- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that one in three diagnoses of prostate cancer in Scotland are at stage 4, which is a higher proportion compared with the rest of the UK.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2025
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 6 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it provides to Scottish Borders council to reflect any additional costs directly associated with providing nursery education in a rural setting.
Answer
Answer expected on 6 May 2025
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that muirburn does not create smoke levels that damage human health or cause a nuisance, in light of reports of significant smoke drift affecting communities in the Scottish Borders, including Peebles and Stobo.
Answer
Muirburn is currently guided by the Muirburn Code: which is a non-statutory code and sets out both the law and good practice relating to muirburn.
Section 3.3 of the current Muirburn Code clearly states that the person undertaking muirburn must not burn within 30m of a public road; create smoke that is a nuisance; and endanger anyone’s health and/or safety.
Anyone with concerns that the law is not being complied with in regards to muirburn should contact Police Scotland.
The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Act 2024 introduced a provision to further regulate the use of muirburn including that all muirburn will need to be carried out under licence.
A condition of the licence will be that anyone carrying out muirburn must have completed a training course. In future this will include both an online and a practical course. Currently no training is required for carrying out muirburn in Scotland.
NatureScot are also currently consulting on a new Muirburn Code that will accompany the licensing scheme, which sets out the essential considerations for muirburn, including where and when muirburn can be carried out, the required notifications before setting muirburn and necessary safety measures. The muirburn licensing scheme and revised Muirburn Code are being introduced to help ensure that muirburn is carried out safely and appropriately.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 22 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what enforcement measures are in place to address any breaches of muirburn regulations, and whether it will review the existing guidance in order to improve the protection of public health.
Answer
The current Muirburn Code: is a non-statutory Code which sets out both the law and good practice relating to muirburn and applies to all moorland managers and includes farmers, crofters, shepherds and gamekeepers.
A new licensing scheme for muirburn, as introduced by the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 is expected to come in to effect later this year. NatureScot are currently consulting on a new statutory Muirburn Code that will accompany the licensing scheme. It will set out where and when muirburn can be carried out, the required notifications before setting muirburn and necessary safety measures.
As with all laws, enforcement is a matter for Police Scotland. NatureScot will also have statutory powers to modify, suspend or revoke a licence for non-compliance of the Act.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 2 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to renewing the Heart Disease Action Plan.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 2 April 2025
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34926 by Jenni Minto on 4 March 2025, what discussions it has had with the Respiratory Specialty Delivery Group within NHS Golden Jubilee to develop a pathway for (a) idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and (b) interstitial lung disease.
Answer
Scottish Government are not directly involved in the development of a pathway for IPF and ILD however we are aware that the Centre for Sustainable Delivery has a Speciality Delivery Group for respiratory and this pathway development has been added this to their work plan for this year. We will continue to collaborate with colleagues leading this work to ensure all key stakeholders are informed of its progress.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to ban house coal, as set out in its strategy, Cleaner Air for Scotland 2.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2025
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 11 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment to reduce the full-time working week for NHS Scotland staff to 36 hours by April 2026, with the first half hour of this reduction taking effect from 1 April 2024, for what reason there are no proposals to reduce the working week in 2025, and whether it remains committed to fulfilling the April 2026 pledge.
Answer
As set out in the answers to questions S6W-35253 and S6W-35256 on 11 March 2025, as part of the NHS Scotland Board Annual Review process, the feedback obtained from Area Partnership forums highlighted safety related concerns from a wide range of Agenda for Change colleagues on any reduction to the working week in 2025.
Extensive research was undertaken on the impact of the first 30 minute reduction of the working week for Agenda for Change staff. This included its impact on maintaining system performance, meeting legislative requirements around safe staffing and the delivery of planned initiatives to support service recovery.
On review of this research it was clear that, to avoid unacceptable levels of risk to service resilience and patient safety, introducing the remaining hour on 1 April 2026 would be the most appropriate option. This also upholds the Scottish Government commitment made in the 2023-24 Agenda for Change pay deal.
It was always the intention to use the initial 30 minute reduction in April 2024 as an opportunity to learn and assess how best to move forward with any further reduction in the working week.
The Scottish Government is therefore committed to fully implementing the remaining 60 minute reduction in the working week for all Agenda for Change staff on 1 April 2026. This will facilitate patient and staff safety, support the continued recovery of services and avoid any extra burden for our workforce.
This implementation date of 1 April 2026 remains fully in line with the commitment made as part of the 2023-24 Agenda for Change pay settlement and the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 10 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that the Scottish Prison Service improves the educational opportunities available to prisoners at HMP Dumfries by increasing the range of subjects on offer and improving attendance rates and the number of qualifications offered or taken up, in light of the recent report, HMP Dumfries, Full Inspection, 26 to 30 August 2024, by HM Inspectorate of Prisons.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
SPS are pleased that His Majesties Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland, recognised that HMP Dumfries is a well-run prison and performs well against their standards.
In 2022 work started on the new SPS development and learning strategy, now called "Learning for a Better Future”. The strategy will be implemented across all SPS sites on 1 August 2025 and aims to utilise an enhanced screening process, to support and identify the specific needs of learners, and allow establishments to design Annual Learning Plans (ALP) which deliver a range of qualifications and opportunities appropriate to their specific needs.
The strategy and individual ALPs will help to identify ways for establishments to enhance engagement and participation in learning opportunities both in and out with the traditional classroom setting.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 10 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that the Scottish Prison Service improves CCTV coverage in D and E Hall and creates Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for monitoring all exercise yards, in light of the recent report, HMP Dumfries, Full Inspection, 26 to 30 August 2024, by HM Inspectorate of Prisons.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
SPS are pleased that His Majesties Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland, recognised that HMP Dumfries is a well-run prison and performs well against their standards.
Prior to the inspection a CCTV replacement and upgrade programme was already agreed as part of the establishment maintenance programme.
A contractor has now been appointed and will replace and/or upgrade existing systems, introducing CCTV coverage into areas that do not currently have it such as D and E Halls and the respective exercise yards. This work is expected to begin in Autumn 2025 and is expected to take approximately 8 months to complete.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be reviewed as soon as this process is complete and will supersede existing SOPs that are in place to monitor exercise yards.
