Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-10790

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 30 August 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when the bioresource mapping work conducted by Zero Waste Scotland will be published.

Question reference: S5O-01065

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce A&E waiting times.

Question reference: S5W-09185

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 18 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much will be generated by the large business rates supplement in the (a) East Lothian, (b) Edinburgh, (c) Midlothian and (d) West Lothian local authority areas in 2017-18.

Question reference: S5O-01034

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings it has had with production companies since January 2017 regarding locating a new film studio in the Lothian region.

Question reference: S5W-08516

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 18 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when the implementation group will be appointed to oversee the recommendations in The Best Start: A Five Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland, and which individuals and organisations have been invited to join it.

Question reference: S5W-08515

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 18 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether representation from charities and parents will be included on the implementation group to oversee the uptake of the recommendations in The Best Start: A Five Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland.

The Best Start Implementation Group will be chaired by Jane Grant, who chaired the review.

The Chair will appoint an implementation group, comprising representatives from NHS organisations who will be delivering the change, professional bodies and service users, and we expect that the group will meet shortly. Engaging with women, families and NHS staff underpinned the Review and partnership and co-production will be a core feature of implementation. The membership will be published on the Scottish Government website once it has been finalised.

Question reference: S5W-08026

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what changes it is considering to legislation regarding (a) animal breeding and (b) the sale of pets.

The possible changes to legislation regarding animal breeding and sale of pets are being considered as part of an ongoing review of pet welfare. The Scottish Government has already held a number of meetings with stakeholders around that ongoing review; and will be looking at the need for legislative change. The Scottish Ministers will bring forward plans for appropriate full public consultation in due course.

Question reference: S5W-08027

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for public consultations on (a) animal breeding and (b) the sale of pets.

The possible changes to legislation regarding animal breeding and sale of pets are being considered as part of an ongoing review of pet welfare. The Scottish Government has already held a number of meetings with stakeholders around that ongoing review; and will be looking at the need for legislative change. The Scottish Ministers will bring forward plans for appropriate full public consultation in due course.

Question reference: S5W-07332

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 22 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how and (b) when it plans to evaluate the success of the baby box in tackling deprivation, improving health and supporting parents, following the full rollout in Summer 2017.

We are still analysing the findings from the pilot research which is due to finish at the end of this month. This research will provide initial insights into the benefits of the Baby Box and has been designed to inform main delivery.

It will also provide information on its longer-term impact and identify any logistical issues that may need addressing prior to national roll-out in the summer.

We are currently considering how best to evaluate the Baby Box nationally but intend to keep under review its contents and response of parents. Drawing on lessons from the pilot research, we will consider what longer-term monitoring and evaluation is required to help ensure that the future development of the scheme is underpinned by as strong an evidence base as possible.

Question reference: S5W-07823

Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Annabelle Ewing on 16 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many accidental house fires there were in each of the last five years in Lothian; how many of these fires were caused by electricity, and what steps it is taking to reduce the number of such fires.

This information is not held centrally.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) publishes statistics on accidental dwelling fires, broken down by local authority, however this data is not broken down into specific causes.

These statistics are available on SFRS’s website, and can be found at this link http://www.firescotland.gov.uk/about-us/fire-and-rescue-statistics.aspx

The SFRS has a statutory duty to promote fire safety across Scotland. In the Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2016, Scottish Ministers require SFRS to contribute fully to improving the safety and well-being of Scotland’s communities and to ensure that there is a clear process for working with partners to identify the risks faced by communities and individuals so that activity can be targeted using a risk-based approach.

The SFRS considers how best to reduce dwelling fires, including those caused by electricity, what the focus of its preventative action will be, and with which partner organisations it will work to achieve this.

In addition to a programme of fire safety awareness campaigns and community safety engagement events, the SFRS carried out 71,743 Home Fire Safety Visits in 2015-16. The SFRS website also carries safety information for householders on a range of issues, including home appliances and electrical safety.

Chamber and committees