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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S5W-10915

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that all children and young people have access to a school-based counselling service.

Education authorities and all those working in our schools have a responsibility to support and develop the mental wellbeing of pupils, with decisions on how to provide that support being taken on the basis of local circumstances and needs.

Some schools may choose to provide access to school based counselling, others will utilise the skills of pastoral care staff and liaise with the Educational Psychological Services and health services for specialist support when required. Every school has a named contact in specialist Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) who can be contacted for advice if they have any concerns about a pupil and can provide ongoing support.

Our new Mental Health Strategy is committed to a national review of Personal and Social Education in local authority schools which will include considering the role of guidance and counselling. The Scottish Government is also planning to commission a review of rejected child and adolescent mental health service referrals as a foundation for further improvements.

Question reference: S5O-01235

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when the Minister for Transport and the Islands last met representatives of Stagecoach and FirstGroup, and what was discussed.

Question reference: S5W-10968

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 August 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how much has been spent researching lipoedema in Scotland since 2006-07.

Researchers can apply to the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) for funding. Records show that CSO has not received any applications for funding research in Lipoedema.

The CSO's Translational Clinical Studies Committee and the Health Improvement, Protection and Services Research Committees each meet twice per year to consider funding applications. Details of the application process are published on the CSO website.http://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/funding-2/

Applications looking at the underlying causes, diagnosis and treatment of Lipoedema are welcomed. In common with all other applications, these would go through the CSO's standard independent peer review process.

The Scottish Government does not routinely hold information on research spend from other funders.

Question reference: S5F-01478

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 September 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 September 2017

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to the reported significant increase in the number of deaths related to drug and alcohol misuse in the last year.

Question reference: S5W-10240

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 7 August 2017

To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards pay travel expenses in advance for women travelling to England to have an abortion.

All boards have policies in place that enable them to pay travel expenses in advance, in some circumstances, for women travelling to England in order to access abortion services.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving abortion services for women in Scotland, including improving arrangements for women who have to be referred to specialist services in England. The next meeting of the National Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Advisory Committee in October will discuss areas where improvements to abortion services could be made.

Question reference: S5W-10299

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 August 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how women and girls will access free sanitary products from the partner organisations involved in the six-month pilot scheme in Aberdeen for low-income families; how women and girls in need will be identified; whether they will be issued with identification or other paperwork in order to qualify, and whether there will be a limit on the number or type of products available.

Our pilot to provide free sanitary products to those from low income homes in Aberdeen offers an excellent opportunity to test which approaches are best able to reach those in greatest need in as dignified and sensitive a way as possible.

To this end, Community Food Initiatives North East will distribute sanitary products to community-based organisations and education establishments, and it will be for these partners – along with their service users - to decide the most appropriate ways of making products available locally. The partners have been selected on the basis of their expertise of working with people experiencing poverty, which makes them well placed to identify those most in need. We do not, therefore, anticipate a requirement for those wishing to access sanitary products to produce paperwork or other evidence. Those affected will be able to get sufficient supplies of their preferred product, choosing from the range made available throughout the pilot or, in some instances, being provided with the money to purchase their preferred product

CFINE will then gather a range of information from the community organisations in order to allow us to assess the strengths and limitations of different approaches to targeting and distribution.

Question reference: S5W-10236

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 28 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving to changes to the Abortion Act 1967 as it applies in Scotland, following the devolution of abortion services through the Scotland Act 2016.

Question reference: S5W-10242

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-07248 by John Swinney on 2 March 2017, whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to consider the impact that homelessness has on children's educational attainment, in light of reports that the number of children without a permanent home has risen by 16% in the last year to 6,041.

As set out in S5W – 07528, there are a number of actions in place to support those children and young people affected by homelessness to ensure that they have access to educational and other services.

Homeless households with children will be in temporary accommodation while they wait for appropriate, sustainable settled accommodation as a legal right.

The Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Order 2014, sets a number of standards that need to be met in temporary accommodation for households with children. This includes a standard ensuring proximity to education facilities and services in the locality which are being used or might reasonably be expected to be used by the homeless applicant to the local authority.

The Scottish Government has also published guidance on Meeting the Best Interests of Children Facing Homelessness which emphasises adopting the GIRFEC approach of multi-agency working and provides guidance on particular issues face by children living in households facing homelessness. This can be accessed at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/BuiltEnvironment/Housing/homeless/futurework/homelesschildren. This makes it clear that local authorities should assess and identify factors that may impact on a child’s well-being with particular reference to education.

Further, under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (as amended), local authorities are under a duty to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of children and young people for whom they are responsible. This includes those who are affected by family circumstances, including homelessness.

There is support in place for young people facing financial barriers (including those who may be at risk of becoming homeless), to get the support they need to stay in education and increase their long term chances of getting a job. For example, Further Education students are able to receive a non-repayable bursary. Scottish domiciled students studying an undergraduate degree in Scotland can access paid tuition fees and a living cost support package of up to £7,625 from the Students Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). The Education Maintenance Allowance also supports young people aged 16-19 from financially disadvantaged households to remain in post-compulsory education.

The Scottish Government has also committed £750m during the course of this Parliament through the Attainment Scotland Fund to provide targeted support for children, schools and communities to close the poverty related attainment gap.

In 2017-18 £120m will be allocated directly to Headteachers on the basis of the numbers of pupils in P1-S3 known to be eligible and registered for free school meals, at a rate of £1,200 per pupil. This funding is on top of the existing £50m Attainment Scotland Funding that will continue to provide targeted support to specific Scottish Attainment Challenge authorities and schools in the communities with high levels of deprivation as well as a number of national programmes

Question reference: S5W-10239

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 26 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the same gestational limits for abortion apply in all NHS boards.

Question reference: S5W-10245

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 July 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to close the poverty-related attainment gap, in light of the results of the recent Educational Institute of Scotland survey of its members, which highlights rising levels of poverty and inequality in schools.

The Scottish Government has committed £750m during the course of this Parliament through the Attainment Scotland Fund to provide targeted support for children, schools and communities to close the poverty related attainment gap. In 2017-18, this includes £120m which is being allocated directly to schools on the basis of the numbers of pupils in P1-S3 known to be eligible and registered for free school meals. This funding is on top of the existing £50m Attainment Scotland Funding that will continue to provide targeted support to authorities and schools in the communities with the highest levels of deprivation.