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-17188

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle violence among young men.

Violence is totally unacceptable. Despite the small increase this year, violent crimes have fallen 49% since 2006-07, to one of the lowest levels seen since 1974.

But, we want to see further reductions to this unacceptable behaviour and are taking forward further actions. Alongside tough enforcement, our approach to violent crime is very firmly focused on prevention. We have already invested more than £14 million in violence prevention since 2006-07, including support for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and Medics Against Violence, who work to develop and deliver various violence prevention initiatives including the accelerated delivery of the Mentors in Violence Prevention programme which is now being delivered to young people in schools across Scotland.

We also continue to invest in our No Knives Better Lives youth engagement programme. This is now being delivered in 24 local authorities and is on track to be delivered in all 32 local authority areas this year.

Question reference: S5O-02275

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many affordable homes it plans to build in Inverclyde with local housing associations by 2021.

Question reference: S5W-17084

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has produced or commissioned on the impact of introducing free eye examinations.

Ten years on from the introduction of free NHS funded eye examinations in Scotland in 2006, the Scottish Government commissioned a review of community eyecare services provision in Scotland. The Community Eyecare Services Review report was published in April 2017 and can be found here: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00516810.pdf . The Scottish Government is working with stakeholders to deliver the recommendations set out in the report.

Question reference: S5W-17083

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost has been of providing free eye examinations in each year since 2006-07.

The total cost of providing free universal NHS funded eye examinations in Scotland in each financial year since 2006-07 is outlined in the following table.

Year	Total cost (£)
2006-07	39,154,925
2007-08	56,321,750
2008-09	61,536,690
2009-10	66,146,846
2010-11	66,427,193
2011-12	70,894,195
2012-13	71,190,882
2013-14	73,712,048
2014-15	74,106,411
2015-16	76,620,197
2016-17	78,945,594
2017-18	81,660,052

Source: NHS National Services Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-17082

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) adults and (b) children have had a free eye test in each year since 2006-07, broken down by (i) local authority and (ii) parliamentary constituency.

The total number of free NHS funded eye examinations for children and adults carried out in Scotland in each financial year from 2006-07 is outlined in the following table. It is not possible to provide a breakdown by local authority and parliamentary constituency, as this data is not currently readily available.

Financial Year	Children (under 16)	Adults (16 and over)
2006-07	193,992	1,349,979
2007-08	209,006	1,412,053
2008-09	221,541	1,497,187
2009-10	227,853	1,537,552
2010-11	227,188	1,570,079
2011-12	241,578	1,665,715
2012-13	242,512	1,684,100
2013-14	254,933	1,774,916
2014-15	254,904	1,783,708
2015-16	262,196	1,846,388
2016-17	282,488	1,914,198
2017-18	288,258	1,923,926

Source: NHS National Services Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-17058

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 14 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many secondary school pupils in each of the last three years have (a) started and (b) completed a week-long work placement in each local authority.

Question reference: S5W-17059

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 14 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on week-long work placements being offered to secondary school pupils, and what analysis it has carried out of the effectiveness of these in helping choose future career options.

Question reference: S5W-17057

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 14 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has with (a) Cosla and (b) Skills Development Scotland regarding the importance of work placements for secondary school pupils.

Work placements have featured throughout the discussions of the Developing Young Workforce Programme Board of which CoSLA is a member. As part of the DYW quarterly programme management process, Scottish Government meet with Skills Development Scotland to discuss their progress.

The Scottish Government does not collect or publish information on young people's work placements.

As part of the Developing Young Workforce (DYW) programme we expect that all young people should have a relevant, challenging, enjoyable learning experience within the workplace to support informing them about their future career choices. The Work Placements Standard, published in 2015, supports the DYW programme and provides information on expectations for young people, teachers, local authorities, schools, employers and parents to ensure young people experience valuable work placements.Week-long work placements are just one of a range of possible approaches that can be taken to meet a young person’s needs.

The Work Placements Standard was published alongside a Career Education Standard (3- 18yrs) ,which aims to improve careers support for young people in schools earlier and embed careers information and guidance within Curriculum for Excellence earlier, and the School/Employers partnership guidance which sets out the benefits and outlines an approach to partnerships which can enrich learning across the curriculum and help young people's readiness for employment.

The final report of the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce reported that many felt the approach to work experience was formulaic and did not provide a strong experience, and recommended the development of a new standard. The subsequent consultation and development of the work placement standard took account of views, including from young people, that there was a need to improve the quality and range of approaches to work placements.

Question reference: S5W-16999

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 14 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what input it will have into the UK Government’s proposed White Paper on the detailed proposals for the future relationship between the EU and the UK.

Unfortunately the UK Government now seems unable to say when the White Paper is going to be published. However, it is vital that that the devolved administrations are involved in its preparation. This will require a significant improvement from the UK Government from the way it has engaged with the Scottish and other devolved governments to date. On 16 May, I wrote to the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU seeking confirmation of how the Scottish Government will be involved in the process.

The Secretary of State replied and said there would be an opportunity to discuss the White Paper at the newly established Ministerial Forum (EU Negotiations). The first meeting of that forum took place on May 24, at which the Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs and I pressed for more detail and requested that a full discussion take place based on a draft of the White Paper.

Question reference: S5W-17043

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 13 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many police officers routinely carry Tasers.