- Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus Robertson on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14445 by
Neil Gray on 7 February 2023, whether it will provide updated information
on how many public libraries have closed in each year since 2009, based on
the latest information available.
Answer
Further to the answer provided to question S6W-14445, according to information gathered by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) in financial year 2022-23, 8 out of 474 public libraries closed in Scotland.
The data for the total number of libraries in Scotland provided by SLIC for financial year 2022-23, relates solely to static library venues and does not include mobile library services.
Information for financial year 2023-2024 is not yet available.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what plans it has to clarify additional measurements for monitoring improvements in (a) blood and (b) neurological cancer pathways.
Answer
An annual report will be published by Scottish Government in Summer 2024 detailing progress made in the first year of the Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023-2026 . Officials have been working with third sector organisations to determine what additional measurements for monitoring improvements in blood and neurological cancer pathways would be useful. Officials also continue to work with Public Health Scotland (PHS) to progress developments in data availability, including emergency presentation data.
- Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when it plans to introduce commencement regulations for the Children (Scotland) Act 2020.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-26002 on 18 March 2024, which provides an update on implementation of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act) and refers to a recent section-by-section breakdown provided to Parliament of the 2020 Act’s commencement status.
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/questions-and-answers .
The Scottish Government has accepted a recommendation in the recent ‘Hearings for Children’ report to commence section 3 of the 2020 Act, relating to the views of the child in proceedings under the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011. We are taking forward relevant work in that regard and are considering whether further provisions could be commenced.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has consulted local authorities on the new regulations in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2024 and the prior approval mechanism that it sets out.
Answer
Phase 3 of the Review of Permitted Development Rights (PDR) has focussed on new and extended PDR for domestic and non-domestic renewable energy equipment to help address the climate and cost crises. A public consultation setting out proposed changes, including details on prior notification/prior approval arrangements, ran between May and August 2023 and several local authorities responded.
- Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement the (a) Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, (b) Minister for Victims and Community Safety, (c) Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise and (e) their officials have had with stakeholders regarding the implementation of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to engage regularly with key stakeholders regarding implementation of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act). We are currently prioritising work across the Scottish Government in light of increased budget pressures.
There has been detailed discussions with the Care Inspectorate on child contact services regulation, with a view to the Care Inspectorate taking on the role of independent regulator.
We plan to establish a short-life working group later this year with key stakeholders on child welfare reporters, which will inform the development of policy around the new register under the 2020 Act.
There has also been engagement with stakeholders in relation to special measures for vulnerable witnesses and parties. Part 3 of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, if enacted, will extend provisions in the 2020 Act, relating to certain family cases, to civil cases more generally.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to reduce the number of people with myeloma diagnosed through an emergency route.
Answer
We know that the earlier cancer is diagnosed the easier it is to treat and so a number of Detect Cancer Earlier (DCE) programme initiatives are currently supporting Primary Care referral.
The Scottish Referral Guidelines (SRG) for Suspected Cancer were developed to support primary care clinicians to identify those with symptoms suspicious of cancer and identify those who require urgent assessment by a specialist. A clinical refresh of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer is underway to help ensure the right person is on the right pathway at the right time.
In addition to this work, a new primary care cancer education platform funded by Scottish Government – Gateway C – was launched on 30 April in NHS Scotland, supported by NHS Education for Scotland (NES). Gateway C provides innovative, and tailored information to support earlier cancer diagnosis efforts and enable effective decision-making. This free online platform has a number of available courses, including myeloma, and is accessible to all primary care clinicians to help support rapid referral for those who require it most.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any trunk road upgrades that may be needed in the future, broken down by (a) section and (b) local authority area, as well as the date that the repair work (i) was first identified as required and (ii) is projected to be completed by.
Answer
Transport Scotland conducts machine-based based surveys using specialist vehicles each year to gather information on the surface integrity of the road; the friction characteristics of the surface; and the structural capacity (strength) of the underlying road construction. This provides an annual snapshot of the changing road condition across the network, which is supplemented with a series of targeted inspections completed under the term maintenance contract to obtain specific information about the road asset.
The combined information is used as part of an annual cycle to determine maintenance programmes and investment requirements. This annual process results in the production of a 3-year Programme, which is reviewed and refined in light of available funding until a final programme is determined.
A copy of the latest three-year programme can be found in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. Number 65070) and it sets out the works that are currently proposed for delivery over the three period from April 2024 until March 2027. The works are listed by road/route and the Section References are provided but the data is not available grouped by local authority area. Delivery of these works is subject to the availability of funding and operational constraints.
Longer term the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), published in December 2022, notes that investing in the Trunk Road and Motorway network is important in order to improve safety and resilience of the network for the communities and businesses of Scotland. STPR2 recommendations for strategic roads focus on safety, climate change adaptation and resilience. For safety improvements these will be a primary, but not exclusive, focused on rural sections.
- Asked by: Karen Adam, MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support BSL users across Scotland to access culture, in light of the publication of Scotland’s Census 2022 report on language, which found that 117,300 people can use BSL.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024
- Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that local authorities are able to provide full-time schooling for children with complex additional support needs.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce legislation on climate
targets, as announced by the net zero secretary in her ministerial statement on
18 April.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024
