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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-25312

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 September 2019
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jeane Freeman on 13 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the Independent Review of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

The Independent Review of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital is being co-chaired by Dr Andrew Fraser, Director of Public Health Science, NHS Health Scotland and Dr Brian Montgomery, former Medical Director and former interim Chief Executive of NHS Fife. Since their appointment, in order to inform their approach to the Review, the co-chairs have reviewed documentation and consulted other individuals involved in statutory inquiries or independent reviews, including Professor Alison Britton.

Since I last updated Parliament, the period for public feedback on the Independent Review’s Terms of Reference has concluded. At a public meeting in Glasgow on 27 June 2019, the co-chairs of the Independent Review made a formal call for submissions of evidence. They also launched the Review’s website, social media presence and contact details.

The co-chairs are now assessing a significant amount of evidence received and this autumn they will proceed to interview key stakeholders and take statements. The Review team continues to engage with a wide range of key individuals and organisations.

The Independent Review has recently announced the appointment of two expert advisors on infection prevention and control: Linda Dempster, Head of Infection Prevention and Control at NHS Improvement and NHS England; and Dr David Jenkins, a consultant in medical microbiology and director of Healthcare Infection Prevention Ltd., with extensive experience at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. These expert advisors join Professor Billy Hare, expert on construction design and Deputy Director of the BEAM Research Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University, who was appointed to the Review team in June 2019.

As the Independent Review progresses, regular updates will continue to be provided by the co-chairs and where significant findings emerge these will be reported and acted on promptly. The Review also provides regular progress updates via its newsletter and website.

Question reference: S5O-03474

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what impact Brexit could have on farming in Scotland, and what action it will take to maintain current agricultural standards and measures.

Question reference: S5W-24056

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 July 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many modern apprenticeship starts there have been in each local authority area in each year since 2007.

Please see following tables Modern Apprenticeship starts from 2007, broken down by local authority

2007-08 – 2012-13

Local Authority	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13
Aberdeen City	595	452	682	728	1,129	952
Aberdeenshire	714	615	824	1,041	1,240	1,305
Angus	311	217	496	537	601	654
Argyll & Bute	226	159	342	278	401	296
Clackmannanshire	162	125	260	243	340	329
Dumfries & Galloway	483	327	918	636	960	894
Dundee City	339	238	975	845	674	716
East Ayrshire	402	277	416	542	682	664
East Dunbartonshire	337	198	317	372	407	437
East Lothian	254	157	201	271	364	387
East Renfrewshire	218	151	241	257	311	262
Edinburgh, City of	941	559	988	1,403	1,618	1,427
Falkirk	497	387	650	924	939	963
Fife	1,010	660	1,155	1,319	1,672	1,613
Glasgow City	1,888	1,235	2,638	2,551	3,149	2,900
Highland	508	480	915	865	985	1,229
Inverclyde	347	164	330	295	393	368
Midlothian	258	195	221	340	450	427
Moray	200	179	283	310	423	452
Na h-Eileanan Siar	112	59	59	81	142	93
North Ayrshire	446	285	605	532	883	786
North Lanarkshire	1,385	850	1,563	1,785	1,955	2,126
Orkney Islands	64	35	87	59	123	92
Perth & Kinross	442	248	529	696	821	709
Renfrewshire	667	395	878	736	1,018	943
Scottish Borders	258	174	244	307	397	343
Shetland Islands	72	82	83	115	96	123
South Ayrshire	381	243	462	493	586	522
South Lanarkshire	1,219	711	1,373	1,447	1,712	1,744
Stirling	224	141	362	407	446	449
West Dunbartonshire	356	197	405	433	537	624
West Lothian	475	344	649	666	894	805
Outwith Area	12	40	65	47	79	57
Grand Total	15,803	10,579	20,216	21,561	26,427	25,691

2013-14 – 2018-19

Local Authority	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19
Aberdeen City	913	920	878	659	670	748
Aberdeenshire	1,258	1,253	1,083	1,011	991	1,047
Angus	668	622	643	612	620	591
Argyll & Bute	331	297	333	337	410	396
Clackmannanshire	287	297	289	346	319	327
Dumfries & Galloway	707	753	765	753	881	653
Dundee City	714	723	718	710	725	640
East Ayrshire	681	615	727	789	624	720
East Dunbartonshire	395	398	369	406	443	382
East Lothian	417	474	503	489	550	583
East Renfrewshire	271	303	293	284	309	329
Edinburgh, City of	1,465	1,495	1,608	1,672	1,654	1,813
Falkirk	913	899	918	873	992	972
Fife	1,927	1,568	1,734	1,736	1,893	1,820
Glasgow City	2,752	2,745	2,710	2,871	3,013	2,833
Highland	1,158	1,269	1,321	1,403	1,519	1,489
Inverclyde	382	404	386	353	327	351
Midlothian	412	422	427	565	584	637
Moray	429	455	488	431	437	427
Na h-Eileanan Siar	119	108	88	89	100	132
North Ayrshire	838	889	844	808	841	789
North Lanarkshire	2,005	2,074	2,146	2,265	2,253	2,299
Orkney Islands	108	65	120	102	135	140
Perth & Kinross	752	742	874	805	770	772
Renfrewshire	921	987	944	976	1,031	1,111
Scottish Borders	352	407	387	472	498	503
Shetland Islands	129	139	142	135	157	204
South Ayrshire	520	472	495	505	447	534
South Lanarkshire	1,545	1,674	1,644	1,733	1,850	1,932
Stirling	437	406	411	436	410	436
West Dunbartonshire	581	545	613	604	568	581
West Lothian	839	783	837	964	1,065	992
Outwith Area	58	44	80	68	59	87
Grand Total	25,284	25,247	25,818	26,262	27,145	28,191*

*This includes 921 Graduate Apprenticeship starts, included in the overall figure for the first time in 2018-19. The Graduate Apprenticeships Report is due in the coming weeks, with further analysis of the 921 starts available then.

Question reference: S5O-03391

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 June 2019
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 13 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it offers to community-based food banks.

Our £3.5 million Fair Food Fund supports communities to respond to food insecurity in a dignified way with a rights-based focus on the access to nutritious food and support to tackle the root causes of poverty.

Through this Fund we have supported a number of food banks that want to evolve their services away from charitable food aid as the only or primary response, towards more empowering and dignified community based approaches.

Community food providers can also apply to our newly formed Investing in Communities Fund, which brings together several funds, including the former Fair Food Transformation Fund. This new fund creates a streamlined application process seeking to make things easier for third sector and community organisations.

Question reference: S5O-03419

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 June 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the health impact of the 2019 Drumwealth Games, which took place on 14 June and saw over 500 P5-S1 pupils participate in sport activities.

Question reference: S5W-23473

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2019
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jeane Freeman on 29 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the independent review of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

The Independent Review is being co-chaired by Dr Andrew Fraser, Director of Public Health Science, NHS Health Scotland and Dr Brian Montgomery, former Medical Director and former interim Chief Executive of NHS Fife. The co-chairs have reviewed a considerable amount of documentation and consulted extensively. They have also sought advice from experts from different fields with the aim of appointing individuals to the Independent Review panel or asking them to lead advisory work-streams as part of the review process.

As a result of their work so far, the co-chairs have drafted Terms of Reference for the review, and will be seeking feedback from stakeholders to ensure that the review remains correctly focused.

As the review progresses, regular updates will be provided by the co-chairs, and where significant findings emerge these will be reported and acted on promptly.

It is essential that those affected by the issues examined by the Independent Review have the opportunity to have their views heard. The co-chairs therefore welcome communications on the matters being considered by the review. A website is currently being procured and is likely to be up and running by 1 July 2019. In the interim, the Independent Review team can be contacted at: information@queenelizabethhospitalreview.scot.

The Independent Review must remain flexible to accommodate valuable inputs, in order to produce a thorough, searching review of all key events and issues at stake, and to make recommendations to ensure that NHS Scotland continue to support the delivery of world class health care.

Question reference: S5O-03267

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 May 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the Dance School of Scotland's MTC Showcase 2019.

Question reference: S5W-21916

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2019
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jeane Freeman on 5 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether a decision has been made on the Chairs of the independent review of Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

I am pleased to announce that Dr Brian Montgomery, former Medical Director and interim Chief Executive of NHS Fife and Dr Andrew Fraser, Director of Public Health Science, NHS Health Scotland have confirmed that they will act as co-chairs of the Independent Review.

As I have previously outlined, the Review will look at the building’s design, commissioning and construction, handover and ongoing maintenance, how these matters contribute to effective infection control and any other areas considered necessary by those carrying out the review.

It is essential that all relevant information is available to the Review to ensure that a robust, evidence-based assessment can be provided. It is expected that individuals involved in the design, construction, commissioning and maintenance of the hospital, along those providing healthcare (staff) and relevant expertise will input into the Review. Patients and families will also have an opportunity to have their views heard. It will be for the chairs of the Review to establish where and how the required information is collected.

The review will fully address and investigate all matters it considers relevant. We must all understand what the issues are, why they have arisen and the recommendations will be taken forward and learning applied across NHS Scotland to ensure our healthcare facilities – existing and future – are fit for purpose and support the delivery of world class health care.

I will provide a further update to Parliament outlining the Review’s remit and timescales once Dr Fraser and Dr Montgomery have considered their approach, which I would like to reiterate will follow the principles outlined in Professor Alison Britton’s report.

Once the Review has completed its work the recommendations will be made public and the Scottish Government will inform Parliament of its response to the Review recommendations.

Question reference: S5W-21714

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 4 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when it will open a consultation on whether its food waste reduction target should be statutory.

Question reference: S5O-02971

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Fair Food Transformation Fund will continue to provide funding to community-based organisations beyond the 2019 tranche.