Jeremy Balfour

28 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there continues to be a delay to the implementation of the provisions in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 prohibiting pavement parking, double parking and parking at dropped kerbs.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The implementation of the parking elements of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 has been affected by the Covid-19 Pandemic and preparations for European Union exit. This particularly impacted the development of guidance and regulations and the related consult…

21 Sep 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the development of a National Centre for Music.

14 Sep 2021 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when parents will be permitted to attend school sports to watch their children play.

7 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its policy that schools remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic, what its position is on whether (a) significant mitigations are needed in schools and (b) community transmissions must be kept to a minimum; what additional policies it will implement to ensure that children a…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Our focus has been, and remains, on keeping our school communities safe including minimising the risk of any long-term impact of the pandemic. The First Minister confirmed in her update to Parliament on 14 September, that we are retaining the current suite of…

7 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the COVID-19 Delta variant, what its position is on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control statement that "children appear to be equally susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to other age groups".

Answer · Humza Yousaf: We welcome and have noted the technical report on ‘COVID-19 in children and the role of school settings in transmission – second update’ from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The COVID-19 Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Chil…

7 Sep 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is following World Health Organization and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control COVID-19 contact guidance that (a) contact tracing should include contacts in school, including classmates, teachers and other staff and (b) as well as testing all contacts with sympt…

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government continues to follow the World Health Organization and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Covid-19 contact tracing guidance as well as recent evidence on the impact of vaccination in protecting the population from harm a…

24 Aug 2021 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to doubling the Scottish Child Payment in its forthcoming budget for 2022-23.

Answer · Shona Robison: We have committed to significantly increasing the level of the Scottish Child Payment, following the rollout to under 16s, and doubling it to £20 in the lifetime of this Parliament. In addition, as set out in our cooperation agreement with the Scottish Green …

11 Aug 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the scientific evidence it used to determine that face coverings should continue to be required in places of worship, and by what date this restriction will be lifted.

Answer · John Swinney: The requirement to wear a face covering in certain indoor public places is not specific to places of worship. This requirement is necessary to reduce the number of indoor interactions that occur without a face covering in order to limit the opportunities for …

22 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00094 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 May 2021, whether (a) MSPs, and (b) other interested parties will be able to view the draft regulations on school uniforms that it is drawing up with its local government partners, and by what date guidance on …

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is fully committed to working with our partners in local authorities to develop national guidance on school uniforms, for publication during the lifetime of this parliament. We will engage with a range of stakeholders in the process of…

22 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on having a phased launch of the Deposit Return Scheme, with larger suppliers participating in the first phase and smaller and/or independent producers in the second after any initial issues that have been identified have been resolved, and what its response is to ca…

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00258 on 7 June 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/…

31 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, whether it will provide reassurance that all responses to the most recent public consultation on gender reform recognition have been (a) read and (b) taken into account as part of the contract to analyse this data.

Answer · Shona Robison: We advised in our consultation on the draft Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill that all responses would be analysed, an analysis report published and the responses considered along with other evidence available to help progress our commitment to reform…

26 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what provision it is making to ensure that small independent brewers will be able to introduce a stepped approach to a deposit return scheme with a timescale aligned with other UK nations of 2024.

Answer · Michael Matheson: We recognise the unique and significant pressures that COVID-19 has placed on businesses over the past year, including the independent brewing sector. That is why we have commissioned an independent Gateway Review to assess the impact of the pandemic on the g…

18 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether, similar to Wales and Northern Ireland, it will produce guidance on school uniform supplies, regarding (a) reducing costs, (b) preventing exclusive suppliers and (c) making uniforms affordable for all, and if so, when the guidance will be delivered.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government recognises the cost of buying a school uniform can be considerable for many families. In 2018, in partnership with local authorities, we introduced the national minimum school clothing grant of £100 for all eligible children and young …

16 Mar 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it is doing to ensure that pupils are able to catch up on any learning lost as a result of school closures.

10 Mar 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it will publish the draft bill for an independence referendum announced in its Programme for Government for 2020-21.

3 Mar 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the financial assistance that is available for the removal of unsafe cladding from private buildings.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35643 on 4 March 2021. 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…

2 Mar 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it is providing to public transport providers to ensure that services can continue.

24 Feb 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated to spend on housing in its 2021-22 Budget.

23 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which "mild to moderate" learning disabilities people must have to be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination as part of priority group 6, and what analysis it has undertaken to determine this.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: We understand the anxiety around the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI) criteria of only severe and profound learning disabilities being eligible for vaccination during group 6. We have now made the decision to include anyone with a lear…

22 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, whether it will legislate to classify the act of stealthing (non-consensually removing a condom during sex) as a sexual assault, as is the position in England and Wales.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: While there is no specific provision in Scots law concerning the removal of a condom during sexual activity, the definition of consent at Part 2 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 defines "consent" as "free agreement". Section 13(2)(d) of that Act pro…

11 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will provide substantive answers to questions S5W-33894 and S5W-34610, which received holding responses on 22 December 2020 and 29 January 2021 respectively.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) priority list has been updated to include funeral workers who are considered frontline funeral operatives and mortuary technicians/embalmers, as they are both at risk of exposure and likely to spend a…

3 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when organisations will be informed of the outcome of their applications for funding under the section 10 grant scheme, which provides essential funding for Scotland’s Access Panel network.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Disability Equality Scotland, which is the umbrella body for Scotland's Access Panel Network, were informed on 3 February 2020 that their application for funding under the section 10 grant scheme had been approved.  

3 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason 20 guests are permitted at a funeral during the current lockdown, but not at a wedding.

Answer · Ash Denham: From 8 January 2021 the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 were amended to limit the number of people permitted to attend a marriage ceremony in a protection level 4 area to 5 people. Thi…

21 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for businesses in the professional cleaning sector that are continuing to operate during the COVID-19 lockdown, in light of the restrictions in place under the current guidance.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: We recognise the economic impact and strain that the current restrictions are having on both the businesses that are required to close and businesses that remain open, including businesses in the cleaning sector. On 28 January we announced we are doubling the…

20 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what additional support is available for businesses in the bakery sector that continue to operate despite the closure of a majority of their customers’ businesses.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: We appreciate that this is an extremely difficult time for businesses of all kinds across Scotland, including in the bakery sector. We have allocated almost £3 billion to support businesses in response to COVID-19. The £30 million discretionary fund introduc…

15 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-33894 by Jeane Freeman, which received a holding response on 22 December 2020, for what reason it has not yet provided a substantive answer to the question, and when it plans to do so.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) priority list has been updated to include funeral workers who are considered frontline funeral operatives and mortuary technicians / embalmers, as they are both at risk of exposure and likely to spend…

9 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures suggesting that the number of disabled people joining the Fair Start Scotland programme has been declining annually, from 55% participation in Year 1 to 27% in Year 3.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The figure of 27% quoted only represents the first quarter of Year 3, from April to June 2020. In the most recent quarter (July – September 2020) there was a large increase in the proportion of unknown equalities monitoring data gathered by FSS Service Provi…

9 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the promotion of the Fair Start Scotland programme, in light of its 2020 evaluation report, which found that, of a social security experience panel that had a membership made up of 83% disabled people, 74% said that they had not heard of it.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: As part of continuous improvement activities over the coming year, the Scottish Government and Service Providers will continue to promote Fair Start Scotland, reviewing their marketing strategies to adapt to local labour market needs and potential changes in …

9 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures suggesting that 51% of the people who joined the Fair Start Scotland Scheme in Year 2 left it early.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Fair Start Scotland is an entirely voluntary service where people are not driven to take part by the fear of benefit sanctions. Participants retain the right to leave at any time as they can face a range of challenges and barriers, due to changes in their cir…

9 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures suggesting that, in the first two years of the Fair Start Scotland programme, only 6,621 of the 34,785 people who were referred to it started in employment.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Fair Start Scotland aims to support those further from the labour market towards employment, and provides 12 – 18 months of pre-employment support. As participants join each month, not enough time will have passed to present a complete picture of employment o…