Alexander Stewart

16 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in response to recent figures released under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, which show that 22 bladed weapons have been recovered from prisoners by staff at Perth prison since April 2016.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The figures highlighted under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 request reflect the continued vigilance of staff in detecting i…

16 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to engage further with pupils in secondary schools to provide more education regarding psychoactive substances.

Answer · Shona Robison: The recent SALSUS report (published 25 October 2016) shows that drug taking among young people in Scotland remains low. Education and prevention is a key strand of Scotland’s drug strategy, the ‘Road to Recovery’, and is integral to our approach to reducing …

13 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-04917 by Shona Robison on 7 December 2016, whether it will publish the guidance that suggests there is insufficient evidence regarding the use of MRI scans to detect metastatic disease in these cases, and what its response is to this practice being …

Answer · Shona Robison: In matters relating to ocular melanoma, the Scottish Government relies on the clinical expert advice of the National Specialist Scottish Ophthalmic Oncology service, whose advice is that there is currently insufficient evidence on the benefits of the use of M…

12 Dec 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assurances it can provide that the UK's decision to leave the EU will not result in the erosion or weakening of existing legal protection of bats in Scotland.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: All bat species in Scotland are given protection under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 as a European Protected Species. The Scottish Government remains determined to protect and conserve bats in Scotland. Our membership of the Europ…

28 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of recent Information Services Division (ISD) figures, which show that nurse and midwife vacancies have risen by 200% across Tayside and Fife.

Answer · Shona Robison: While the Scottish Government works in close partnership with all NHS boards to provide the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality healthcare in Scotland, it is the responsibility of each board to plan their workforce to deliver high quality, saf…

21 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of the reports that cities in Scotland have the highest rates of nuisance calls in the UK.

Answer · Keith Brown: Following Which? research from November 2015 that showed people in Scotland receive more nuisance calls than the rest of the UK, the Scottish Government held a successful Nuisance Calls Summit on 29 June 2016 with regulators, industry and consumer groups. Thr…

21 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether ocular melanoma patients can be offered MRI scans with contrast to detect metastasis and, if so, who is responsible for deciding whether to offer this.

Answer · Shona Robison: These are individual clinical decisions made following discussion between clinicians and patients. Current guidance suggests that there is currently insufficient evidence on the benefits of the use of MRI scanning for the detection and treatment of metastat…

18 Nov 2016 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking in light of recent reports that Scotland’s children are some of the least active in the world.

15 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of the recent reports that young people referred to child and adolescent mental health services in NHS Forth Valley are waiting longer than anywhere else to start treatment.

Answer · Maureen Watt: We have announced a £54.1 million package of support over 5 years to improve access to mental health services. This includes £24.7 million to improve capacity to see more people more quickly, £24.6 million to improve workforce supply and train existing staff …

15 Nov 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has introduced to assist the college sector in responding to the needs of employers.

10 Nov 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on Police Scotland plans to offer speed awareness courses to people caught driving just above the speed limit, instead of imposing fines or penalty points.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government supports the general principle of driver education as an alternative to prosecution, where this is appropriate and is committed through Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2020 to consider if a Speed Awareness Course would make an effe…

1 Nov 2016 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consider installing additional boiling water dispensers in the building, in light of health and safety concerns.

1 Nov 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported £42.7 million funding gap in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

25 Oct 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to minimise antibiotic resistance in livestock.

20 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Bus Investment Fund support for the Ring of Breadalbane Explorer minibus service in Perth and Kinross is for three years only; what analysis it has carried out of demand for this service, and what its position is on extending the support.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Bus Investment Fund (BIF) ran as a challenge fund for bus related projects from 2013 to 2016 for an initial period of three years after which it would be subject to review. The Ring of Breadalbane explorer, as part of the grant conditions, provided stati…

19 Oct 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle cybercrime in light of the challenges faced by Police Scotland.

6 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the reported high prevalence of addiction to (a) anti-depressants and (b) other prescription drugs in the NHS Forth Valley area.

Answer · Shona Robison: It is generally agreed that antidepressants are not classed as addictive medicines. They can, however, cause a discontinuation syndrome in someone taking them for a prolonged period of time if stopped abruptly. Prescribed medicines known to be addictive inclu…

6 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress the Scottish Ambulance Service is making with regard to changes to its service.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Ambulance Service recently undertook a rigorous review of its clinical data involving analysis of over 500,000 patient cases. The Scottish Governments Chief Medical Officer has engaged with the service to review this clinical evidence and has ask…

6 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to Police Scotland to help tackle drug-related crime.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Operational decisions about measures to tackle drug-related crime are a matter for the Chief Constable, under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority. The Scottish Government is committed to working with all its partners to reduce the damaging impacts …

6 Oct 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many agency nursing staff are employed by NHS (a) Fife, (b) Tayside and (c) Forth Valley, and how much this costs, broken down by each NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: Information on agency nursing staff usage and costs is routinely published at https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2016-06-07/Bank_and_Agency_comp_M2016.xls The latest published related to this question is reproduced in Table 1. …

28 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle reported GP shortages in NHS Forth Valley.

Answer · Shona Robison: Under this Government, the number of GPs employed in Scotland has risen by 7.4 per cent to nearly 5,000 – the highest ever on record. Investment in GP services has gone up every year under this Government and we are committed to an increasing share of the NHS…

28 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle ScotRail's performance regarding delays to train services in Mid Scotland and Fife.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: ScotRail’s performance as a whole, has fallen below the expectations of passengers, and the demanding performance targets set by Scottish Ministers. The contractual targets are intentionally challenging, demanding a consistent improvement in punctuality and r…

28 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason waiting time targets for treatment for cancer are reportedly not being met in Mid Scotland and Fife.

Answer · Shona Robison: Cancer waiting times data for quarter 2 (April - June) 2016 published by ISD on 27 September 2016 show 95.7% of cancer patients across Scotland received treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat with the median wait being only six days. Challenges rema…

20 Sep 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress Police Scotland is making with regard to the rationalisation of control rooms.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Responsibility for delivery of the project to re-structure police call handling rests with Police Scotland, with appropriate oversight by the Scottish Police Authority.

6 Sep 2016 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making regarding investment in rolling out superfast broadband to communities in Fife, Clackmannanshire and Perth and Kinross.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: By end of March 2016 , the Scottish Government’s investment in the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme had extended fibre broadband access to at least 89% of premises in Fife, 90% of premises in Clackmannanshire and 67% of premises in Perth …

29 Aug 2016 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent figures suggesting that the number of drug-related deaths is at a record level, what action it is taking to tackle drug dependency.

Answer · Shona Robison: Each and every one of the drug related deaths in Scotland is tragic. We are continuing to tackle the devastating impact that drugs have for individuals, families and communities, and making recovery a reality, through our national drugs strategy, the Road to …

25 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report in the Stirling Observer on 24 August 2016, which states that in NHS Forth Valley over the last year (a) 20,000 people did not turn up for appointments, (b) 5,500 people did not attend nurse-led outpatient appointments and (c) nearly 1,000 people did no…

Answer · Shona Robison: It is every patient's responsibility to keep their NHS appointment and it is important that they let their primary care team or the hospital know when they cannot attend. However, we also recognise that the NHS has to be flexible in helping make appointments …

22 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in relation to Police Scotland officers having second jobs.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Police Service of Scotland Regulations 2013 set out that officers can only hold a business interest with the consent of the Chief Constable, or in the case of a Senior Officer, the Scottish Police Authority. Police officers are not able to take on any sec…

22 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to address the level of problem online gambling.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Betting, gaming and lotteries are reserved matters and their regulation is therefore primarily the responsibility of the UK Government. The Gambling Commission was set up by the UK Government under the Gambling Act 2005 to regulate commercial gambling. Furthe…

17 Aug 2016 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action NHS Fife is taking to support (a) Forth Valley Royal and (b) Victoria Hospital in meeting the target of at least 98% of people waiting no longer than four hours from arrival to admission, discharge or transfer for accident and emergency treatment.

Answer · Shona Robison: In terms of how NHS Fife is supporting Forth Valley Royal Hospital the Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. However, the Scottish Government is working closely with health boards, including NHS Fife and NHS Forth Valley, as part of a…