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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-13876

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it is engaging with hard-to-reach parents in consulting on and developing the National Framework for Families with Disabled Children and Young People.

The Scottish Government’s Disabled Children and Young People’s Advisory Group, which comprises representatives from 3^rdsector disability organisations has two members who represent groups specifically for parents of disabled children and young people. This Disabled Children and Young People’s Advisory Group have been meeting for over 3 years and have a keen interest in this work. Separately, the Scottish Government funds Contact (previously known as Contact a Family) to support the West Lothian Carers Forum who have been engaged in the framework. They have also produced materials to support other parents set up their own local groups. Engagement events will be co-hosted with 6 charities during the consultation who will invite families to give their views.

Question reference: S5W-13883

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how the National Framework for Families with Disabled Children and Young People will support the parents of very young disabled children.

The Scottish Government is committed to equality for disabled children and young people in Scotland, and to ensuring that all children can achieve their potential. The framework is rights based and is from birth to adulthood and includes;

Information Provision and Signposting: So that children, young people and their parents will be more aware of services available nationally and locally, and will understand their rights and entitlements and how to realise them.

Accessibility: Families will better understand how to access the national levels of support available, with examples of best practice and improvement works to highlight the ambition that access to support and services will be easier and more efficient.

Transitions: Support and services for children and young people at key points of transition will be better aligned and more responsive to the needs of young people. Services available and transition processes will be more clearly understood by children, young people and their parents.

The final framework will be an interactive pdf that parents can access the information they require.

Question reference: S5W-13877

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it holds records regarding how many disabled children and young people there are and, if not, how it will ensure that there is an adequate provision of services.

The Scottish Health Survey provides annual estimates of the proportion of children with limiting long-term conditions. Figures at a local level are available from the Census every ten years.

Children’s services are planned and commissioned locally. Part 3 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 places a duty on each local authority and relevant health board to jointly prepare a children's services plan covering a 3 year period. A range of other relevant national and local bodies, including the third sector, are expected to be either consulted with, or obliged to participate, at various stages of the development of the plan.

Question reference: S5W-13878

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how the National Framework for Families with Disabled Children and Young People will support parents in (a) accessing services and (b) tackling loneliness and social isolation.

(a) The Framework was developed to address ambitious outcomes for the families of disabled children and young people, the second being: “Access to support and services will be easier and more efficient as families are more aware of what their entitlements are and what support is available to them.” The Framework will signpost to a variety of entitlements and support underpinned by a holistic definition of needs which goes beyond medical or financial support. The Framework seeks to improve access through empowering families with the knowledge of entitlements, where to find more local information, and how to seek advocacy when they feel that their rights are not being realised.

(b) Social isolation and loneliness can affect anyone at any age or stage of their life and parents of children and young people with disabilities are at particular risk. We recognise the important role that many support services and organisations play in linking families of disabled children and providing valuable community networks. By improving awareness of, and access to, these services the Supporting Disabled Children, Young People and their Families Framework will seek to reduce social isolation for disabled children, young people and their families.

Question reference: S5W-13873

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 23 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what provision it has made in the Draft Budget for any financial redress relating to pre-1964 cases of in-care abuse.

I committed to consultation and engagement on financial redress for in-care survivors, which includes those whose abuse occurred before 1964. The survivor consultation, run by the Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland (CELCIS) in partnership with the SHRC InterAction Action Plan Review Group, closed on 17 November 2017. The responses are being analysed and the Review Group will be preparing a paper on financial redress for Ministerial decision. Consequently, there is no provision in the Draft Budget for 2018-19.

Question reference: S5F-01952

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 January 2018

To ask the First Minister when the Children's Ward at the Royal Alexandra Hospital will close.

Question reference: S5W-13338

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government from which routes the class 380 trains that have been recently introduced on the Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk line have been drawn, and how ScotRail is managing the redeployment.

The four class Class 380 trains which are now providing 9,500 extra seats per day have been used since December 2016 to support ScotRail staff training programme which is required to support the switch in fleet provision on the newly electrified Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk route. These trains have been drawn from adjustments to maintenance programmes and from Ayrshire/ Inverclyde services which in turn were replaced by existing electric trains and additional class 320/4 trains which have been operating since late 2016 across the Strathclyde network.

Question reference: S5W-13339

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the introduction of the class 385 trains on the Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk line.

Two class 385 trains have just concluded the required testing on the newly electrified Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk route and the data from these dynamic tests will be part of a raft of documents which is submitted early in 2018 to gain approval from the ORR to operate the new fleet in passenger service. Two more class 385s are now in Scotland to help support the on-going driver training and staff familiarisation programme ahead of gradual service introduction of the new longer, faster, greener fleet in the coming months.

Question reference: S5W-13340

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the cause was of the train fault that resulted in disruption to services at Glasgow Central station on the morning of 11 December 2017, and which unit was affected.

Whilst approaching Glasgow Central station at Bridge Street junction just before 07:00 a four car class 380 electric train [380111] which was not in passenger service experienced a main power supply issue reported on an internal advisory screen. The driver interrogated the fault by following the agreed procedures but was unable to rectify the problem and despite also seeking external technical advice the train was declared a failure at 07:20. A rescue train was successfully attached and both of them proceeded to Glasgow Central arriving at 07:50.

Despite the train being moved within an hour due to the critical area of where the breakdown occurred and the interaction between the various lines in and out of the station the disruption which followed was significant with a backlog of trains trying to access and depart the High Level station from various routes. Unfortunately this impact lasted until lunchtime although a robust contingency plan was put in place to deal with the impact of the train breakdown and communication to passengers was sent through the normal media channels.

ASR held an full incident analysis on 19December and are fully engaged with the train manufacturer Siemens to understand the cause of the failure and develop mitigating measures to try and ensure it does not re-occur.

Question reference: S5W-13341

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what type of rolling stock is used on rail services on the (a) Ayrshire Coast, (b) Inverclyde and (c) Paisley Canal line.