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: S4W-27222

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 August 2015
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with the commitment in the Dairy Action Plan to (a) work with local authorities to increase the consumption in schools of dairy products, (b) discuss with the Grocery Code Adjudicator how it can perform its role effectively in respect of the Scottish market and (c) ask the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs to accelerate the timetable for extending country of origin labelling to dairy products, including, as agreed by the Smith Commission, the department asking the EU to recognise “Made in Scotland” labelling.

The local authority procurement organisation, Scotland Excel, has been asked to encourage support for the relevant Dairy Action Plan recommendations among its local authority members. In particular Scotland Excel was asked to contact all of the contracted dairy suppliers requesting each supplier to write to their public sector customers highlighting the Scottish dairy products which they are able to supply, and in the correspondence urges caterers to support the plan by increasing the use of Scottish yoghurts, milk, butter and cheeses.

In addition, as part of 2015 Year of Food and Drink, the Scottish Government provided Community Food Fund support and worked with ASSIST (the local authority catering association) to promote, specifically, August as the month of "Delicious Dairy – Yoghurts, milk and cheeses". ASSIST expects that there will be an impetus created from this and on-going benefits going forward.

I had a productive meeting with Christine Tacon, the Grocery Code Adjudicator, on 8 October 2015 where a number of issues were discussed, including how producers and suppliers might better understand her role and how particular issues can be aired and addressed. We are exploring how this can be taken forward for mutual benefit.

The Scottish Government continues to press the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to make the case for country of origin food labelling with the European Commission.

Question reference: S4F-03023

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 October 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 October 2015

To ask the First Minister what correspondence the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government on its plans to reduce tax credits from April 2016.

Question reference: S4W-27804

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2015
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angela Constance on 1 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the inquiry into the historic abuse of children in care.

The Historical Child Abuse Inquiry has been launched today (1 October 2015). I welcome the announcement by the Chair Susan O’Brien QC outlining the work that she and her team have already begun and how they will take this momentous inquiry forward.

In particular I am pleased to see the commitment by the Chair that she is keen to ensure that survivors know that they will listen carefully to their experiences and that they will work hard to understand the lessons of the past in order to ensure that our children are kept safe in the future.

I would like to reiterate my gratitude to all survivors and their supporters who have helped us reach this point and as I have said previously the inquiry will report back within four years of this start date.

I now urge people to make initial contact, so that their views can be taken into account. This can be done by email to [email protected] or by post at Historical Child Abuse Inquiry, PO Box 24085, Edinburgh EH7 9EA. A dedicated inquiry website has also been launched and can be found at www.childabuseinquiry.scot

In July 2015 I also committed to establish a dedicated support fund for survivors of abuse who were placed in care by the state. Work on this is underway and we expect to tender for these services in the coming weeks, with appointments made shortly afterwards. More information can be found at www.survivorscotland.org.uk

I also made it clear that it is the Justice Ministers’ intention to lift the three year time-bar on civil actions in cases of historical child abuse for cases after 1964. The consultation on this proposal recently closed and we are now reflecting on the responses.

Question reference: S4O-04671

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government when it will next meet the head of Scotland's Rural College.

Question reference: S4O-04617

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to address the shortage of GPs.

Question reference: S4W-24459

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 2 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether community-led approaches to (a) self-management and (b) encouraging volunteering will be aims of the refreshed 2020 vision for health and social care.

The Scottish Government and NHS Scotland are committed to ensuring our healthcare system is able to adapt to the changing needs of the people of Scotland and is fit for the 21st century. That is why we are committed to our shared 2020 vision of everyone living longer, healthier lives at home or in a homely setting. Given the changing needs of Scotland’s population and the developments in healthcare provision, we need to work towards a national aim for achieving the 2020 vision to reflect these challenges. The refreshed narrative will set the context for the next stage in evolution of health and social care in Scotland, but will continue to have prevention, anticipatory care and supported self-management at its heart.

Question reference: S4W-24456

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting community-led organisations to encourage community involvement and volunteering as tools for self-management of long-term conditions.

The Scottish Government funds a range of initiatives to support work in this area. For example, the Self Management IMPACT Fund, administered by the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, provides £2 million per year for third sector organisations and partnerships to develop and strengthen projects that support self management. In addition, the Scottish Government funds the Scottish Health Council to drive the volunteering programme for NHSScotland.

Question reference: S4W-24457

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting people to self-manage long-term conditions through community involvement and volunteering.

The Self Management Network, run by the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, brings together people to share learning about self management. Through this, innovative and exciting work around self management can be captured and spread, to improve people’s confidence, awareness and skills. Opportunities for both community engagement and volunteering are made available through ALISS (A Local Information System for Scotland), which allows people to access and contribute to a rich set of assets and services available across the community. In addition, the House of Care early adopter programme is working, mainly in primary care, to deliver a revised approach to care and support planning to enable people to more effectively self manage, drawing upon community resources.

Question reference: S4W-24458

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers self-management and volunteering as important tools to address social isolation and loneliness.

Question reference: S4W-24460

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 February 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how it is encouraging evaluation of community involvement and volunteering focused on the experience of the individual and their health.