Jeremy Balfour

4 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform's indication under Rule 9.14.13(a) on 23 November 2018, when it will initiate legislation that will give full effect to the proposed Pet Shop (Licensing) (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The work to update and strengthen existing licensing legislation covering dog, cat and rabbit breeders, pet sellers, animal sanctuaries and rehoming activities is proceeding and our intention is to lay the new regulations before the Scottish Parliament at the…

4 Mar 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the recent two-day closure of the Queensferry Crossing.

27 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what processes are in place for transferring staff, equipment and systems from Social Security Scotland’s current headquarters in Dundee to the new premises.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland utilises the Scottish Government’s overarching facilities management contract. This national contract has arrangements that support the management of office moves.  

27 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what stage in the process it has reached in its acquisition of a new head office for Social Security Scotland in Dundee, and on what date it expects the relevant staff to be transferred to the new office.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: It is not appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on the status of an on-going commercial matter. Social Security Scotland plans in relation to property are aligned to the growth of the organisation. An update will be provided when negotiations and…

26 Feb 2020 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what its position is on facilitating the Eden Project initiative, The Big Lunch, in June 2020 to bring people who work at the Parliament together and help strengthen the sense of community.

10 Feb 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Competition and Markets Authority's analysis of its handling of ferry contracts and the potential effect this has on future procurement.

21 Jan 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote intergenerational work to support older people.

14 Jan 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what organisations it has met to discuss Edinburgh’s preparedness for the festivals in summer 2020.

7 Jan 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the rural economy secretary has had with the finance secretary regarding how much will be allocated to farmers in the next Budget.

2 Dec 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that a large number of police officers are going to work while physically and mentally unwell.

13 Nov 2019 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what provisions have been made for disabled people who are unable to use the fingerprint scanners that have been installed as part of the two-factor authentication service at the entrances to the complex.

12 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what external providers (a) the City of Edinburgh, (b) East Lothian, (c) Midlothian and (d) West Lothian Council uses to assist with the provision of first aid education in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-26260 on 19 November 2019. 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/parliamentarybusin…

12 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what training is provided to (a) primary and (b) secondary school teachers in the (i) City of Edinburgh, (ii) East Lothian, (iii) Midlothian and (iv) West Lothian Council area to teach first aid.

Answer · John Swinney: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. All teachers engage in professional learning to develop and enhance their knowledge and practice in order to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers' professional learning is i…

12 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what methods are used to deliver first aid education in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the (i) City of Edinburgh, (ii) East Lothian, (iii) Midlothian and (iv) West Lothian Council area.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-26260 on 19 November 2019. 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/parliamentarybusin…

7 Nov 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils in the (i) City of Edinburgh, (ii) East Lothian, (iii) Midlothian and (iv) West Lothian Council area are taught first aid.

Answer · John Swinney: The information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Under Curriculum for Excellence, the Scottish Government does not prescribe on the content of lessons taught in Scottish schools. Schools and education authorities currently have the flexibilit…

5 Nov 2019 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it can provide to the owners of properties, including in the Western Harbour development in Edinburgh, who are facing difficulties in trying to sell or remortgage because their homes have aluminium cladding.

28 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether its funding rules exclude organisations from applying for exemptions under the Equality Act 2010 to run single-sex services and, if so, whether this is lawful.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Nothing in the Scottish Government’s standard conditions of grant prevent organisations from appropriately applying the exceptions available under the Equality Act 2010, including in order to deliver women-only services where a condition in the Act is met and…

28 Oct 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether funding from the Equally Safe (Violence Against Women and Girls) Fund 2017-2020 is available to organisations providing a women-only service, and whether such organisations can use the legal exemptions under the Equality Act 2010 to provide such a service if they wish to receive …

Answer · Christina McKelvie: Nothing in the Scottish Government’s standard conditions of grant prevent organisations from appropriately applying the exceptions available under the Equality Act 2010, including in order to deliver women-only services where a condition in the Act is met and…

1 Oct 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that reductions in teacher numbers have impacted on the implementation of the curriculum for excellence.

24 Sep 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what co-ordination discussions it has had with the City of Edinburgh Council, bus companies and businesses regarding congestion during the Edinburgh festivals.

11 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people completed the Fair Start Scotland scheme in the last three months, and how many (a) went into and (b) remain in employment.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government publish statistics relating to Fair Start Scotland (FSS) on a quarterly basis. The most recent statistics can be found here: www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-devolved-employment-services-statistical-summary-3/ . Data relating to t…

9 Sep 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support councils in upholding the changes to the regulations regarding homelessness registration applications and people having a local connection.

4 Sep 2019 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has received on the effect that the legal date of the UK’s exit from the EU will have on its continuity bill.

3 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which stakeholders the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People has declined to meet following requests made since 1 March 2018 to discuss issues relating to transgender people, gender recognition reform and sex-based women's rights, broken down by the (a) date of each requ…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: I declined a request dated 28 May 2019 from Forwomen.scot to meet and indicated that officials were happy to meet. I also declined a request dated 29 June 2019 from the Equality Network to speak at an Equal Recognition event. In both cases I declined due to d…

3 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which stakeholders the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People plans to meet following requests made since 1 March 2018 to discuss issues relating to transgender people, gender recognition reform and sex-based women's rights, broken down by the (a) date of each request and…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Information on Ministerial engagements is published after they have taken place at https://www.gov.scot/search/?q=Ministerial+engagements .

3 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which stakeholders the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People has met following requests made since 1 March 2018 to discuss issues relating to transgender people, gender recognition reform and sex-based women's rights, broken down by the (a) date of each request and (b) d…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Information on Ministerial engagements is published on the Scottish Government’s website and is at https://www.gov.scot/search/?q=Ministerial+engagements The most recent published information is for April 2019. Since then, I met on 13 June 2019 with Louise…

3 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that a balance of views is heard at each stage for the consultation on its proposed Gender Recognition Bill, and what the timetable is for each stage.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: As I said in my statement to Parliament on gender recognition on 20 June 2019, I intend to consult on a draft Gender Recognition Bill by the end of 2019. The consultation will be a public consultation, open to all. It will be available on the Scottish Governm…

3 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which stakeholders will be responsible for compiling the equality impact assessments for the consultation on its proposed Gender Recognition Bill, and what the basis is for their selection.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: This work will be done in-house by the Scottish Government.

3 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which stakeholders will be consulted regarding the equality impact assessments of the consultation on its proposed Gender Recognition Bill, and what the basis is for their selection.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: As I said in my statement to Parliament on gender recognition on 20 June 2019 http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=12196&mode=pdf the consultation on the Bill will include draft impact assessments, including a comprehensive updated …

3 Sep 2019 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which stakeholders will be responsible for compiling the evidence base for the consultation on its proposed Gender Recognition Bill, and what the basis is for their selection.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government will compile the evidence base in-house.