- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 August 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government what information it makes available to rural and island communities to encourage them to access funding from the Rural and Islands Housing Funds.
Answer
Following the announcement on the Islands Housing Fund, the Scottish Government issued a news release in September 2016 to confirm availability of the Fund. Information on the fund is also available on the Scottish Government website, including links to a number of projects that have already completed homes. Presentations have been made by the Scottish Government at relevant rural housing events, including Community Land Scotland Conference, Rural and Islands Housing Association Forum conference and two Rural Housing Scotland conferences. The stakeholder group for the development of our Rural Housing Fund, which comprises a wide range of stakeholders representing the housing sector, has also promoted the availability of the Fund. The Scottish Rural Network, local authorities and partner organisations regularly promote the opportunity directly to communities.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 August 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of comments by Rural Housing Scotland, what steps it is taking to remove the "substantial barriers" to communities using funding from the Rural and Islands Housing Funds.
Answer
Rural Housing Scotland was one of the organisations on the rural housing sounding group that helped inform the fund set up and guidance. The group was reconvened in autumn 2017 to discuss progress of the fund and to provide comments on the guidance. Rural Housing Scotland did not put forward any specific changes to the written guidance at that time. The rural housing sounding group is due to meet again in autumn 2019 to further look at the operation of the fund and guidance. There are around 250 homes in the pipeline which have had initial feasibility funding and are now working through the detail of securing planning, building warrants, tenders and starting on site. The evidence from project applications does not support the statement that there are substantial barriers to using the funds. However, by their nature rural housing projects can take considerable time from concept to delivery, whether supported through the funds or otherwise.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 August 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 September 2019
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the roles and settings included in the "other settings" category of the quarterly performance updates for action 15 of the mental health strategy.
Answer
In respect of other settings and through the quarterly reporting templates agreed with Integration Authorities (IAs), we have specifically asked what recruitment is being undertaken, the roles involved and where exactly the workers will be based.
The level of detail received from the IAs in respect of this request has been varied. Some areas have provided specific detail on the roles of the workers to be recruited and where they will be based (for example support workers recruited through the third sector to work in a community hub providing an out of hours service).
However some areas have only provided a general statement around the initiatives they are looking to develop and how this will assist people in mental health crisis/distress. One of the reasons for this is because they are still in the planning stages for these (as with the key settings of the commitment) for years three and four of Action 15.
Policy officials however remain in constant dialogue with IAs on their recruitment plans under this commitment and a fourth quarterly update will be published in November 2019.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 July 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 August 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19491 by Humza Yousaf on 15 November 2018, how many people in Orkney have accessed (a) Cyber Essential Scheme, (b) Take 5 To Stop Fraud, (c) Cyber Aware and (d) Get Safe Online resources in the last year, and how effective these resources have been.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information. These initiatives aim to raise awareness of cybercrime and fraud, and provide advice to help people improve their online and telephone safety. I would encourage everyone to make the most of the resources available in order to protect themselves online.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 July 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 August 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19491 by Humza Yousaf on 15 November 2018, what progress it has made with Police Scotland to reduce the harm caused by online crime in Orkney since November 2018.
Answer
The Scottish Government supports the efforts of Police Scotland and partners to tackle fraud and cybercrime, and reduce the harm such crimes inflict upon communities across Scotland. The investigation of fraud and cybercrime is an operational matter for Police Scotland and you may wish to contact them directly for an update on their investigative and fraud prevention work on the Orkney Islands.
I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of fraud or cybercrime to report it to Police Scotland by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 July 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 21 August 2019
To ask the Scottish Government when the final neurological conditions national action plan 2019-2024 will be published, in light of the consultation period on the draft plan ending in February 2019.
Answer
We've been considering the consultation responses and engaging with stakeholders, and partners, to refine the National Action Plan on Neurological Conditions, which will be published in final form later this year.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 August 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 21 August 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-24070 by Joe FitzPatrick on 26 July 2019, whether it will provide the figures for the period broken down by year.
Answer
The following table shows laboratory confirmed reports in Scotland of Borrelia burgdorferi , the bacteria which causes Lyme disease , reported to Health Protection Scotland (HPS) June 2014 to May 2019 in each NHS board area by year
NHS Board | 2014 Jun-Dec | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 Jan-May | Laboratory reports June 2014-May 2019 |
Ayrshire & Arran | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 17 |
Borders | 2 | | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 1 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 28 |
Fife | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
Forth Valley | | | | 2 | 7 | 1 | 10 |
Greater Glasgow & Clyde | 8 | 14 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 2 | 70 |
Grampian | 26 | 34 | 23 | 31 | 19 | 7 | 140 |
Highland | 70 | 95 | 75 | 71 | 123 | 35 | 469 |
Lanarkshire | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 26 |
Lothian | 14 | 13 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 6 | 72 |
Orkney | | 1 | | 1 | | | 2 |
Shetland | | | | | | | 0 |
Tayside | 10 | 14 | 21 | 17 | 24 | 4 | 90 |
Western Isles | 8 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 41 |
Total | 153 | 200 | 170 | 167 | 238 | 63 | 991 |
* data for 2018/2019 is still provisional
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 July 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 5 August 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22506 by Fergus Ewing on 23 April 2019, what progress it has made toward plans for schoolchildren's farm visits, and by what date it will announce the details.
Answer
Scottish Government plans to increase the number of farm visits and event opportunities for young people were announced at the Royal Highland Show on 21 June as part of the new Good Food Futures programme.
The farm visits and events will be delivered in partnership with the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET). RHET are currently planning these visits and events for the 2019-2020 school year and further details will be announced in due course.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 July 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 August 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22716 by Humza Yousaf on 16 May 2019, how many times it has met the SPFL in the last two years; what was discussed on each occasion, and whether the (a) agreement for confidentiality outlined in its answer and (b) data compiled by the SPFL on unacceptable conduct in Scottish football was discussed.
Answer
We meet the SPFL – and other stakeholders in Scottish football – regularly and therefore do not have a record of how many times we have met in the last two years.
Unacceptable conduct – and the data provided by the SPFL in confidence – was discussed at a number of these meetings.
I wrote to SPFL chief executive Neil Donaster on 18 June 2019, reiterating our view that the SPFL should publish the data.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 July 2019
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 2 August 2019
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-22716 by Humza Yousaf on 16 May 2019, which other stakeholders have had access to the data compiled by the SPFL on unacceptable conduct in Scottish football.
Answer
The SPFL also shared the data – with the same conditions attached – with the Scottish FA and Police Scotland.