Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-07176

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place to improve the health of any women who may have experienced reported side effects such as chronic pain, nickel poisoning, perforated organs and autoimmune reactions as a result of having an Essure contraceptive implant.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06890 on 9 March 2022.

It is important that anyone who experiences complications receives appropriate and timely care, and so I would encourage any woman with concerns to speak to her GP in the first instance. We are clear that GPs must take any patient’s concerns seriously, and must ensure that they have all the advice they to make an informed decision on their care.

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

Question reference: S6W-07177

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of women in Scotland who had an Essure contraceptive implant have had to subsequently undergo (a) a hysterectomy and (b) any other surgery as a result of the implant.

Question reference: S6F-00929

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 March 2022

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that people are able to register with NHS dental practices and receive NHS dental treatments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S6W-07195

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 21 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the available financial support to help tackle the rising cost of living is visible to and accessible for people in minority ethnic communities.

The £150 cost of living support payments are administered by local authorities who are responsible for ensuring this support, and indeed all the other services they deliver, are visible and accessible for people in minority ethnic communities. Local Authorities have indicated they are using the discretion we allowed to make payments as a credit to council tax accounts in the majority of circumstances. Where payments are made in this way, the credit should be automatically included in council tax bills for 2022-23.

The cost of living package also included extra funding for the Fuel Insecurity Fund which is distributed through third sector organisations who are partnered with referral organisations. Advice Direct Scotland (ADS) recently reported that they now have over 500 trusted referral partner organisations (advice /support services) signed up who can refer people they believe are in need of assistance.

Question reference: S6W-06858

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 18 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the specific public transport requirements of disabled people are being addressed by operators.

Transport Operators across all modes of public transport are fully committed to ensuring public transport is accessible to disabled people. They are also bound by legal duties under the Equalities Act 2010 which are strengthened through the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) to deliver equal access to their services.

Scottish Ministers have made clear their expectations through the Accessible Travel framework and its annual delivery plans, that Scotland’s transport operators will continually improve their performance to help disabled people travel with the same freedom, choice, dignity and opportunity as other citizens.

As a result, a number of improvements have been made by operators to ensure that key issues facing disabled people are met such as Infrastructure, Ticketing, Staff Training, Passenger Information and Assistance.

Question reference: S6W-07196

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 18 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle online bullying and harassment and help people to stay safe online.

There is a range of action supported by the Scottish Government to deal with insidious behaviour amounting to online bullying and harassment.

Ensuring the criminal law can deal effectively with conduct amounting to threatening or abusive behaviour led to the Scottish Government introducing the offence at section 38 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010. Such behaviour can often arise online and amount to bullying or harassing type behaviour. This offence is capable of dealing with this type of conduct depending on the specific facts and circumstances.

Where bullying and harassment occurs online affecting children and young people, this can be especially harmful. The Scottish Government's 'Respect for All - national approach to anti-bullying' was published in 2017 and is focused on building capacity, resilience and skills in children and young people to prevent and deal with bullying including online.

Regulation of the internet is a reserved area. The UK Government on 17 March 2022 introduced their Online Safety Bill into the UK Parliament. The Scottish Government is committed to work with the UK Government where devolved areas arise relevant to the policy of the Bill.

Question reference: S6W-06853

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring is in place to ensure that public transport providers apply the 2000 guidance, Women and Transport: Moving Forward.

The Scottish Government does not carry out any monitoring to ensure public transport operators apply the guidance, Women and Transport, which was written in 2000, prior to this Government’s time in office.

I am taking forward a focussed consultation, announced recently, to look specifically at improving women’s experience and safety across public transport. Initial discussions with Engender and women’s organisations will inform how we can best take forward this important work.

Question reference: S6W-06855

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the public transport workforce is female, also broken down by (a) ferry, (b) rail and (c) bus operators, and what the trend has been since 2002.

The Scottish Government does not collect demographic data specifically on the public transport workforce nor does it do so for each mode of public transportation. If collected, this data will be held by public transport operating organisations.

Latest data from the Annual Population Survey over the period Jan-Dec 2020 provides breakdowns on employment by industry sector which includes the category “Transport and Storage”. It shows that 4% of all those aged over 16 in employment were working in Transport and Storage.

Of those employed in transport and storage industries, 21% are women. This compares to a figure of 49% for those employed in all industries who are women.

With regard to the trends in these figures from 2002, Census data from 2011 is directly comparable with the 2020 figures above. It shows that in 2011, of those working in transport and storage industries, 19% were women. This is compared to 21% for 2020.

Data from the 2001 Census is available but is not directly comparable as the industry definition was broader to include ‘transport, storage and communication ’. However, it shows that of those working in these industries in 2001, 27% were women.

Question reference: S6W-06854

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the public transport workforce is black and minority ethnic (BAME), also broken down by (a) ferry, (b) rail and (c) bus operators.

The Scottish Government does not collect demographic data specifically on the public transport workforce nor does it do so for each mode of public transportation. If collected, this data will be held by public transport operating organisations.

Data from the Annual Population Survey over the period Jan-Dec 2020 provides breakdowns on employment by industry sector which includes the category “Transport and Storage”. It shows that 4% of all those aged over 16 in employment were working in Transport and Storage.

Of those employed in transport and storage industries, 2% are of a minority ethnic background. This compares to a figure of 4% for those employed in all industries who are of a minority ethnic background.

Question reference: S6W-06859

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the public transport workforce is disabled, also broken down by (a) ferry, (b) rail and (c) bus operators.

The Scottish Government does not collect demographic data specifically on the public transport workforce nor does it do so for each mode of public transportation. If collected, this data will be held by public transport operating organisations.

Data from the Annual Population Survey over the period Jan-Dec 2020 provides breakdowns on employment by industry sector which includes the category “Transport and Storage”. It shows that 4% of all those aged over 16 in employment were working in Transport and Storage.

Of those employed in transport and storage industries, 13% are disabled. This compares to a figure of 13% also for those employed in all industries who are disabled.

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