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-07235

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with COSLA regarding houses in multiple occupation licensing in each year since its introduction.

Scottish Government officials have had discussions with COSLA representatives on various aspects of the mandatory houses in multiple occupation (HMO) licensing regime since it was introduced in 2000.

Recently, this has included liaison with COSLA and individual local authorities on introduction of statutory guidance on the licensing of HMOs in 2011, and new HMO related provisions contained in the Private Housing (Scotland) Act 2011.

Question reference: S4W-07234

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 24 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time equivalent staff are allocated to deal with houses in multiple occupation licensing in each local authority.

Question reference: S4W-07178

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to promote free eye tests in areas of social exclusion.

Question reference: S4W-07181

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many optometrists are carrying out school visits to reduce the stigma of wearing spectacles, broken down by NHS board area.

The information requested is not held centrally.

All NHSScotland health boards now provide an orthoptic or orthoptic-led pre-school vision screening programme, with the exception of NHS Orkney which provides an orthoptist-led screening programme in Primary 1. Arrangements are in place for children who do not receive pre-school vision screening. These children will be seen in Primary 1 by a school nurse; will be advised to attend a community optometrist, local health centre or community hospital; or will be offered an appointment with a hospital screening orthoptist.

Question reference: S4W-07182

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had discussions with the UK Government about giving doctors and opticians the power to alert the DVLA about people who are unfit to drive because of eyesight problems.

Question reference: S4W-07180

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how many optometrists are running red eye clinics, broken down by NHS board area.

Question reference: S4W-07177

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how it publicises free eye tests.

The Scottish Government has produced a leaflet Your Guide to Free NHS Eye Examinations in Scotland, in association with Health Rights Information Scotland.

This leaflet was revised in 2010. Supplies of the leaflet were sent to NHS boards for distribution to optical practices, GP practices, and pharmacies. The boards were also asked to send the leaflet to community health partnerships to decide how best to target distribution locally to raise awareness of the NHS eye examination with vulnerable groups.

Question reference: S4W-07179

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 23 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether an evaluation has been carried out of the work of the Grampian Eye Health Network and what the outcome was.

Question reference: S4O-01050

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how it supports cultural initiatives in Aberdeen.

Question reference: S4W-07193

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 14 May 2012
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Angela Constance on 15 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to support low-paid and low-skilled people in the workforce.

There is currently no public sector investment targeted exclusively at meeting the skills needs of low paid and low skilled individuals within the workforce. I can confirm that we are making changes to the Individual Learning Account (ILA) programme to focus on this issue. From 1July 2012 ILA funding will be fully focussed on low paid, low skilled and unemployed individuals.

In recognition of the investment already being made, and in order to avoid duplication of funding for a single episode of learning, individuals will no longer be eligible for ILA funding whilst participating in Secondary, Further or Higher Education, or on a National Training Programme. Also, individuals who have potentially already benefitted from a high level of public investment in their education to degree level will no longer be eligible for ILA funding.