Alexander Stewart

20 May 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it plans to provide to homeowners affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in their properties, in light of recent reports that offers from local authorities may result in unaffordable mortgage costs.

6 May 2025 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has undertaken with stakeholders in response to reported concerns regarding the implementation of the revised non-domestic rates processes for self-catering operators.

1 May 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-04594 by Siobhan Brown on 1 May 2025, and in light of reported concerns that battery energy storage system facilities pose emerging fire risks, including potential explosions and toxic gas releases, what its position is on whether Lochgelly Fire Sta…

Answer · Siobhian Brown: The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service will be conducting a full 12 week consultation on a range of possible service delivery changes in June 2025. SFRS will carefully consider the responses to that consultation before taking decisions on which options for chan…

28 Apr 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Supreme Court judgment in the case For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, whether the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service will change its donor questionnaire to ensure that questions about pregnancy are only required to be answered by biological women, …

Answer · Jenni Minto: No changes are currently planned to the questions asked in the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) donor health check questionnaire as a result of the Supreme Court judgment. However, SNBTS will continue to review its polices in the light of a…

14 Apr 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports of criminals using drones to infiltrate prisons.

27 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that Scotland's Rural College's Elmwood Campus in Cupar, Fife, has sufficient funds to enable all courses, including animal care, to continue after the 2024-25 academic year.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government recognises the concerns of students, parents of students and staff affected by the proposed cuts to Animal Care provision and appreciates that this is a very worrying time for everyone at the Scotland's Rural College's (SRUC)Elmwood Ca…

13 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6T-02391 by Paul McLennan on 4 March 2025, how many children have lived in temporary accommodation in each year since 2021; what action it is taking to reduce the number of young people in these circumstances, and in light of the ministe…

Answer · Paul McLennan: The following table shows the number of children in households with a homelessness application and where there is one or more associated temporary accommodation placements in a calendar year since 2021.Number of children on homelessness applications where the…

12 Mar 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what urgent measures can be put in place to protect marine life and stop the reported alleged dumping of wasteful bycatch as a result of bottom-trawling nets being used to catch prawns. 

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The abundance of fish in Scottish waters means that a varied industry has developed over time, with many different types of fishing vessels operating as part of a mixed fishery. There are different target fish species, depending on the type of fishing vessel …

26 Feb 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to incentivise businesses to seek opportunities for scaling up.

15 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps it is taking to enable the availability of a diagnostic/triage tool for the earlier and faster detection of brain tumours.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is aware of a triage diagnostic test under development that may have a role in the diagnostic pathway for patients presenting with symptoms that may indicate a brain tumour.If clinical trials are successful, there could be a European C…

15 Jan 2025 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in delivering a national round-the-clock thrombectomy service, in line with the Stroke Improvement Plan 2023.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government remains committed to expanding the national thrombectomy service, and ensuring access to this treatment is as equitable as possible. The delivery of a national thrombectomy service has already received over £38m of investment.Mos…

15 Jan 2025 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to address the reportedrise in cases of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, and ensure that Scotland isprepared for any pandemic regarding this condition.

10 Dec 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of statistics reportedly showing that a record number of people have been waiting over a year for heart disease treatment.

26 Nov 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is working to clear the criminal court backlog.

12 Nov 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest Scottish Economic Bulletin.

7 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that most local authorities are unable to deliver instrumental music tuition to all interested school pupils and are operating waiting lists for instrumental music tuition due to capacity issues, what urgent action it can take to resolve this. 

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The most recent Instrumental Music Services Survey 2023 Instrumental Music Services: Results from the IMS Survey 2023 (improvementservice.org.uk) (published in December 2023) confirmed that the number of pupils accessing free instrumental music tuition was th…

7 Nov 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether reducing tax costs for businesses through rates reliefs would support (a) enterprise in and (b) the local economy of the Mid Scotland and Fife region, and what action it is taking to do so.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The 2024-25 Scottish Budget delivers a competitive non-domestic rates regime including the lowest poundage in the UK for the sixth year in a row, and a package of reliefs worth an estimated £685 million. As at 1 June 2024, over 20,000 properties in the …

31 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that some primary school teachers who do not succeed in moving directly from their probation period to a permanent contract are having to work zero-hour contracts or find low-income employment, and what support it can provide to them until they find a perm…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The member may wish to be aware that teachers are not employed on zero hour contracts as supply lists are registers and not contractual. The employment contract only begins once a teacher has taken up the supply work that is offered.Whilst the recruitment and…

31 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to local authorities to increase the number of primary school teachers moving directly from their probation period to a permanent contract.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Teacher Induction Scheme guarantees every eligible student a one-year probationary placement, however it does not provide a guarantee of future employment with a particular local authority.While local authorities are the direct employers of teachers, the …

31 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that, in 2023,16% of primary school teachers nationally moved directly from their probation period to a permanent contract compared with 57% in 2017.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Teacher Induction Scheme guarantees every eligible student a one-year probationary placement, it does not provide a guarantee of future employment with a particular local authority. Teaching posts should be advertised and filled in a fair and transparent …

31 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the most recent figure is for what percentage of primary school teachers (a) nationally and (b) in the Mid Scotland and Fife region moved directly from their probation period to a permanent contract.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Statistics on the percentage of primary school teachers moved directly from their Teacher Induction Scheme probation period to a permanent teaching contract are shown in the post-probationer teacher employment dashboard, available from the Scottish Government…

29 Oct 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that all NHS boards implement full patient care pathways for the early detection and management of liver disease.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Scottish Government through its national Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) has formed a Specialty Delivery Group for Liver Disease with the first meeting on 6th November 2024. Early Detection is one of the pathways being prioritised.The Early Detection P…

1 Oct 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to address reported concerns regarding the future of arts funding in Scotland. 

25 Sep 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that diagnostic pathways in Scotland are appropriate for those affected by brain tumours.

4 Sep 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of almost 10,000 children living in temporary accommodation and 110,000 households on the waiting list for affordable social housing, what progress it has made towards providing those affected with safe and affordable accommodation.

29 Aug 2024 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on the culture sector and livelihoods of the reported closure of Creative Scotland’s Open Fund for Individuals due to budgetary constraints.

26 Aug 2024 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the dualling of the A9.

7 Aug 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-28656 by Ivan McKee on 6 August 2024, in light of reported concerns that paths, play parks and community halls may not be eligible for funding through the alternative funding stream that it refers to, in contrast to the Scottish Landfill Communities…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Active travel infrastructure such as footpaths and cycle paths could be funded through the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund (ATIF) Tier 1 which has been provided directly to each local authority through their General Capital Grant.Perth and Kinross Countrysi…

18 Jul 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the potential closure of the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund following the implementation of landfill disposal legislation at the end of 2025, what assistance will be put in place in the Mid Scotland and Fife region to provide organisations with funding towards environmen…

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Landfill Communities Fund has provided an important source of funding for community and environmental projects across Scotland. The Scottish Government recognises that the forecast decline in Scottish Landfill Tax revenues, which reflect the pol…

20 Jun 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spent almost £750,000 on a fleet of state-of-the-art vehicles designed to tackle wildfires that reportedly remain in storage a year after delivery due to technical issues, what due diligence was carried out before this money …

Answer · Siobhian Brown: Prior to the development of the technical specification for the overall wildfire project, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) set up a User Intelligence Group (UIG) comprising uniformed wildfire subject matter experts, with relevant union and health a…