- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 May 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 June 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland requiring a review of the Trunk Road Cycling Initiative with a commitment "to improve cycling and walking infrastructure around trunk roads when the opportunity presents", and a petition calling for legislation in this regard, what action it is taking to ensure that such opportunities are taken in relation to the development of the Sheriffhall roundabout.
Answer
Suitable provision for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians, is an important part of our major roads projects in design, including the proposed grade separation of Sheriffhall Roundabout on the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass.
The proposed grade separation at Sheriffhall will improve access for pedestrians and cyclists compared to the existing arrangement. By allowing Edinburgh City Bypass traffic to pass over, it will significantly reduce congestion and through the provision of active travel facilities will enhance accessibility and safety for pedestrians and cyclists alike. Provision for non-motorised users, including cyclists and pedestrians, is currently being developed in further detail as we progress the detailed design of the scheme in consultation with local interest groups (including Spokes and Sustrans).
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 May 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 June 2018
To ask the Scottish Government how the number of whole-time equivalent (a) doctors and (b) nurses per head of population in Scotland compares with other OECD countries.
Answer
The most recent OECD data available from 2016 (from which Scotland data has been extracted from UK data) shows that the number of doctors in Scotland per 1,000 of population is 3.2; and the number of nurses in Scotland per 1,000 of population is 11.9 (both headcount).
Comparative data for OECD countries can be found at the following link (this link defaults to Health Care Resources and should be tracked through to the sections respectively on Physicians; and on Nurses):
http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SHA .
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 May 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 30 May 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the estimated scheme cost of the preferred option for the new Sheriffhall roundabout of between £73 million and £87 million, what plans it has to use the remainder of the £120 million set aside in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal for improvements to the roundabout.
Answer
As part of its £300m commitment to the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, the Scottish Government is committed to investing up to £120m to take forward the design and construction of a new grade separated junction on the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass at Sheriffhall.
The cost estimate referred to is from the earlier Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Stage 2 Options Assessment and does not reflect on-going Stage 3 detailed development of the scheme which includes consideration of vital information being obtained from the £1.2m detailed ground investigation contract and development of high quality facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. The preferred option is being developed in consultation with the city region partners and other key stakeholders and the cost estimate is currently being updated as part of this process as we look to publish draft Orders for the scheme in 2019 for formal comment. We have been clear that any financial risk associated with exceeding £120m rests with the Scottish Government. We will consider the financial implications of any potential underspend in due course, once the final costs are understood.
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 May 2018
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what powers it has to enact a Crown Use licence to allow the production of biosimilar versions of the breast cancer treatment, Perjeta, and drugs for other conditions.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 31 May 2018
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 April 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 April 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to ensure that drivers who are involved in traffic accidents involving domestic cats report them.
Answer
The reporting of traffic accidents is a matter of road traffic law and reserved to Westminster . We would encourage those involved in traffic accidents involving any animal to report the event and location to the relevant local authority or the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 April 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 April 2018
To ask the Scottish Government whether the power to legislate on the matter of road traffic accidents involving (a) domestic cats and (b) other animals is devolved.
Answer
The legislation which sets out the duties around reporting road traffic accidents is reserved to the UK Government.
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 25 April 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06622 by Aileen Campbell on 2 March 2017, in light of its commitment to increase "the number of community Links Workers in disadvantaged areas", whether it will provide an update on when it expects all 250 community Links Workers to be recruited to support practices in the most deprived areas.
Answer
The Community Links Workers programme is one of the key services that, in future, will be provided to patients in GP practices or clusters of practices under the new GP contract.
Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between Integration Authorities, NHS Boards, the BMA and the Scottish Government, published in November 2017, and which supports the new GP contract, Integration Authorities(IA) will deliver this service across Scotland by 2021.
IAs will set out how they will do this in their Primary Care Improvement Plans, the first iteration of which is due by July 2018. 250 links workers will be recruited to work in general practices by 2021. Integration Authorities will commission this service based on assessed local need.
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 24 April 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on Macmillan Cancer Support’s call for banks to have a duty of care for vulnerable customers.
Answer
The Scottish Government welcomes Macmillan Cancer Support's 'Banking on Change' campaign, highlighting the financial impact faced by people affected by cancer, and encourages all banks to consider how best to support their customers through diagnosis and treatment.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has committed to issuing a Discussion Paper on a duty of care for financial service providers later this year, and we urge Scotland's banks to engage positively and constructively in that consultation process.
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 18 April 2018
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has cost to extend the improved lump sum payment for chronic beneficiaries of the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme from surviving infected people to (a) widows, (b) widowers and (c) estates.
Answer
In accordance with the report of the Financial Review Group, only living beneficiaries with chronic hepatitis C infection only (formerly known as Stage 1 by the Skipton Fund) were eligible for the additional £30,000 lump sum that was awarded on the basis of long-term health impact. Four of these additional lump sum payments have been made by the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme to the estates of the deceased where the beneficiaries died after 1 April 2016, before they had the opportunity to claim the additional lump sum in the financial year 2016-17; this therefore cost £120,000. The new financial support arrangements have been in place from 2016-17, although they were initially delivered by the Skipton Fund in late 2016-17 as a transitional measure. The Skipton Fund therefore also made additional lump sum payments to estates where the beneficiary had died after 1 April 2016, prior to the management of the scheme transferring to the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme on 1 April 2017.
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 18 April 2018
To ask the Scottish Government how much the EU provides to support mental health research in Scotland, and what additional funding the Scottish Government can provide to support such research following Brexit.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold data on EU funding of specific clinical research areas.
We welcome confirmation of the UK Government’s plans to continue to participate in EU science and innovation programmes. However, as set out in Scotland’s Place in Europe, we firmly believe that the best way to guarantee EU funding is by maintaining our existing relationship with the EU. Scotland, the UK and EU partners all benefit from EU research funding programmes and collaborative working and continued access to funding at levels at least equivalent to those currently available under current EU programmes (e.g. Horizon 2020) will underpin research partnerships and collaborations with European partners in key areas such as mental health research. There is a risk that diminished international competitiveness and influence of the Scottish health research sector, coupled with exclusion from collaborative networks with others in the EU, may reduce the attraction of Scotland to potential collaborative partners outside the EU. We will continue to engage with the UK Government to ensure that Scotland’s views regarding access to EU funding and programmes are reflected in any negotiations.
