Parliamentary questions

Alex Cole-Hamilton

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

8 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have died from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) in each year since 2015.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The number of people who have died from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is not held centrally. However, the total number of deaths, registered in Scotland, for which epilepsy was the underlying cause are published each year in table 6.04 of the Vi…

8 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure early detection of Lyme disease, especially in cases where patients miss early treatment because they do present symptoms, including a tick-bite or rash, and develop a chronic illness.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Increasing awareness amongst health care professionals of the symptoms of Lyme disease is an on-going priority for the Lyme Borreliosis Group, which is part of the Scottish Health Protection Network (SHPN). The group has produced a suite of educational resour…

8 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much is being allocated to each NHS board from the £1.7 million it has provided to reduce childhood obesity levels.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The following table provides a breakdown of 2019-20 NHS Board allocations to support the implementation of the Standards for Tier 2 and 3 Weight Management Services for Children and Young People, which were published by NHS Health Scotland on Tuesday 2 July: …

5 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of harms reported by ME patients instructed to undertake graded exercise therapy, whether it will ask NHS National Services Scotland, in collaboration with Healthcare Improvement Scotland, to issue a safety alert to all NHS boards and local authorities in Scotland in this regar…

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-22686 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…

5 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the current NICE guidelines on ME being under review, whether it plans to issue guidance to all NHS boards and GP practices so that reference is made to the Scottish Good Practice Statement when treating patients.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: We expect all clinicians, including GPs, to keep up to date with guidance, learning resources, medical advancements, the latest research and emerging treatments, as part of their continuing professional development - which includes the Scottish Good Practice …

5 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent publication by Barnardos, Closing the poverty related attainment gap, which states that "The attainment gap starts long before the school gates, therefore families should have access to support from birth and through the early years”, how it plans to provide furth…

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government is already taking substantive steps to support families from before birth through the critical early years of a child’s life. We published our Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan – Year One Progress Report on 26 June which sets out a…

5 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent publication by Barnardos, Closing the poverty related attainment gap, which states that, “Relationships are central, but developing and sustaining relationships takes time, consistency and resources. Short term funding and reporting undermine relationship-based ap…

Answer · John Swinney: The Government recognises the value of building relationships in work to tackle the poverty related attainment gap and is investing £750m in the Scottish Attainment Challenge over the course of this Parliament. Funding for the programmes delivered by this fun…

5 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent publication by Barnardos, Closing the poverty related attainment gap, how it plans to work more closely with the third sector, and affiliated organisations, to help close the income attainment gap in schools.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government supports a number of third sector organisations through the £750 million Attainment Scotland Fund. Local Authorities and schools are empowered to decide how they use this funding to support young people living in poverty with many Loca…

5 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Shelter Scotland report, Evictions by social landlords in Scotland 2016-2018, which states that “the social sector houses 22% of all Scottish households – an estimate of over half a million households in Scotland" and "11% of all homeless applications across all tenures …

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government is committed to ending homelessness in Scotland. This is why the five year Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan was developed and published in November 2018. The plan sets out how national and local Government, along with third sec…

5 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to consider and implement the recommendations in the Shelter Scotland report, Evictions by social landlords in Scotland 2016-2018, and by what date.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that eviction for rent arrears is a last resort and we have robust measures in place to help tenants in arrears sustain their tenancy wherever possible. The number of evictions in Scotland accounted for only 0.…

5 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its report, Life at Age 12: Initial Findings from the Growing Up in Scotland Study, which stated that over 50% of 12-year-olds say that they feel pressured at school, what action it is taking to address this issue.

Answer · John Swinney: We take child and adolescent mental health very seriously. The wellbeing of school pupils is vitally important, and we recognise the impact that pressure at school can have on children and young people. That is why health and wellbeing is a key priority of th…

5 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Shelter Scotland report, Evictions by social landlords in Scotland 2016-2018, which stated that there has been a 44% increase in evictions in the last five years, what action it is taking to reduce eviction rates.

5 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its report, Life at Age 12: Initial Findings from the Growing Up in Scotland Study, which stated that children who have experienced bullying have a much lower level of life satisfaction, how it plans to fund (a) schools and (b) healthcare services to allow them to take actio…

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government takes bullying very seriously. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable and must be addresses quickly, whenever it arises. In 2017, the Scottish Government published updated anti-bullying guidance for all those working with children and…

5 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its report, Life at Age 12: Initial Findings from the Growing Up in Scotland Study, which stated that 40% of young boys engage in anti-social behaviour, what action it is taking to address this.

Answer · John Swinney: We are actively working with schools and local authorities to tackle serious disruptive behaviour, violence and anti-social behaviour. Developing and promoting positive relationships and behaviour with children and young people is at the heart of all of our s…

4 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recommendation by the Children and Young People's Mental Health Task Force to commission a quality/performance improvement plan to improve consistency of CAMHS' performance and acceptance criteria.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government, in partnership with COSLA, welcome the recommendations of the Children and Young People’s Taskforce and are grateful for the significant amount of work and thinking that has gone into their preparation. The inaugural meeting of a new …

4 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recommendation by the Children and Young People's Mental Health Task Force to ensure the role of the third sector in improving the mental health of children and young people, and whether it plans to involve the third sector in strategic partnerships at both a …

Answer · Clare Haughey: We will work closely with the third sector to deliver measureable improvements in mental health outcomes for children and young people across Scotland through the implementation of the Taskforce recommendations. This work will be taken forward by a new implem…

3 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Mental Health Foundation's written submission to the Health and Sport Committee's 2017 inquiry, Technology and Innovation in Health and Social Care, which states that "people living in poverty, BAME groups and young people amongst others are less likely than the general …

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone in Scotland has equal access and support from mental health services. Through the establishment of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Taskforce and the Youth Commission on Mental Health…

3 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its analysis of the responses to its consultation on the Job Grant, what it is doing to amend the Job Grant to make it more accessible to people on zero hour contracts.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is committed to introducing a Job Grant to support a smooth transition into employment for young people on low incomes. The analysis of consultation responses, published on 3 July 2019, shows that an overwhelming majority of individual…

3 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its analysis of the responses to its consultation on the Job Grant, what its position is on almost three quarters of the organisations that responded seeing potential unintended consequences, and whether it plans to amend the Job Grant in light of this.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-24226 on 31 July 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/2…

3 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its analysis of the responses to its consultation on the Job Grant, which highlights concerns among some respondents that certain groups are being overlooked, whether it is considering amending the Job Grant to take more account of the views of (a) disabled people and (b) et…

3 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report, Beyond Holyrood: Why Scotland’s economic future depends on local power, by Reform Scotland, how it will ensure that commuters are contributing to the gross value added (GVA) of their area of residence rather than their place of work.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government jointly launched the Local Governance Review with COSLA to consider how powers are shared across national and local government, and with communities. The Review reflects our shared commitment to Scotland’s different places and diver…

3 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Reform Scotland report, Beyond Holyrood: Why Scotland’s economic future depends on local power, and the Barclay Review, which recommended the removal of charitable rates relief from independent schools, what consideration it has given to the impact of these on (a) local …

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government jointly launched the Local Governance Review with COSLA to consider how powers are shared across national and local government, and with communities. The Review reflects our shared commitment to Scotland’s different places and diverse …

3 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it limited the exclusion of a workplace parking levy to hospitals and NHS properties and not other emergency services.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Scottish Government support for the Green Party amendments to the Transport Bill on the Workplace Parking Levy was contingent on the exclusion of hospitals and NHS premises, because of their particular circumstances. The Workplace Parking Levy provisions give…

3 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Reform Scotland report, Beyond Holyrood: Why Scotland’s economic future depends on local power, what progress has been made in discussions with the Scottish Greens on a replacement for the council tax.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government jointly launched the Local Governance Review with COSLA to consider how powers are shared across national and local government, and with communities. The Review reflects our shared commitment to Scotland’s different places and diverse …

3 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Reform Scotland report, Beyond Holyrood: Why Scotland’s economic future depends on local power, how it plans to boost economic activity through employment in specific regions to increase localisation in businesses.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government jointly launched the Local Governance Review with COSLA to consider how powers are shared across national and local government, and with communities. The Review reflects our shared commitment to Scotland’s different places and diverse …

3 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Reform Scotland report, Beyond Holyrood: Why Scotland’s economic future depends on local power, how it plans to reform the local government system and whether it will give consideration to (a) the number of councils, (b) council boundaries and (c) who should govern each …

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government jointly launched the Local Governance Review with COSLA to consider how powers are shared across national and local government, and with communities. Engagement extended beyond local government to consider all public services. Summary …

3 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report, Beyond Holyrood: Why Scotland’s economic future depends on local power, by Reform Scotland, for what reason there has been a policy change towards localisation in Scotland.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Local Governance Review reflects a shared commitment from the Scottish Government and COSLA to Scotland’s different places and diverse communities having a direct say over decisions which affect them. Ministers want to strengthen local decision-making and…

3 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, of the 35,000 homes for social rent due to be delivered by the end of this parliamentary session, how many have (a) been completed and (b) started construction.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Official published statistics for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) show that for the three year period to 31st March 2019, a total of 16,419 homes for social rent have been delivered. Over the same period, a total of 19,943 homes for social ren…

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to record data of patients with psychosis to remedy the “lack of data means” that is referred to in its "Early intervention in psychosis: action plan".

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government’s Quality Indicator (QI) profile includes a specific measure (Quality Indicator T5) of the percentage of first presentation psychosis patients starting evidence-based treatment within 2 weeks. Several of the other QIs are directly rel…

2 Jul 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the publication of its "Early intervention in psychosis: action plan", how it will meet the needs of all patients with recurring psychosis, not only those who are presenting for the first-time.

Answer · Clare Haughey: People with recurring and long term mental illness require good primary and secondary mental health care and treatment. This is the responsibility of local providers including NHS Boards and HSCPs, and the Scottish Government expects that anyone with recurrin…