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: S5O-03318

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent reports concerning the awarding of contracts to, and the future of, BiFab.

Question reference: S5O-03165

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Fife and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S5W-22397

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 16 April 2019

To ask the Scottish Government. further to the answer to question S5O-03056 by Kevin Stewart on 27 March 2019 (Official Report, c. 15), how many accessible homes there are in each local authority area.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing the housing needs in their areas, and guidance for the setting of Local Housing Strategy targets, including reporting annually on progress, was published on 29 March at https://www.gov.scot/publications/wheelchair-accessible-housing-target-guidance-note-mhdgn-201902/

Increasing the supply of more wheelchair accessible housing will provide more choice and flexibility for disabled people and their families and contribute to the creation of a fairer and more equal society. The houses that we build now will support this and future generations and help to improve the experience of disabled people in accessing suitable homes in the areas they want to live.

Through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, we provide a range of housing including new build, off the shelf purchases and rehabilitation projects and this is detailed in the affordable housing statistics published quarterly at https://www2.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NewBuild/AHSPtables For new build projects, wherever possible, all affordable homes are built to Housing for Varying Needs standards.

Our annual Outturn Reports publish the percentage of affordable new build completions meeting Housing for Varying Needs standards. Based on information returned, for 2016-17 this shows that 91% of affordable new build units met this standard, rising to 99% in 2017-18. Please see links to these Outturn Reports:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/affordable-housing-supply-programme-out-turn-report-2016-2017/

https://www.gov.scot/publications/affordable-housing-supply-programme-out-turn-report-2017-2018/

Information relating to 2018-19 will be published later on in the year.

We need to ensure that the homes we are building are fit for purpose, not just for now but for the future. The Scottish Government has committed to beginning work on a vision for how our homes and communities should look and feel in 2040, and the options and choices to get there. As set out in this year’s Programme for Government, this includes a commitment to setting new standards around accessibility. Between September and November 2018 we engaged extensively with housing associations, local government, businesses, the third sector, tenants and others to gather initial views. We are currently processing the wealth of material generated in response to this stakeholder engagement.

Question reference: S5O-03056

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many accessible homes have been built since May 2016.

Question reference: S5O-03039

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met ScotRail, and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S5O-03002

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to deal with asbestos-related illnesses, and how it supports people with these conditions.

Question reference: S5O-02893

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 20 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what targeted support it has provided to NHS Fife in each year since 2014 to tackle childhood obesity.

The Scottish Government provides annual funding to NHS Boards for child healthy weight.

In 2014-15 and 2015-16 NHS Fife received around £130,000 to deliver these services.

The 2016-17 Budget introduced the Outcomes Framework, a single source of funding to NHS Boards for strategic priorities focussed on prevention and reducing health inequalities - including adult and child weight management. This has provided local flexibility on how best to deploy this resource against clearly defined outcomes.

In addition to this, in 2018-19, the East of Scotland Region – made up of NHS Fife, NHS Lothian and NHS Borders –received an additional £440,000 to work in partnership to begin implementation of the Type 2 Diabetes Prevention, Early Detection and Intervention Framework, to enhance the provision of weight management interventions for those with, or at risk of type 2 diabetes. Over the next 5 years NHS Boards will receive a total of £42 million additional funding to deliver this framework.

Childhood obesity is a priority for this government and we expect NHS Boards to work with their partners and agree how best to use their collective resources to improve children’s diet and weight.

Question reference: S5W-21240

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its Culture Strategy for Scotland.

Question reference: S5O-02701

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the antisocial or illegal use of quad bikes or similar vehicles.

Question reference: S5O-02676

Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 December 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Fife, and what issues were discussed.