- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 3 August 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what average distance patients have to travel to access out-of-hours GP services.
Answer
The provision of out-of-hours primary care services is a matter for NHS health boards to design, plan and manage in accordance with the needs of their populations. The Scottish Government would expect NHS boards to consider public transport accessibility, journey times, rurality and deprivation to ensure reasonable accessibility for all patients.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 31 July 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to re-open (a) Newburgh and (b) Bridge of Earn railway station.
Answer
The Scottish Government currently has no plans to open a railway station at Newburgh or Bridge of Earn however we understand that South East of Scotland Transport Partnership, in conjunction with Tayside and Central Scotland Transport Partnership, Fife Council and Perth and Kinross Council, are undertaking a feasibility study regarding proposed rail stations at Newburgh and Bridge of Earn (Oudenarde). If a decision to progress with either station is made by the regional transport partnerships and the councils, a further appraisal which is compliant with Scottish Appraisal Transport Guidance will be required to consider all possible solutions to any identified transport problems at Newburgh and/or Bridge of Earn, not just rail.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona McLeod on 28 July 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions, other than the public consultation on draft statutory guidance for section 96 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) 2014, it has had with those who will act as named persons as under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.
Answer
Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) is already being implemented in many areas across Scotland, with many practitioners already fulfilling the role of the named person. The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (the Act) will help to ensure consistency and sustainability in the delivery of these services for children and families.
The Scottish Government has engaged extensively with partners in health and local authorities on the implementation of the named person provisions of the Act and regularly provides input and support at conferences, local events and planning groups involving head teachers and other local authority officers who will have responsibility for implementing the named person service. These sessions provide an opportunity to engage directly with managers and practitioners to exchange information, answer questions and identify implementation issues. This is a crucial aspect of our approach to developing the guidance and practice support materials, which has been well received by stakeholders.
The Scottish Government has established a Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) Local Authorities Lead Officer Group, comprised of one representative from each local authority which meets on a bi-monthly basis to discuss implementation of the GIRFEC duties of the Act.
There has also been extensive direct engagement with front line health visitors and family nurses by Scottish Government officials attending local and national meetings to discuss the Bill and now the implementation of the Act. Local engagement has taken place in a number of health boards across Scotland: Ayrshire and Arran; Dumfries and Galloway; Fife; Greater Glasgow and Clyde; Highland; Lothian; Tayside; and Western Isles. Officials have also supported local professional representatives and managers to engage with health visitors and family nurses by providing materials to support engagement. Feedback to Scottish Government has been through the Health GIRFEC Managers group.
Other organisations that the Scottish Government has discussed the implementation of the named person service with include The Royal College of Nursing and Midwifery, NHS Education for Scotland, The Educational Institute of Scotland, The Scottish Secondary Teachers Association, Education Scotland, The Association of Directors of Education in Scotland.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona McLeod on 28 July 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had, other than the public consultation on draft statutory guidance for section 96 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, with Police Scotland about the implementation of the named persons policy.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to engage with Police Scotland, particularly through the senior police officer who has been seconded to the Scottish Government. Police Scotland are also represented on the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) National Implementation Support Group which meet on a bi-monthly basis to discuss the implementation of the GIRFEC provisions of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona McLeod on 28 July 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions, other than the public consultation on draft statutory guidance for section 96 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) 2014, it has had with parents' groups about the implementation of the named persons policy.
Answer
The Scottish Government engaged extensively with parents’ groups during the committee stages of the Children and Young People Bill and since its passage. When the Scottish Government consulted on the Bill, 72 per cent of the respondents agreed with the proposal to provide a named person for every child and young person in Scotland. The Scottish Government also held a co-production event for parents, children and young people which gave them the opportunity to contribute to the design of materials that will inform people about the implementation of the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) provisions of the Act to ensure materials best meet their needs. The National Parent Forum Scotland is a member of the GIRFEC National Implementation Support Group which meets on a bi-monthly basis to support implementation of the GIRFEC provisions of the Act, including the named person.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona McLeod on 28 July 2015
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the implementation of the named persons provisions of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 will not contravene the Data Protection Act 1998.
Answer
The named person provisions in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 do not contravene the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). The draft statutory guidance makes clear that information sharing via these provisions should always be appropriate and proportionate, and must adhere to the provisions of the DPA, as well as any other applicable legal requirements such as the European Convention on Human Rights. In addition to the draft statutory guidance, practice support material is being developed in partnership with health, local authority and third sector organisations to support the implementation of the information sharing provisions of the Act
The Scottish Government has liaised with the Information Commissioner’s Office, who clarified their position on information sharing in relation to wellbeing concerns in a letter to stakeholders on 28 March 2013. The letter can be viewed here: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0041/00418080.pdf
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 28 July 2015
To ask the Scottish Government how much schools paid in fees to the Scottish Qualifications Agency in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.
Answer
This is an operational matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). I have asked the Chief Executive of SQA to write to you.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 July 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 28 July 2015
To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish Qualifications Agency examination presentations from secondary schools there were in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.
Answer
This is an operational matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). I have asked the Chief Executive of SQA to write to you.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 May 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 16 June 2015
To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector (a) jobs and (b) bodies have been relocated to Perth in each year since 1999.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold, centrally, information on the relocation of public sector jobs or bodies.
The following information on the number of public sector employees in the Perth and Kinross local authority area is, however, available:
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2009
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2010
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2011
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2012
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2013
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Perth and Kinross
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12,600
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13,300
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12,400
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12,300
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12,800
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Source: Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES), Office for National Statistics
Notes:
1. Figures rounded to the nearest hundred
2. BRES does not include employment within HM Forces
3. Figures prior to 2009 are not available
There are a number of public bodies with a presence in the Perth area including the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate, Scottish Natural Heritage, VisitScotland, the Scottish Prison Service and Scottish Water.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2015
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 June 2015
To ask the Scottish Government what the average time has been to process summary criminal cases in each month since May 1999, broken down by court.
Answer
<>The average time to process summary criminal cases in each month since April 2006, broken down by court is given in table ‘average time to process summary criminal cases 2006-07 to 2014-15.xlsx’ and is taken from the Criminal Justice Board Management Information System. A copy of this table has been placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Bib no: 56939).
Please note: this information was not available for May 1999 to March 2006.
