- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any correspondence that it has had with (a) SEPA, (b) Health and Safety Executive and (c) Fife Council regarding reported ongoing health and safety concerns at Shell’s natural gas liquids plant and ExxonMobil's ethylene plant at Mossmorran.
Answer
It is for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as independent regulator, to regulate facilities like the Mossmorran Complex in order to provide assurance that operators are managing the risks created during their activities. The HSE liaises regularly with SEPA and Fife Council with regards to management of the site. The Scottish Government, as a matter of course, liaises regularly with SEPA, which is one of the public partners, including also NHS Fife and Public Health Scotland, in relation to the management and regulation of the Mossmorran complex.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 9 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what regulations govern domestic CCTV and Ring doorbell cameras in Scotland; whether any powers to change such regulations are devolved, and, if so, what plans it has to review the regulations that apply in Scotland.
Answer
Domestic CCTV, such as video doorbells, is covered in legislation by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) and regulated by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Data protection is a matter reserved to the UK Government; the Scottish Government therefore do not have powers to make laws in this area.
- Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what costs will be, or are expected to be, incurred by the contract with Abellio once its ScotRail franchise has concluded.
Answer
Costs of any contracts between ScotRail Trains Ltd. and Abellio will not be fully known until contract negotiations are concluded, and thereafter will depend upon the extent of use of the support services covered by those contracts.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 9 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government by what date the roll-out of the increased Scottish Child Payment will be complete.
Answer
I refer the member to the question S6W-05691 on 9 February 2022. 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: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 9 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether a letter of comfort has been provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) regarding the delivery of the roll-out of the increased Scottish Child Payment, as referred to in the minutes from the 17th meeting of the Joint Ministerial Working Group on Welfare from November 2021.
Answer
I have received a response from Chloe Smith, the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, to my letter of 5 January 2022 on the delivery of the roll-out of the extension of Scottish Child Payment to 6-15 year olds. That response confirms the Department for Work and Pensions’ commitment to “an agreed approach to the provision of the data which supports [the Scottish Government’s] proposed delivery timeline”.
That timeline is that the extension of Scottish Child Payment to 6-15 year olds will begin from the end of 2022.
The strong preference of the Scottish Government has consistently been to extend the existing interfaces, which are currently in place to support delivery of the Scottish Child Payment for under 6s, but the DWP’s position is that we should build to align with their new strategic solution. This carries a higher degree of risk to our delivery timeline, as the DWP’s new strategic solution is still in the design phase, but we have an agreed joint plan in place to monitor and track that risk.
Our officials continue to work closely to ensure the implementation of the required technical approach and Ministers will meet in due course to review progress.
- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 9 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the ministerial statement on strengthened fire alarm standards on 19 January 2022, what estimates it has made of the number of homes that will (a) comply and (b) not comply with the new legislation on interlinked fire alarms by 1 February 2022.
Answer
Once the new standard comes into force, the Scottish Government will collect data on fire alarms in Scottish homes in future iterations of the Scottish House Condition Survey. Following the Scottish Government’s mass media awareness campaign in 2021, we know there are high levels of awareness and home-owners will have taken steps to fit the necessary alarms.
Information on the number of homes that have interlinked fire alarms is not currently collected as part of the Scottish House Condition Survey. This standard has already applied to private rented homes and new build homes for over a decade. Social landlords also have a programme of works underway to ensure their tenants have the necessary alarms fitted.
- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether reducing 300 rail services from pre-pandemic levels will increase or decrease rail passenger numbers.
Answer
ScotRail’s May 2022 timetable, benefiting from careful consideration of the consultation feedback, is significantly better than the May 2021 timetable, with 150 more services per day. The aim is to build weekday passenger capacity to more than 590,000 seats, ensuring ScotRail Trains Ltd operate a more sustainable and more robust financial footing.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 9 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what meetings the First Minister has had with the leader of Glasgow City Council in 2021.
Answer
The First Minister has met Councillor Susan Aitken on the following occasions:
29th July 2021 (Meeting with Pladis Global)
12th October 2021 (Launch of the Barclays site in Glasgow)
19th October 2021 (COP26 Ministerial Roundtable)
31st October 2021 (Industrial Action in Glasgow – phone call)
- Asked by: Bob Doris, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
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Current Status:
Initiated by the Scottish Government.
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 9 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve the careers information, advice and guidance available to young people.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises and values the importance of careers information advice and guidance. As part of his recommendations for the implementation of the Young Person’s Guarantee Sandy Begbie requested Skills Development Scotland consider how best a career advice service could operate from early years right through until a young person enters employment.
The Review and the Scottish Government’s response to the recommendations have now been finalised. The Review outlines ten recommendations for continuing to improve the delivery of careers advice and guidance. It has been informed by extensive consultation with young people, users and stakeholders.
The Review and the Scottish Government’s response can be found at www.CareerReview.scot .
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what advice it can provide regarding how patients can raise timely complaints against privately-run GP practices, in light of reports that there is often no formal online complaints procedure, and what action it can take to introduce a central complaints body for patients to raise complaints against privately-run GP practices.
Answer
GP practices which are run by independent contractors must have arrangements in place which operate in accordance with section 15 of the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011. Patients should raise their concerns in the first instance by phoning, writing to or emailing the practice manager.
If patients are not satisfied with their GP practice's response, they can then raise their concern with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. Any complains about a GP or GP practice that are upheld by the Ombudsman are directed to their contracting Health Board and are followed up by the Ombudsman's office to ensure that the actions and recommendations are implemented.