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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-12976

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the development and expected publication date of its social isolation strategy.

Question reference: S5O-01566

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 6 December 2017

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Scottish Older People's Assembly has reportedly had its budget reduced.

Our commitment to work on older people’s issues is underpinned by £490,000 of funding in the current financial year. This broadly maintains levels of total annual funding of around half a million pounds for work in this field over the last three years for several organisations.

We are continuing to fund SOPA to deliver its core role, which is to organise and deliver their National Assembly and at least one Parliamentary reception in 2017-18. We fully considered SOPA’s application for funding in addition to that, however their proposal largely focused on sustaining the infrastructure of the organisation rather than specific work to promote equality for older people.

I am meeting with Mr Cole-Hamilton and representatives of SOPA on 10 January and I welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue further with him then.

Question reference: S5W-12640

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 27 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many children and young people have been turned away from each mental health inpatient unit in each of the last three years, broken down by reason, and how many were (a) admitted to alternative units, broken down by unit, (b) treated on adult wards and (c) not admitted at all.

Information on how many children and young people who have been turned away from each mental health impatient unit in each of the last three years, (including breakdown) is not held centrally.

The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland's Young person monitoring report 2016-17 was published on 18 October 2017 http://www.mwcscot.org.uk/publications/statistical-monitoring-reports/

We warmly welcomed the MWC’s report, and its conclusion that the significant and continued reduction in the number of admissions of young people to non-specialist settings “appears to have come about as a result of targeted investment and focussed, co-ordinated service re-design of key elements of CAMH services across the country”.

Question reference: S5W-12708

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many clinical nurse specialists in myeloproliferative neoplasms there are.

Question reference: S5W-12711

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve access to clinical nurse specialists in myeloproliferative neoplasms.

We are working together with partners to improve the outcomes and support for people with rare diseases as outlined in the Implementation Plan 'It's Not Rare to Have a Rare Disease'. The Scottish Government cancer strategy 'Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action' complements the actions of the rare disease plan through its focus on early detection, diagnosis and treatment for all forms of cancer, including rare cancers.

I recognise the vital role specialist nurses play in patient care. That is why we are investing £2.5 million annually in specialist nursing and care.

I expect all NHS Boards to ensure that patients with conditions such as myeloproliferative neoplasms have appropriate access to a range of professionals, including specialist nurses, to ensure optimum management of their condition.

Question reference: S5W-12738

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 24 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will publish its updated suicide prevention strategy.

In Autumn and Winter 2017-18, the Scottish Government will engage with stakeholders with a view to developing a new suicide prevention action plan for publication in 2018. The key themes of the existing Suicide Prevention Strategy namely improving responses to distress, improving the NHS response to suicide, talking about suicide, and developing the evidence base remain pertinent to continuing efforts to reduce the suicide rate; we continue to work with stakeholders to implement the commitments under these themes.

Question reference: S5W-12569

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 23 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of registration applications have been rejected by the Registers of Scotland in each year since 2012.

Question reference: S5W-12641

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that all local authorities are able to (a) deliver and (b) sustain the 30-hour early years provision, and whether the additional funding it is providing towards this is ring-fenced.

The Scottish Government is committed to meeting the costs of delivering the expansion in funded early learning and childcare (ELC) entitlement to 1140 hours by 2020. The expansion must be delivered efficiently whilst ensuring that the outcomes of the expansion are met, particularly that children and their families benefit from a high quality service.

We are in discussions with COSLA with a view to agreeing a multi-year revenue and capital funding package to deliver the expansion.

Our Blueprint Action Plan for 2017-18 sets out the steps we are taking this year to progress the expansion, working in partnership with local authorities and other stakeholders. We have established a multi-disciplinary team to provide delivery support and additional capacity to local authorities in planning for and implementing the expansion.

We asked local authorities to submit ELC expansion plans, which include financial estimates, by 29 September 2017. These expansion plans set out how authorities intend to deliver the expanded entitlement. We are currently reviewing these plans ahead of providing feedback to local authorities by the end of November.

Over the longer-term our new Funding Follows the Child approach, which will be introduced from 2020, will ensure that funding provided for early learning and childcare reaches frontline delivery, directly supporting our young children and their families, as well as enabling financially sustainable provision across all sectors providing the funded entitlement.

Question reference: S5O-01528

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support and provide resources for organisations that promote healthy lifestyles.

Question reference: S5W-12568

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that around 300,000 property title owners have not been notified regarding changes to their deeds following the Registers of Scotland's Post Accuracy Improvement Programme, and what plans it has to notify in writing all title holders affected by the changes.

The Keeper of the Registers of Scotland is under a statutory duty to maintain a cadastral map of Scotland. This map shows the legal boundaries of all property registered in the land register. The cadastral map uses the ordnance survey map of Scotland as the base map on which it shows the legal boundaries. That base map is regularly updated by Ordnance Survey in relation to physical changes on the ground. These changes to the base map do not affect owners’ rights or the extent of their property.