recommendations from the report. We continue to encourage taking a 'Home First' approach where an i…

7 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the British Heart Foundation Report, Bias and Biology, whether it plans to appoint a national women’s heart champion to implement these changes.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The report ‘Bias and Biology’ raises important questions around the inequalities faced by women with heart disease and the Scottish Government welcomes the report and notes the recommendations. We are committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of gender…

7 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the British Heart Foundation Report, Bias and Biology, which indicates that seven women die every day in Scotland from ischaemic heart disease, what it is doing to improve awareness among the public and health care professionals of heart disease in women.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the Member to the answer to question S5W-25695 on 25 October 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusine…

7 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the British Heart Foundation Report, Bias and Biology, whether it plans to review the SIGN guidelines on heart disease to identify and address any relevant gaps relating to sex-specific issues.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), which sits within Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), aims to improve the quality of healthcare for patients in Scotland by reducing variation in practice and outcome, through the development and diss…

3 Oct 2019 · First Minister's Question

Question to be taken in Chamber.

1 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to concerns that, because it could lead to the price per millilitre of smaller alcohol-filled products increasing relative to that for larger items, having a universal flat-rate deposit fee might lead to consumers choosing to purchase larger products, resulting in in…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government published “A Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland: Full Business Regulatory Impact Assessment” (BRIA) on 9 July 2019. That BRIA concluded that any impact on consumer choice, including a shift towards purchasing larger sized products, is …

30 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a response to question S5W-24660, which had an expected answer date of 6 September 2019.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-24637 on 2 September 2019 which provides a summary answer for 29 PQs that was lodged regarding the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. Payments for the new hospital commenced following confirmation f…

27 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that there is an increased risk of death for people with epilepsy taking methadone, whether it has considered dispensing methadone and anti-epilepsy drugs at the same time.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: All medicines are prescribed based on clinical need. Doctors and other prescribers should always discuss treatment options with individuals. Prescribing decisions are based on national clinical guidelines which outline recommendations for effective practice b…

27 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered creating a Scotland-wide epilepsy register or database.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-22838 on 14 May 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28…