Alexander Stewart

5 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that stroke patients receive care that is supported by up-to-date stroke guidelines, in a similar way to those used across the rest of the UK; by what date all stroke patients in Scotland will receive care in line with such guidelines, and what importance it p…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: We place a great deal of importance on ensuring that stroke patients receive the care that they need in order to achieve their recovery potential. To ensure that this is the case, we fund the Scottish Stroke Care Audit (SSCA) as part of the Stroke Improvement…

2 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage people to quit smoking during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Quitting smoking is the best thing anyone can do to improve their health. Although NHS free smoking cessation services were initially restricted as staff were redeployed in the early days of the pandemic, they were back on stream within a few weeks – operati…

2 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask Scottish Government what assessment it has made of Scottish Health Survey 2020 data which suggests that 36% of people who smoke report smoking more during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Initial assessments of the recently published results of the Scottish Health Survey 2019 have been undertaken. These assessments note that, although the downward trend in smoking prevalence appears to continue, these particular results are likely to underest…

25 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its plans are for arranging COVID-19 vaccines for patient-facing physiotherapists in the private sector and for arranging subsequent communications to them on this matter.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government also has issued a letter on 28 January, 2020 which provides a pathway for all the Allied Health Professional (AHPs) including the patient-facing physiotherapists to be prioritised during the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination roll…

13 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, for what reason the DigitalBoost Development Grant website reported on its launch day on 12 January 2021 that "applications are in excess of the available budget...therefore new applications have been suspended"; by what date it will reopen for new applicants and, in light of the demand…

Answer · Kate Forbes: Applications were temporarily suspended due to strong demand which quickly exceeded the allocated budget. I am pleased to confirm that I have now doubled the available budget to £20m and, as a result, eligible businesses who had already started their applicat…

12 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial assistance is available to self-employed sports and fitness coaches whose livelihoods have been impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions.

Answer · Kate Forbes: In November 2020, the UK Government extended the Self Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) for a further six months. The grant is available to self-employed individuals who were eligible for previous funding under the scheme, although they do not need to ha…

15 Dec 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce coronary heart disease mortality rates across all NHS boards.

14 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance and advice is available for GP practices to enable them to offer face-to-face appointments in a safe way during the current COVID-19 restrictions.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: GPs practices follow the advice in Health Protection Scotland's guidance: Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance for primary care - Management of patients in primary care . The guidance does allow for face-to-face consultations where that is clinically appr…

3 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many tenants facing financial difficulty because of COVID-19 have received support through the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: This information is not yet available as the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund, as announced in August’s Programme for Government, opened for applications on Monday 7 December 2020. The Scottish Government have worked at pace with our loan administrators to develop …

2 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote collaborative work between landlords and tenants who are facing difficulties paying their rent.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Since the beginning of the pandemic the Scottish Government has acted swiftly to support both tenants and landlords. Through the Private Rented Sector and Social Housing Resilience groups, made up of Scottish Government and key housing partner organisations, …

2 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria are followed when considering whether to grant the (a) building of new and (b) recommissioning of former intensive poultry units, including how the proposed facilities will be able to control potential (i) diseases, including avian flu and (ii) environmental risks, particul…

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Planning applications should be determined in accordance with the terms of the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise, each proposal being considered on its own merits. Planning applications should provide sufficient information to…

1 Dec 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with local government regarding flytipping during the COVID-19 pandemic.

4 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-04713 by Kevin Stewart on 4 November 2020 (Official Report, c.13), and in light of the minister's comment that "the impact of the lockdown means that we will not meet our 50,000 affordable homes commitment by the end of March 2021" and the findings …

Answer · Kevin Stewart: We continue to work closely with partners to maximise the delivery of affordable homes as soon as possible whilst ensuring safe working practices. Given the impact to date of the pandemic and the uncertainty over potential future impacts it is not possible to…

4 Nov 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the impact on Scotland of the UK Government’s investment in measures to tackle climate change.

27 Oct 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to support older people experiencing social isolation ahead of winter.

26 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the most recent smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarm regulations, whether it will (a) consider the costs associated with the procurement and installation of the equipment necessary to meet these when setting local authority budgets, (b) set an income threshold for homeowner…

Answer · Kevin Stewart: We will explore all aspects of ensuring successful implementation of the changes, including appropriate support to homeowners, and we will work with stakeholders to get this right. We will continue to work with retailers and other stakeholders to provide spec…

19 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to prevent residential outdoor learning centres from closure, and how much it is allocating in Barnett consequentials towards this.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government is taking a range of steps to prevent residential outdoor education centres from closure and to ensure that they can work with schools to provide valuable outdoor learning experiences for learners. On 22 October 2020, we announced a £2…

12 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that each NHS board has sufficient measures in place to ensure that pregnant women can be accompanied by their partners when attending pregnancy, maternity and neonatal services, particularly couples who have previously expe…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government has published ‘ COVID-19 maternity and neonatal settings visiting guidance’ that is designed to sit and be read alongside the ‘ COVID-19: visiting guidance for hospitals in Scotland’ to provide clarity on what families can expect when …

7 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many flu vaccinations there are in stocks to cover the NHS (a) Forth Valley, (b) Fife and (c) Tayside area, and whether these stocks are sufficient to provide a flu vaccination to everyone living in these areas who meets the necessary criteria.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government has worked with the UK Government and the other devolved administrations to take a four nations approach to procuring vaccine for the 2020/21 Seasonal Flu Vaccination Programme. The Scottish Government procured sufficient vaccine to v…

26 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of some university students not being able to return to campus and others paying full price for a limited service due to COVID-19, what action it can take to reduce fees for (a) international, (b) postgraduate and (c) other university students.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Providing free tuition for Scottish domiciled and EU students is a core policy of the Scottish Government and it ensures that education in Scotland remains about the ability to learn and not the ability to pay. Students coming to study in Scotland from the re…

23 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the plan by Stirling Council to take over control of the running of the Wallace Monument, and what discussions it has had with the council regarding plans it has for its development.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I am aware that the Stirling Council has recently decided to assume responsibility for the management of the Wallace Monument. Stirling District Tourism, which currently operates the building, contacted me in September 2019 about discussions over the future o…

16 Sep 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to empower local authorities to take decisions that are right for their communities.

10 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people who experienced a stroke in 2019-20 received a thrombectomy procedure within six hours of presenting at a hospital, and what information it has on how this compares with the rest of the UK.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is committed to introducing a thrombectomy service in Scotland. That is why the Programme for Government 2020 reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that a national planning framework is in place for a high quality and clinically safe th…

10 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial model it uses to determine how much it spends on stroke care, and what account this takes of the social and economic impact of effective treatment.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Setting the Scottish Budget is a year-round process and, as part of this, funding is provided to NHS Boards. The NHS Scotland Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) formula is a method to ensure the fair and equitable allocation of funds between Boards, taking …

10 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it made in achieving each of the targets for stroke prevention, treatment and care that were set out in its 2019-20 Programme for Government, and when it expects stroke survivors to gain full benefit from these.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Programme for Government (PfG) 2019-20 commits the Scottish Government to ensuring that improvements are made to stroke pathways and services, including prevention, treatment and care.

10 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to stroke care stakeholders to ensure that they are fully trained in providing treatment to survivors; whether it is aware of any knowledge deficit and, if so, what action it is taking to rectify this.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government are committed to ensuring that people who have had a stroke receive the best possible care as quickly as possible to enable them to live longer, healthier independent lives. We are continuing to implement our Stroke Improvement Plan w…

2 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it spends on stroke care, and how this compares with how much it would have to spend to match the Royal College of Physicians’ 2016 stroke guidelines.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Budget for 2020-21 commits record levels of investment in Health and Social Care services with portfolio investment in 2020-21 reaching over £15 billion for first time. The majority of funding is provided as baseline budget and NHS Boards have t…

2 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the December 2019 minutes of the National Advisory Committee on Stroke, which reportedly suggest that there are budget constraints when implementing stroke care.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The section of the minutes of the December 2019 National Advisory Committee for Stroke (NACS) which refers to budget constraints was in the context of a discussion of the development of new guidelines jointly with the Royal College of Physicians of London to …

1 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of there only being two specialist mother and baby units in Scotland, what action it is taking to support the mental health of new mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it will improve (a) access to these units and (b) the provision of specialist community perinatal men…

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government is committed to improving services in perinatal and infant mental health across Scotland. The 2019-20 Programme for Government contained a specific focus on the mental health of women, babies and their families accompanied by an invest…

20 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in the light of its advice that “In indoor places and where physical distancing is difficult and where there is a risk of contact within [two metres] with people who are not members of your household, you are expected to wear a face covering”, for what reason the use of face coverings i…

Answer · John Swinney: In the light of the latest scientific and public health advice, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, the Scottish Government has, after discussion with the Education Recovery Group, updated the advice on the use of face coverings in secon…