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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-17569

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 June 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 2 July 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its plan for improving diet and weight in Scotland.

I will be publishing the A Healthier Future: Scotland's Diet & Healthy Weight Delivery Plan on Monday 2 July.

This follows wide consultation on our proposals. Over 360 responses were submitted by academics, health professionals, members of the general public and organisations including health and third sector bodies, local authorities and members of the food and drinks industry. In addition, engagement exercises were carried out by the Scottish Youth Parliament, Young Scot, Food Standards Scotland and the Scottish Public Health Network.

As announced by the First Minister in May, an ambition in our delivery plan will be to halve childhood obesity by 2030. We have also set an ambition to significantly reduce health inequalities. The actions set out within the delivery plan provide clarity on how we, together with partners across the public, private and third sector, will help everybody in Scotland make healthier choices about food. This includes actions to ensure:

Children get the best start in life - they eat well and have a healthy weight
The food environment supports healthier choices
People have access to effective weight management services
Leaders across all sectors promote healthy weight and diet
Diet-related health inequalities are reduced

The next step is for the Scottish Government and our delivery partners to move swiftly to implementation, consulting further on the detail of some of our new measures.

The delivery plan will be available at the following link, from Monday 2 July www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781787810556.

Question reference: S5O-02297

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 28 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on running an awareness campaign to encourage companies and organisations to register their automated external defibrillators.

For every minute after an out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest that a person does not receive treatment, the likelihood of survival reduces by 10%.

For that reason, Scotland’s Out Of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy focusses on increasing the number of people who are confident in using CPR, and on increasing the number of Public Access Defibrillators.

We strongly encourage any member of the public, community groups or business to register their Public Access Defibrillator with the Scottish Ambulance Service.

The Scottish Ambulance Service actively promotes the Public Access Defibrillator registration website and their Registration to Resuscitation campaign.

To date, 1889 Public Access Defibrillators have been registered with the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Question reference: S5W-17501

Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-17191

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 21 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the planned increase in carers allowance.

Carer’s Allowance Supplement will increase Carer’s Allowance to the level of Jobseeker’s Allowance, through two six month lump sum payments of £221 to eligible carers in 2018-19. It will be paid later this summer and uprated to take into account inflation from 2019-20.

The supplement is an increase of 13% in support to carers in 2018-19 and an investment of over £30 million a year, which will benefit over 70,000 carers. We have agreed with the UK Government that this additional support will not reduce entitlements elsewhere in the benefits system.

Question reference: S5W-17351

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 June 2018
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Aileen Campbell on 20 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when its new tobacco control strategy/action plan will be published.

I will be publishing the Scottish Government’s new tobacco control action plan Raising Scotland’s Tobacco Free Generation today.

The document sets out a five year plan for action focusing on our tobacco-free generation - children who are turning five this year. Our long-term goal is for the young people of this generation to be truly tobacco-free when they turn 21 in 2034.

The action plan demonstrates our commitment to the new Public Health Priorities which include an ambition for a Scotland free from the harms caused by alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

There are 44 specific actions in the plan, all of which have been developed with relevant partners. The plan includes actions we propose to take right away – legislating to restrict smoking around hospital buildings, banning tobacco in prisons, establishing the new national stop-smoking service brand and running the final phase of our stop-smoking media campaign: Getting Through 72 .

The action plan will be available at http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2018/06/9483

Question reference: S5W-17040

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 June 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 19 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding contingency planning for a no deal Brexit.

We have sought to engage for nearly two years now with the UK Government to ensure that Scotland’s interests are protected and promoted during discussions and negotiations.

Now, less than a year to go until the UK proposes to leave the EU, we find out through newspaper reports that the sort of modelling we have been asking for appears to have been done and is so potentially challenging that it is alleged to have been locked away.

Nothing about this is acceptable and I wrote to the Brexit Secretary on 4 June to make that clear. If a hard Brexit might lead to food and fuel shortages in Scotland then the people of Scotland have a right to know. It is also imperative that the UK Government co-operates with the devolved administrations on its contingency planning as a matter of urgency.

Question reference: S5O-02212

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what feedback it has had from headteachers regarding the pupil equity fund.

Question reference: S5O-02057

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 May 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the voices of young people are heard during the development of mental health services.

Question reference: S5O-02048

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 April 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making toward introducing an opt-out system for organ donation.

Question reference: S5O-02015

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 25 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the devolution of immigration law.

The Scottish Government has published evidence setting out why the UK Government’s approach to immigration does not meet Scotland’s needs. We want a more humane migration system tailored to Scotland’s needs, an approach endorsed by this Parliament.

When we published our discussion paper “Scotland’s population needs and migration policy” in February, Fiona Hyslop wrote to the Home Secretary providing them with our proposals and requesting a meeting. We are still awaiting a formal response.

In fact, the Cabinet Secretary and I have now written five separate letters to the Home Secretary and Immigration Minister since the start of 2018 raising policy issues and seeking meetings.

I remain disappointed and frustrated at the lack of engagement from the UK Government on immigration. It’s unacceptable that repeated requests to meet to discuss these issues with the previous Immigration Minister weren’t even responded to. Given the negative effects UK immigration policy is having on Scotland’s economy and society, and in light of the public statements made repeatedly by UK Ministers that they will engage fully with the Devolved Administrations, I think these discussions should take place as soon as possible.

I’m hopeful we will be able to do that soon, as the current Immigration Minister has agreed in principle to a meeting, and I look forward to seeing her at the earliest convenience.