- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 18 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what the timescale is for the (a) decanting and (b) operational closure of HMP Barlinnie.
Answer
We are committed to replacing HMP Barlinnie with HMP Glasgow which is being designed to deliver safe and secure accommodation, with maximum possible benefit and opportunity to those who live and work there, as well as surrounding communities.
Time-scales for the replacement prison will be set out once a final design is available and transition plans will be developed closer to the date of transition.
When planning to decant a part of, or an entire prison, SPS will communicate and consult with the affected population, and ensure that each individual’s needs are taken into account when considering the relocation. For affected staff, individual needs and requirements are also taken into account before any change in their working location.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 July 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 17 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider how data collated and held by NHS boards on mental health conditions can be improved and held consistently across all boards, in order to improve understanding of the prevalence of specific conditions.
Answer
The Scottish Government is currently working closely with Public Health Scotland (PHS) to improve the data landscape across the NHS Health Boards in Scotland. Comprehensive data is vital to enable Boards to plan services and create appropriate care pathways. Many individuals accessing services do not initially have a diagnosis, but instead have general presentations.
In April 2019, to better understand the prevalence of specific conditions, referral outcomes, and patient demographics, the Scottish Government commissioned national patient-level data for people seeking and receiving treatment in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Psychological Therapies (PT) services. This is known as the CAMHS and PT National Dataset (CAPTND). IT systems in some Boards will require significant overhaul to enable the recording and extraction of the full dataset. Directors of eHealth are liaising with system suppliers and embedded PHS analysts to prioritise this work as part of the £0.5m digital infrastructure, applications and data package announced in September 2021.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered any differences in patient (a) waiting times and (b) accessibility for magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment between NHS Scotland and NHS England.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19380 on 11 July 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: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 5 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many total applications the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund received in the 2022-23 financial year, and how many of those applications were awarded funding.
Answer
The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults is distributed to local community initiatives in all 32 regions of Scotland by Third Sector Interface (TSI) organisations, working in collaboration with other local partners including Health and Social Care Partnerships, local authorities and those with lived experience.
In total, TSIs received 2585 applications to the Fund in 2022-23 and, by March 2023, had awarded funding to 1461 of these projects.
This data is based on returns received from TSIs by 3 July 2023. Final figures will be published on the Scottish Government website over the summer in a Year 2 Monitoring and Reporting Summary Report.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 3 July 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18612 by Fiona Hyslop on 16 June 2023, when it expects the findings from the free bus travel pilot to be collated and analysed, following its planned conclusion in July, and whether it plans to publish the findings from the pilot once finalised.
Answer
I am committed to finding a way to meet the Programme for Government pledge to consider how best to provide free bus travel for people seeking asylum in Scotland. A short-term pilot led by the Refugee Survival Trust and third sector partners in Glasgow commenced on Monday 30 January and will run until July. A report will be produced by the Refugee Survival Trust and included in consideration of the Scottish Government's next steps towards meeting our commitment.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what the revised date is for the first new trains to enter passenger service on the Glasgow Subway, in light of reports that the previous scheduled period of January 2023 to March 2023 was missed.
Answer
Introduction of the new trains into passenger service is a matter for Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) given SPT is responsible for both the Glasgow Subway modernisation programme and the operation of the Glasgow subway. Introductory dates for the new trains into passenger service have not been set by SPT nor has SPT previously set out proposed introductory dates in reporting. Testing of the new trains and development of the safety case is ongoing as part of the new rolling stock subway modernisation workstream towards new fleet introduction to passenger service in autumn 2023.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will investigate the preventative maintenance processes used by CalMac for its ferries, in light of the reportedly high level of unplanned maintenance events relative to comparable shipping fleets.
Answer
Transport Scotland and CMAL will continue to engage with CalMac on maintenance, repair, and vessel resilience activities, considering preventative approaches as part of this. The ongoing engagement is aimed at minimising unplanned outages which affect performance of the fleet and at helping to deliver reliable services to our island communities. Direct comparison with other fleets is not straight forward but it is noted that the unplanned events in the CalMac fleet are, in part, a consequence of challenges of maintaining equipment which, in some cases, is no longer supported by original manufacturers. These activities are supported by the ongoing commitment to the additional maintenance and resilience funding. The phased replacement of the older vessels in the major and small vessel fleets, along with the related standardisation of equipment, will reduce unplanned maintenance, and make overhaul and repair activities more efficient over the coming years.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 28 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the administrators of the Glasgow-based engineering firm, British Polar Engines Limited, in order to establish what the reasons were for the firm going into administration, and what its assessment is of whether the business can be salvaged as a going concern.
Answer
The Scottish Government has had no engagement with the administrators of British Polar Engines Limited.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking, in partnership with local authorities and energy companies, to make electric vehicle charging more affordable for the public, with a view to making electric and hybrid vehicles more desirable, and to meet the target of net zero emissions by 2045.
Answer
The Scottish Government has engaged Cosla, setting out its position on tariffs for the use of public charge points, a significant proportion of which are owned by Local Authorities. It is important that tariffs are structured to avoid unduly subsidising those who can afford to pay, support infrastructure maintenance and create the conditions that will be attractive for the future private investment that will be needed to grow the network. As highlighted in a market insights report (Opportunity Through Tariffs to Encourage Private Investment in EV Infrastructure Across Scotland) published by Scottish Futures Trust last November, adoption of such pricing regimes does not preclude local authorities from introducing flexible and off-peak pricing structures to enable more affordable charging.
As energy market policy remains reserved to UK government, the Scottish Government cannot take all of the action it would like to in order to support Scottish consumers. We welcome the intention set out by UK government to consult on how to rebalance the price of gas and electricity. The UK government’s Review of Electricity Market Arrangements presents an opportunity to reflect on the structure of the wholesale electricity market and consider what can be done to ensure it serves the best interests of consumers and delivers net zero. However, this review will take time, so the UK government must also work to identify short-term opportunities to support bill payers today.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what planned and preventative maintenance system is used by CalMac for its ferries, and when any such system was introduced.
Answer
CalMac Ferries Ltd (CFL) operate a bespoke planned maintenance system which was introduced a number of years ago on the Major Vessel Fleet. A project is underway to replace the system with a modern off the shelf established, marine system, however this project is dependent on funding being secured. The new system would allow standardisation of planned maintenance across the whole fleet as well as bringing efficiencies to the preventative maintenance, data and record keeping and drive efficiencies in the dry-docking process.