Chamber and committees

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-22450

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 April 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 15 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what support system is in place for Scottish Ambulance Service staff to help them following traumatic or emotionally stressful events.

The welfare of our emergency staff is critically important and the Scottish Ambulance Service has policies in place for managing health at work, which includes mental health and wellbeing.

The Scottish Ambulance Service has a wide range of employee assistance programmes and occupational health support in place, including trauma counselling and pastoral support.

The HELP employee assistance programme provides practical help and assistance to employees suffering with emotional, practical, health and social problems. Staff can access a dedicated counselling service and support is available day or night, 365 days a year. Management training has also been provided to managers over the past 12 months in line with the stress management and wellbeing policy to assist them in recognising and managing stress in the workplace.

Numerous initiatives are currently being introduced and piloted as the Scottish Ambulance Service continues to consider way to improve the offer of support available to staff.

Question reference: S5W-22321

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government by what date survivors of childhood abuse in care, who might not live long enough to apply to the statutory financial redress scheme, will be able to apply for advancement payments.

Question reference: S5W-22184

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in taking forward recommendation 94 by the Education and Culture Committee in its 10th Report, 2015 (Session 4), Attainment of pupils with a sensory impairment, which called on it to "work with local authorities and deaf people to examine how appropriate [acoustics] standards can be provided in all schools", and, in light of this recommendation, whether it has considered placing such standards on a statutory footing.

Question reference: S5W-22150

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has had any discussions with Glasgow City Council since May 2017 regarding retaining teachers in Glasgow.

Question reference: S5W-22149

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether Glasgow City Council has sought additional resources to help retain teachers in Glasgow.

Question reference: S5O-03029

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Sue Ryder report, A Better Grief.

Question reference: S5O-02952

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the environment secretary has had with the transport secretary regarding the environmental implications of the proposed Personal Rapid Transit system for Glasgow Airport.

Question reference: S5O-02907

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason independent inquiries are not automatically held when a murder is committed by a prisoner on a home detention curfew.

Any murder will give rise to a Police investigation with a view to commencing criminal proceedings. The death investigation could include issues in relation to the release of a prisoner. If any wider inquiry is necessary it will depend upon the facts and circumstances of each particular case and the possibilities for further inquiry might include a Fatal Accident Inquiry, a statutory Public Inquiry or independent review - such as was undertaken recently in relation to home detention curfew by the Inspectorate for Prisons and the Inspectorate of Constabulary.

The issue of mandatory Fatal Accident Inquiries was considered by Parliament during the passage of the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016. The Scottish Government has no plans to amend the legislation in this regard. If specific proposals and evidence for it are brought forward as part of the Management of Offenders Bill, as was suggested by Neil Bibby MSP, then it will be for Parliament to consider these.

Question reference: S5W-20942

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken since the Glasgow City Deal was approved to deliver a rail link to Glasgow Airport.

The projects within the Glasgow City Region Deal are for the relevant local partners to develop and deliver. The Glasgow Airport Access Project is being taken forward by Glasgow and Renfrewshire Councils.

Following previous work led by Glasgow Airport, Transport Scotland commissioned a Tram-train feasibility report which reported in January 2015 and concluded that there remained a great deal of preparatory work and assessment to be done before any decision on the best option to improving surface access to Glasgow Airport. Transport Scotland worked on this, and a subsequent Paisley Corridor Capacity Evaluation, with Network Rail, in order to better understand the constraints on the existing rail network. These studies were shared with the Glasgow Airport Access Project team.

Due to concerns over the lack of consideration of the challenges of operating on the existing rail network and potential impacts on existing rail services within the Outline Business Case, despite the evidence of work completed by Transport Scotland and Network Rail, Scottish Ministers commissioned an independent audit of the Outline Business Case approved by the Glasgow CRD Cabinet in November 2016. Transport Scotland and Network Rail are continuing to work collaboratively with the Glasgow Airport Access Project team as they reconsider the evidence base and transport appraisal work to address comments raised in an independent audit of the Outline Business Case. Transport Scotland have provided advice and support on the business case update process and undertaken work through the South Glasgow Timetable Capacity Analysis to inform wider consideration of Glasgow Central Station and potential deliverability of a Tram / Train link to the airport within this context.

On January 30th I Chaired the Glasgow Airport Access Executive Steering Group which includes the Leaders of both Glasgow City and Renfrewshire Councils and representatives from Glasgow Airport and Network Rail. At this meeting the group heard updates on the progress of the audit close out work including how the significant concerns over the Tram / Train impact, costs and deliverability have been considered and how the other options for improving connectivity to the Airport have been developed. The Airport Access Project team now intend to ask the Glasgow City Deal Cabinet to agree to progress with an Outline Business Case for Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) connection to Paisley Gilmour Street.

Question reference: S5W-21270

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 7 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the resources that it has committed to implementing the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 are used to support carers directly and to prevent reductions to carer support services.

The 2018-19 budget includes an additional £66 million to support additional expenditure by local government on social care on a number of responsibilities, including for implementation of the Carers Act. This funding also recognises general social care pressures they and integration authorities are facing.

It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate their total financial resources available to them. Individual local authorities’ allocation of funding should be on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations (including under the Carers Act) and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

The new ‘Carers Census’ is monitoring take-up of adult carer support plans, young carer statements and carer support under the Carers Act since it took effect last April.