Chamber and committees

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-26853

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 20 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many specialist bereavement midwives are employed by each NHS board, also broken down by how many positions are vacant.

Information on the number of specialist bereavement midwives employed by each Health Board is not collected centrally. However, we know that some Health Boards have specialist bereavement midwives; other Health Boards take a different approach and have individuals or teams trained in and delivering bereavement care. All Health Boards have at least one midwife trained in bereavement and offering maternity bereavement care as part of their role.

Scottish Government has provided funding of £94,000 to Sands to lead and develop the National Bereavement Care Pathway with other baby loss charities and Royal Colleges to improve the quality of bereavement care. The Pathway will launch this Spring.

Question reference: S5W-26856

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 20 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what responsibility NHS boards have to ensure that bereavement training is provided to midwives when specialist cover does not meet demand.

Scottish Government supports the NHSScotland workforce to deliver a resilient, efficient and high quality healthcare service. All Health Boards have midwives who are trained in bereavement care and all NHS Boards are accountable to Scottish Ministers, supported by the Scottish Government.

The NHS Education for Scotland website ‘Support Around Death’ provides health professionals across Scotland with a range of resources on bereavement care after pregnancy loss, stillbirth or neonatal death, including short animated educational films. An e-learning resource on bereavement following pregnancy loss and the death of a baby is available on the Knowledge Network and provides in-depth education for maternity care professionals.

Midwifery students are offered modules on bereavement and loss so that they enter the profession knowing the importance of caring for women and families experiencing loss.

Question reference: S5O-04048

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its forestry planting targets.

Question reference: S5W-26854

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 15 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing advisory speed limit signs, including at dangerous bends, before crossroads and in densely populated areas, similar to those operated elsewhere in the UK.

Traffic signs and permitted variants that can be used on public roads in Scotland are contained in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 (the TSRGD). The use of signs is restricted by TSRGD to various permitted combinations and layouts to ensure consistency across the network and ensure clear and safe direction of all road users.

The TSRGD permits the use of advisory speed limits in conjunction with bend warning signs. These are used in a number of locations as appropriate across the Trunk Road network.

The alternative ‘REDUCE SPEED NOW’ sign is permitted in conjunction with signs before crossroads and is also used in various locations as appropriate across the Trunk Road network.

Densely populated areas are signed with mandatory speed limits therefore, the provision of advisory speed limit signs in these situations are not appropriate.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to promote road safety and take steps to both reduce and prevent accidents on their road networks. In this respect it is for the local authority to consider appropriate measures which will safeguard road users and residents, and to determine the priority that should be given to any road safety measures.

Question reference: S5O-04008

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 January 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made with the Police Scotland digital, data and ICT strategy.

Question reference: S5O-03848

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase investment in the Autism Training Framework.

Since 2013-14 we have provided funding of £671,000 to NHS Education for Scotland to support Autism Training resources for NHS professionals as part of our Scottish Strategy for Autism.

We commission NHS Education for Scotland to engage with NHS Boards on the Autism Training Framework. Work continues with a knowledge hub available to all NHS staff ensuring they have knowledge of autism relevant to their role. The team will deliver further training in assessment and diagnostic tools to improve waiting times in early 2020.

Question reference: S5O-03917

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it is responding to reports that knowledge of changes in pupil performance is at a 70-year low.

Question reference: S5W-26538

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 9 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether there is a consistent approach across local authorities to the installation and use of defibrillators in sports centres and buildings that they fully or partially own or manage.

The provision and location of life saving equipment at individual organisations in their local community is for local authorities or leisure trusts to determine.

Scotland’s Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Strategy recognises the importance of Public Access Defibrillators (PADs).

One of the main commitments in the Strategy is to put in place effective arrangements to ensure that PADs are mapped, maintained and made accessible to the public. The British Heart Foundation’s National Defibrillator Network Project, “The Circuit”, is a UK-wide registry of defibrillators that is now live in Scotland. The Circuit integrates with the existing SAS PADs and allows 999 call handlers to direct an OHCA bystander to a PAD when it is nearby.

Question reference: S5W-26393

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2019
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 28 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being taken to ensure that there is continued financial support for renewable heating technologies after the Renewable Heat Incentive ends in 2021.

The Scottish Government is concerned at the decision by the UK Government to end the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme and continues to press UK Ministers on the need for a successor scheme to the RHI, given RHI is due to end in March 2021. It is imperative that financial support for the transition to low carbon heating technologies is maintained, especially in light of the declared climate emergency.

The Scottish Government provides additional support to help households and businesses install low carbon heating technologies and to access the RHI. This includes the Home Energy Scotland and Resource Efficient Scotland advice services; low cost and interest free loans to help households and businesses spread the upfront costs of investment; as well as the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme, which is installing renewable heat measures in the homes of fuel poor households.

Question reference: S5W-26392

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2019
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 28 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to inform householders regarding the implications of decarbonising the energy system to help achieve its net-zero carbon target by 2045.

Scottish Government has committed to producing an update to the Climate Change Plan by the end of April 2019. In addition, we are revising our climate change public engagement strategy and hope to publish a new strategy in Spring 2020, setting out our approach to engaging the Scottish public on climate change and encouraging them to participate in the transition to net-zero emissions.

In summer 2019 over 500 people took part in ten public workshops held across urban and rural Scotland to discuss the response to the Global Climate Emergency. In addition, more than 100 community groups held their own Big Climate Conversation. Our Energy Consumer Action Plan includes an action to involve the people of Scotland in shaping Scotland’s future energy policy.

For information on current support and advice for householders for energy efficiency measures and low carbon technology, I refer the member to the answer to question S5W- 26396 on 28 November 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .