- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2017
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 19 April 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what reassurances it can give that, and by what date, all outstanding 2015 pillar two common agricultural policy payments will be completed in full.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 19 April 2017
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 22 March 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that young disabled people are not subject to discrimination.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to equality for disabled children and young people in Scotland, and to ensuring that all children can achieve their potential. Disabled children and young people are a group facing significant inequality and significantly worse life chances compared to their non-disabled peers. A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People, our delivery plan contains a number of actions that will help young disabled people.
The Scottish Government is developing a framework to support disabled children, young people and their families, so they get the right support, at the right time and in the right way from birth to adulthood.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Aileen Campbell on 9 March 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in the light of recent reports that the number of still births at NHS Forth Valley has risen above the national average during the first half of 2016.
Answer
NHS Forth Valley has taken action locally to internally review all of their cases of stillbirth. The Board has also commissioned an independent external review to look into their 2016 stillbirths.
The Scottish Government supports the action that NHS Forth Valley is taking to understand and learn from this unexpected rise in the number of stillbirths locally, and expects them to act on the findings of the reviews. The Board has agreed to share the outcomes of both internal and external reviews, when complete, with the expert Scottish Government Stillbirth Group, to ensure that learning is shared across Scotland to improve outcomes and help drive down stillbirth rates.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2017
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place to assist people who have had a stroke with their recovery and in becoming as independent as possible.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2017
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2017
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2017
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what measures it takes, especially during inclement weather, to ensure that the Garden Lobby floor is as safe as is possible for staff and visitors.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2017
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 9 February 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in light of the figures suggesting that 95% of pupils identified as having additional support needs are in mainstream schools.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 9 February 2017
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 12 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reported real-terms reduction in revenue allocations for local authorities in the draft budget will have on the provision of services.
Answer
Taking next year's local government finance settlement plus the other sources of income available through potential increases in council tax, and Health and Social Care Integration, the overall increase in spending power to support local authority services amounts to £241 million (2.3 per cent in cash terms) or over £91 million (0.9 per cent in real terms).
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in response to recent figures released under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, which show that 22 bladed weapons have been recovered from prisoners by staff at Perth prison since April 2016.
Answer
I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:
The figures highlighted under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 request reflect the continued vigilance of staff in detecting improvised weapons in HMP Perth.
The safety and well-being of prisoners and staff is and will continue to be a key concern for the Scottish Prison Service. In order to ensure prisons are safe for all, SPS will continue to invest in staff training and technology to aid staff in their duties.
All establishments will continue to undertake robust searching of prisoners and areas which supports the identification and recovery of illicit or unauthorised articles, including weapons. Any individual found in possession of such weapons will be reported to Police Scotland and prison managers will put in place an appropriate management plan for the individuals involved.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 10 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what assurances it can provide that the UK's decision to leave the EU will not result in the erosion or weakening of existing legal protection of bats in Scotland.
Answer
All bat species in Scotland are given protection under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 as a European Protected Species.
The Scottish Government remains determined to protect and conserve bats in Scotland. Our membership of the European Union has driven up environmental standards and the Scottish Government is not prepared to see these benefits lost as a result of the UK Government's decision to leave the EU.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 December 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to engage further with pupils in secondary schools to provide more education regarding psychoactive substances.
Answer
The recent SALSUS report (published 25 October 2016) shows that drug taking among young people in Scotland remains low.
Education and prevention is a key strand of Scotland’s drug strategy, the ‘Road to Recovery’, and is integral to our approach to reducing the number of people with problem drug use in Scotland. Our ambitious substance misuse education programme already ensures that all young people have credible and accessible information and advice, and through our ‘Know the Score’ website and ‘Choices for Life’ secondary school education programme we have expanded our education campaign to include new psychoactive substances (NPS).
We are now assessing current education and prevention activity across Scotland, including the findings from our recently published literature review, to understand what interventions are most effective. This will help us develop advice and guidance on effective substance misuse education and prevention activity for our stakeholders, practitioners and policy makers. We also commissioned the Scottish Drugs Forum to undertake research aimed at furthering our understanding around the prevalence, motivations and harms associated with NPS use amongst vulnerable groups within Scotland, including young people, and we are currently working with stakeholders to take forward recommendations from the report.