- Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 26 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its planned review, including any consultation, of the mobility criteria in relation to Adult Disability Payment.
Answer
The Scottish Government began stage one of the review of Adult Disability Payment in 2022, by engaging with academics and people with lived experience.
We have engaged with disabled people through our experience panels and with stakeholders to inform the parameters of the review. Stage one of the review will soon seek a broad range of views on the eligibility criteria for the mobility component of Adult Disability Payment as part of a public consultation.
The consultation will open shortly and will run for 3 months. People will have the opportunity to engage with the consultation through a series of consultation events in the coming months.
The results of the consultation will be independently analysed and we will publish the analysis of the consultation and the responses received, where the respondent has given us permission to do so.
The findings will be used to inform Stage Two, the independent review of Adult Disability Payment beginning later in 2023.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has undertaken to identify the role that artificial intelligence can play in delivering health and social care services to address any demand and capacity issues.
Answer
Extensive work has taken place to develop projections for the health and social care workforce, including engagement with stakeholders to understand different user needs, and actively including these in the specification for the workforce projections.
This piece of work has and will take into account where appropriate the (a) three year workforce plans and (b) the Medium term financial framework as the work develops.
We aim to set out high level conclusions from projections in the coming months. Clearly, these projections are iterative and will respond to and change depending on emerging evidence and data including the impacts of AI on demand and capacity in the workforce.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to upskill the cancer care workforce, including what guidance and support on developing leadership skills it has published.
Answer
I refer the member to the Scottish Government’s publications webpage. You can find the clinical leadership guidance here: Cancer workforce: clinical leadership guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . This has been cascaded across all regional cancer networks and amongst the Cancer Managers. In addition, presentations on clinical leadership have occurred across the regional cancer network steering groups.
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 26 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set out its contingency plans for the relocation of prisoners housed at HMP and YOI Cornton Vale in the interim period between the prison’s closure and HMP and YOI Stirling’s opening.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
It is anticipated that the majority of the women living at Cornton Vale will transfer to HMP & YOI Polmont during the interim period where there is already a comprehensive range of services and interventions available for them.
Every effort has been made to ensure the care of the women is not compromised or reduced during the transition period and each woman will engage in an individual case discussion supported by Health Care and Social Work colleagues to identify the most appropriate transfer location for them.
A dedicated area within Polmont has been identified and work is currently underway to increase the number of available ‘safer rooms’ ahead of any relocations taking place. A number of staff who currently work with the women will also relocate to Polmont to provide continuity of care. This will be supplemented by ongoing support from partner agencies including NHS Forth Valley, Social Work Services within Stirling and Falkirk local authorities and Voluntary Third Sector Partners.
- Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 26 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13027 by Mairi Gougeon on 23 December 2022, whether it will confirm which organisation failed the technical check process, and what the technical check was that it failed.
Answer
Please refer to my previous answer to question S6W-13027 for the details of which organisations failed the technical checks process and the reasons for this.
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/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its health and social care national workforce strategy, whether it has delivered up-to-date, relevant and impactful training for health and social care staff on equality, diversity and inclusion.
Answer
I refer the member to the answers to question S6W-13542 on 20 January 2023 and S6W-13509 on 24 January 2023. 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/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been provided for (a) systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) and (b) acute oncology to help build a sustainable workforce, broken down by area of expenditure, since the start of 2022.
Answer
As outlined in the National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care, we have committed to funding up to £10 million on a phased approach which will support increased regional working, workforce recruitment and maximise capacity across the existing workforce through initiatives like non-medical prescribing and treatment closer to home. Over 2022, we have provided £1.5 million across Scotland, and the National Oncology Taskforce will shortly be considering recommendations to support sustainability of SACT services. As agreed with the regional cancer networks and Health Boards, these funds are being used to support SACT services.
The National Oncology Taskforce will shortly be considering recommendations to support sustainability of SACT services.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent supporting health and social care staff in 2022 with their (a) practical and (b) emotional needs, including pastoral care and other measures to aid rest and recuperation, broken down by area of spending.
Answer
In 2022-23 the Scottish Government spent £2,761,815 on health and social care staff wellbeing. In addition to this, the Scottish Government intend to spend a further £1,397,475 on health and social care staff wellbeing in the remainder of this financial year.
We do not hold a detailed breakdown of spending at the level requested.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12954 by Jamie Hepburn on 20 December 2022, which of the Good Governance Task Group’s recommendations on college governance that were made in 2016 (a) have been and (b) are still to be implemented.
Answer
Following the recommendations of the Good College Governance Task Group in 2016, my predecessor Richard Lochhead MSP Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science wrote to the Education and Skills Committee in 2019 outlining the 8 actions that the Scottish Government would take forward in response to the recommendations.
To date, the College Development Network (CDN) has embedded teamwork training within the induction training of board members and now publish college board vacancies on their national website. At present, the Scottish Government has, after a pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic, restarted workaround the Task Group’s recommendations and is currently consulting on proposals to introduce trade union nominees onto College Boards, with the consultation closing on 27 January 2023. This work will sit within a wider package of transformation and change within the tertiary education and skills sector, as the Scottish Government progresses recommendations from the SFC Review of Coherence and Sustainability 2021.
The Scottish Government works with stakeholders through the Good Governance Steering Group, where work around governance reforms in the college sector is discussed; at present as well as the work to implement the recommendation of adding trade unions nominees on boards, there is ongoing work to refresh the Ministerial Guidance. No decision has yet been taken on the timeframe for implementing the other 5 actions in response to the recommendations made by the Good Governance Task Group.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 2 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will conduct an independent review into the maternity model in Caithness.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 2 February 2023
