Parliamentary questions

Alex Cole-Hamilton

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

20 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the investment portfolio of its pension fund.

14 May 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of the Edinburgh International Festival.

10 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports local authorities in taking action to make people feel safer when walking at night.

Answer · Ash Denham: We know from Scottish Household Survey and Scottish Crime and Justice Survey data that the majority of people in Edinburgh, and across Scotland, feel safe in their local area and around their home at night; and that the proportion of adults in Scotland feelin…

10 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22703 by Kevin Stewart on 1 May 2019, whether it will provide a breakdown of the other reasons for loss of accommodation.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The reasons for making a homelessness application listed in the first table in the response to question S5W-22703 are taken directly from question 16a in the HL1 data collection without aggregation. For this reason it is not possible for the Scottish Governme…

10 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-21643 by Kevin Stewart on 27 February 2019, how it will support each group at high risk of homelessness, including those (a) who have experienced domestic violence and (b) with experience of care.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group agreed an initial scope and approach to the development of the prevention pathways for each group at high risk of homelessness at its meeting on 7 March. Officials will lead sequential work on each pathway initia…

10 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports homeless households that have (a) dependent children and (b) pregnant women.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Scotland’s strong homelessness rights ensure that homeless households have a place to stay until settled accommodation is found which meets their needs. The vast majority of homeless households with children and pregnant women are given temporary accommodatio…

7 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19969 by Jeane Freeman on 16 November 2018, whether it will provide an update on the progress that is being made with the integrated health and social care workforce plan.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Progress is continuing on a fully integrated National Health and Social Care Integrated Workforce Plan, setting out our priorities for the health and social care workforce Scotland will require for the future. As with the previous three parts of the National …

6 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to conduct a comprehensive equality impact assessment or another process to fulfil its public sector equality duty obligations regarding medical research funding awarded by the Chief Scientist Office and the Scottish Funding Council, as part of a wider review of medical…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: An equality impact assessment will be undertaken by the Scottish Government's Chief Scientist Office to support the development of a new health and social care research strategy to replace the current 2015-2020 strategy. The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) doe…

6 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of its research funding that is awarded through the Chief Scientist Office and the Scottish Funding Council it will spend on children’s mental health in 2019-20.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Applications for applied health research, including in children’s mental health, can be submitted to the two open competitive response mode grant scheme committees operated by the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office. Applications submitted are funded…

6 May 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to calls by the charity, Miricyl, and other organisations, to set up a children’s mental health research centre.

1 May 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment the finance secretary has made of the contribution that immigration makes to Scotland's economy.

30 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress each local authority is making with the Housing First programme.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: At the end of March 2019 a total of 56 Housing First tenancies had started across the five pathfinder cities participating in the programme. Pathfinder City Number of Housing First Tenancies Aberdeen / Shire 5 Dundee 7 Edinburgh 12 Glasgow 29 Stirl…

30 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to measure the success of the Housing First approach, and what discussions it has had with (a) local authorities, (b) the third sector and (c) housing providers to help ensure the success of the approach.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Housing First Pathfinder Programme is a partnership between the Scottish Government, Corra Foundation, Glasgow Homelessness Network and Social Bite. Heriot Watt University have been appointed to undertake a full and independent evaluation of the Housing …

30 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22254 by Christina McKelvie on 28 March 2019, for what reason it has decided not to quantify the historic implications of slavery for Scotland as a whole, and whether it will encourage other public bodies to carry out this work.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Whilst we are determined to learn from our past and the role Scotland played in the Transatlantic Slave Trade, our efforts at the present time are focused on ensuring we deliver positive outcomes for the minority ethnic people of Scotland now. This work is be…

30 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22255 by John Swinney on 27 March 2019, for what reason Education Scotland has published resources linking the history of the transatlantic slave trade to modern human trafficking.

Answer · John Swinney: As set out in the answer to S5W-21243 on 5 February 2019, the “People, Past Events and Societies” element of the curriculum provides teachers with the flexibility to choose topics which meet the needs of their pupils and this can include learning and teaching…

29 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether people with addiction will qualify for the Housing First programmes.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Housing First approach ensures those with multiple and complex needs are allocated settled accommodation with the intensive support they may need, individually tailored and provided to them in these mainstream tenancies, rather than through supported acco…

29 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that abortion care meets the needs of women who are disabled, have ME or are refugees, and LGBTI people, as recommended in the Engender report, Our Bodies, Our Rights.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government believes all women in Scotland should have access to clinically safe and legal abortion services, within the limits that are currently set down in law, should they require it. It is our view that abortion care should be part of standar…

29 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following the publication of the Engender report, Our Bodies, Our Rights, what action it has taken to include the rights and needs of disabled women in health and care policy frameworks.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Health and Social Care Standards took effect on 1 April 2018. The Standards seek to provide better personal outcomes for everyone and to ensure that the human rights we are all entitled to are upheld. The Standards are focussed on the individual experienc…

24 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to Health Protection Scotland issuing a health alert following the discovery of poisonous toxins in samples of heroin circulating across the country since February 2019.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Scottish Government continue to monitor this situation closely. Health Protection Scotland (HPS) are working closely in collaboration with NHS Health Boards in the affected areas and Police Scotland. HPS have issued a Scotland wide briefing note to alert fro…

16 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had or plans with the chief medical officer regarding the use of (a) cognitive behavioural and (b) graded exercise therapy for the treatment of ME, in light of reports that such therapy can cause harm.

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/2…

16 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the evidence given by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport to the Public Petitions Committee on 24 January 2019 regarding petition PE1690 (Official Report, c. 30), what further information it can provide regarding the training module for GPs that is being developed by N…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The NES Practice Based Small Group Learning (PBSGL) membership (including GPs, GP nurses, and pharmacists in Scotland) has selected ME as a module for NES to develop and produce in 2020, aligned to the production of the new NICE guideline also due in 2020. It…

16 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the evidence given by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport to the Public Petitions Committee on 24 January 2019 regarding petition PE1690 (Official Report, c. 30), whether it will provide details of how the proposed working group on ME will operate; what the timescale w…

16 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to ensure that people with ME receive adequate medical care and support, and what its response is to reports that some health professionals do not recognise the condition as a neurological illness.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Good Practice Statement on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) clearly highlights that some psychological therapies, such as graded exercise therapy (GET) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), are not effective for everyone and it specifically stat…

15 Apr 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact on the justice system will be of a new age of criminal responsibility of 12 coming into force.

15 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what health and safety controls exist to ensure that mobile medical testing units meet the required standards, and who is responsible for ensuring that they do.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: When a Health Board provides healthcare services, whether they be from permanent or modular portable buildings, the primary responsibility for ensuring the safety of staff, patients and visitors lies with the Board. The Board must ensure that services and equ…

15 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on NHS boards using mobile medical testing units provided by private companies, such as Vanguard Healthcare.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: It is for individual Health Boards to determine how best to deliver services to meet the needs of their local population, ensuring that quality care and patient safety remains the priority. One advantage of such testing units is that they allow Boards to depl…

15 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS boards have used mobile medical testing units in the last 12 months, and how much was spent on such units in each of the preceding three financial years, broken down by board.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Individual Health Boards determine any requirement for mobile testing units. This information is not collected or held centrally by the Scottish Government and would require to be obtained from each Health Board.

12 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many homeless households were assessed as having no local connection to the assessing local authority in each of the last three years, and what the outcomes were for these households.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The following table gives the outcome for closed cases where the household was assessed as having no local connection to the assessing local authority for each of the last three years. Outcome 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 Moved to alternative accommodat…

12 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether homeless people or local authorities and other organisations arranging accommodation for homeless people, will be required to pay a transient visitor levy for stays in (a) hostels and (b) B&Bs.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government will consult this year on the principles of a locally determined tourist tax, prior to introducing legislation that would allow local authorities to introduce such a tax if they consider it appropriate for local circumstances. We recog…

10 Apr 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides regarding stages of cooking skill progression as part of home economics education to ensure that pupils learn new skills every year.

Answer · John Swinney: Curriculum for Excellence outlines the entitlement for children and young people to experience a number of Broad General Education Experiences and Outcomes from 3-15 education beginning at early learning and child care stage and continuing through primary s…