- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 30 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has an exclusive arrangement with ScottishPower Renewables for the development of windfarms on the Scottish forest estate through Forestry Land Scotland.
Answer
Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) do not have an exclusive agreement with Scottish Power Renewables for development of windfarms on Scotland’s national forests and Land.
Scottish Power Renewables are one of a number of developers that FLS are working with in order to meet the Scottish Government’s objective of increasing electricity generation through renewable sources, including wind.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 30 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of which NHS boards provide free incontinence pads upon referral.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not collect this information but expects all NHS Boards to provide free incontinence pads where a patient has been assessed and deemed as requiring incontinence products. These products are provided by local NHS Boards continence service on prescription across Scotland.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 25 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many displaced persons from Ukraine who have been successful in a visa application through the Super Sponsor scheme to date (a) have (i) arrived, (ii) been placed in accommodation and (b) are awaiting placement in accommodation, broken down by local authority.
Answer
Under the current constitutional arrangements in the United Kingdom the application process for all immigration routes is fully reserved to the UK Government and is dealt with by the Home Office.
The following link contains visa data and arrivals for the four nations of the UK, and includes a breakdown of data relating to visas sponsored by the Scottish Government: . The webpage includes the Devolved Administrations and Local Authorities datasets.
Scottish Government will be publishing a further breakdown of those placed in accommodation in due course.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people in Scotland have donated organs, having registered their wish not to do so on the NHS Organ Donor Register website, following a healthcare staff consultation with their family.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information. However, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have confirmed that, since the opt-out option was included on the NHS Organ Donation Register in 2015/16, no donations have proceeded in Scotland where a potential donor has registered an opt out decision.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what recent consideration it has given to the issue of incontinence poverty.
Answer
NHS Boards regularly assess continence patients' needs, with the assessments undertaken by dedicated Bladder and Bowel Teams or community nursing staff. This ensures that patients' needs are met, either through treatment or through provision of appropriate containment products. Referrals can also be made by patients' GPs where necessary, and also by a range of other healthcare professionals including pharmacists, consultants and care home staff.
Where a patient has been assessed as requiring continence products, they are provided by their local NHS Board's continence service on prescription.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many times Scotland Office ministers have requested a meeting with the Minister for Transport regarding the A77 and A75, and how many such meetings have taken place.
Answer
Scottish Ministers meet regularly with UK Government Ministers on a range of topics, however there have been no specific requests from Scotland Office Ministers to meet regarding the A75 and A77, therefore no meetings on this specific topic have taken place.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what further upgrades it has planned for the A77 in 2022.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to improving safety on our trunk roads including the A77. While there are no road improvement schemes or upgrades planned for the A77 in 2022, £6.75m has been allocated for the A77 through our provisional road maintenance programme for financial year 2022-23.
The Scottish Government has invested over £105 million on the A77 since 2007 to March 2022 to ensure its safe and efficient operation. In addition, we have spent approximately £64 million on five separate road schemes on the A77 including the recent completion of the £29m Maybole bypass which opened in January 2022 .
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 21 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that burial chambers are checked throughout Scotland, and what can SEPA do to assist regarding the situation at Ayr and Troon cemeteries.
Answer
Responsibility for the maintenance, upkeep and management of burial grounds in Scotland rests with the relevant burial authority: in the case of Ayr and Troon cemeteries, this is South Ayrshire Council. The Scottish Government has no locus to become involved in operational matters.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has confirmed that local authorities are the lead regulator for new burial grounds or extensions to existing burial grounds. SEPA’s role is to provide advice to the local authority on environmental risks during the planning consultation process.
SEPA has no direct role in the maintenance or safety of burial grounds and local authorities are not required to consult with SEPA once planning permission has been granted. SEPA can provide technical advice to the local authority should they request it.
The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring the respect and dignity of the deceased and the bereaved and will continue to engage with South Ayrshire Council on these matters and on what steps can be taken to avoid similar situations from occurring again.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 8 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of planned industrial action by the RMT and ASLEF unions, what mitigation measures it is putting in place to reduce any impact on the theatre sector and the wider night-time economy.
Answer
I recognise that the industrial action by the RMT and ASLEF unions is having an impact on the culture sector at a time when it has been seeking to recover from the Covid19 pandemic.
Scottish Ministers and officials from the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland have been engaging closely with stakeholders in the culture and major events sectors on the impact of the industrial action.
The ScotRail planning team successfully managed to develop and schedule additional late night services specifically for Friday and Saturday nights across several key routes:
- Edinburgh – Glasgow Queen St
- Edinburgh – North Berwick / Kirkcaldy / Fife
- Stirling – Edinburgh / Glasgow Queen St
- Glasgow Central – Ayr / Gourock / East Kilbride / Neilston
- Aberdeen – Inverurie
There is positive progress being made on pay negotiations with ASLEF in Scotland, and I am hopeful that additional services will be added in the near future.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 8 July 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what support it will offer to the theatre, cultural and night-time industries in the event that the proposed industrial action by the RMT and ASLEF unions continues throughout the summer.
Answer
I recognise that the industrial action by the RMT and ASLEF unions is having an impact on the culture sector at a time when it has been seeking to recover from the Covid19 pandemic.
The Scottish Government has provided financial support to the culture sector to support their recovery from the pandemic. This includes £3.2m for a recovery fund for independent cinema and £20.8m for a recovery fund for cultural organisations.
Officials are continuing to monitor the situation closely, including through engagement with organisations representing hospitality, cultural and events stakeholders.