- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 10 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Mental Health Foundation report, Thriving Learners, published in November 2022, including the section on mental health experiences.
Answer
The research laid out in the Mental Health Foundation’s report, ‘Thriving Learners: Initial Findings from Scottish Colleges' together with the Initial Findings from Scottish HEIs, published in November 2021, will inform the Student Mental Health Plan. This Plan is being taken forward by the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Working Group, and will be published in Spring 2023. The Plan will be shaped by a range of research, evidence and good practice, including the publications mentioned above as well as the NUS Scotland Think Positive Initiative and good practice examples of collaboration between the sector and NHS Scotland on referral pathways.
The Plan will also be aligned with a range of recently published Scottish Government strategies such as the Government’s Suicide Prevention Strategy – ‘Creating Hope Together’, the emerging Self Harm Strategy and the wider Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 10 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many individuals have been resettled in each local authority area in Scotland through the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
Answer
The Scottish Government regularly publishes data relating to the number of completed matches, where a displaced person from Ukraine has arrived at their hosted and longer term accommodation in Scotland, under the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The number of completed matches by Local Authority can be found in Table 1 in a supporting document called Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme in Scotland: December statistics tables as follows -
An accompanying report is published alongside the tables and can be found at the following link:
Additionally, the UK Government regularly publishes data relating to visas and arrivals under the Homes for Ukraine scheme: .
Displaced people with visas are free to enter the country and live and work where they want. Not everyone entering the UK through the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (including those sponsored by the Scottish Government) will need accommodation provided to them. They may make their own arrangements, including renting their own accommodation or staying with friends and family. Some arrivals may have also self-matched with a volunteer host, assisted by a charity or support network. Those arrivals may never be in contact with a welcome hub or local authority seeking accommodation.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Elena Whitham on 10 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13063 by Elena Whitham on 20 December 2022, which independent contractors it used to carry out this analysis.
Answer
The analysis of responses to the consultation on Review of Part 1 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and creation of a Family Justice Modernisation Strategy was carried out by KSO Research Limited following a public tendering exercise.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 10 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to expand the C Card scheme to all NHS boards.
Answer
There are currently no plans to implement the C:Card scheme across all NHS Boards in Scotland, however free condoms are available through a number of initiatives and can be accessed across the country.
All NHS Boards in Scotland offer free condoms, but the way in which this service is provided varies. Most NHS Boards offer free condoms by post to anyone living within the Board area, as well as making them available to pick up at various NHS facilities and other locations including some schools. Third sector organisations, such as Waverley Care and the Terrence Higgins Trust, also provide free condoms.
The Scottish Government are currently developing a refreshed Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework. As part of this work, the provision of contraception will be considered, and any learning from the C:Card scheme will be taken into account.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 10 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a breakdown of the number of
(a) dentists and (b) dental care professionals registered as (i) UK, (ii) EU,
and (iii) overseas domiciled, in each year since 2015.
Answer
Information on the number of dentists is provided by NHS Education for Scotland and can be found at:
We do not hold information on country of origin of dentists, nor information on Dental Care Professionals as this group is in the main employed by independent dental practices.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding M&Co entering administration, and what support will be offered to any staff who lose their jobs.
Answer
To Date the Scottish Government has had no contact with the UK Government regarding M&Co entering administration.
The Scottish Government will do everything in its power to help those affected by any possible forthcoming redundancies through our initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE). Our PACE team contacted the administrators for M&Co immediately to offer support for any individuals affected by redundancy.
I have also contacted the administrators at Teneo directly and offered to speak with them to discuss the situation.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12469 by Jenny Gilruth on 6 December 2022, what discussions it has had with (a) police forces in England and Wales, (b) Living Streets Scotland, (c) the British Horse Society Scotland, (d) the AA, (e) the RAC, (f) Brake, (g) the British Motorcyclists Federation and (h) Cycling UK regarding a National Dashcam Safety Portal in Scotland, and whether it has an estimated timeframe for its implementation should the pilot be successful.
Answer
The initial implementation date for the NDSP pilot was indicated as January 2023, however, this is currently under review by Police Scotland. I will meet with Police Scotland to discuss the importance of delivering the NDSP and to obtain a timescale for the programme’s implementation later this month.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 9 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many currently serving police officers have criminal records.
Answer
While the Scottish Government does not hold the information requested, we take seriously any concerns raised by or against police officers, and are clear that when things go wrong the police are held to account, lessons learned and improvements made.
We greatly value the vital role our police officers play and recognise the vast majority of officers carry out their duties with professionalism and integrity, while keeping our communities safe.
The recruitment and discipline of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable, with oversight by the Scottish Police Authority.
Police Scotland applies a stringent vetting process for new recruits and where officers fall short of their professional standards the disciplinary system will hold them to account.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 9 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the planned action in its Bairns’ Hoose project plan to "engage with key stakeholders to identify the potential number of Bairns' Hoose' required to ensure access for all children in line with our Programme for Government commitment", whether it has carried out this work, and, if so, what the required number is.
Answer
Scottish Government officials, in conjunction with the Chair of the National Bairns’ Hoose Governance Group, have carried out extensive engagement with key partners from across children’s services, health, justice, and the third sector. This includes Chief Officers’ Public Protection Groups (COGs), who will play a key role in the delivery of Bairns’ Hoose.
We are currently working with our partners to develop a phased approach to implementation of Bairns’ Hoose across Scotland, with a Pathfinder phase beginning in 2023. We will publish further information on our plans for delivery in the coming months.
The design and delivery of Bairns’ Hoose will be between partners at a local level and though local structures. It is anticipated that COGs will collaborate regionally, according to their needs and proximity to local resources, to identify the number of Bairns’ Hooses required in their area.
Bairns’ Hooses will build on the Scottish Child Interview Model for Joint Investigative Interviews, which is being introduced nationally from 2021 to 2024 and will be seen as the ‘justice room’ of the Bairns’ Hoose.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 9 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many people in (a) Inverclyde, (b) North Ayrshire and (c) Scotland have made use of the Scotland Cycle Repair Scheme, and what the financial value of that usage has been.
Answer
Scotland Cycle Repair Scheme (SCRS) is delivering 30,000 cycle repairs or services to people in Scotland, focusing on those that need the support the most. Repairs and servicing are provided through a network of over 300 shops, retailers, community organisations and sole traders. The scheme has run since August 2020 and delivered a total of 64,945 repairs to date. The specific figures you have requested since May 2021 are as follows:
Inverclyde – 560 repairs at a financial value of £28,000
North Ayrshire – 2,060 repairs at a financial value of £103,000
Scotland – 70,070 at a financial value of £3,503,500
It is worth noting there is a time delay in reporting and not all participants provide their postcode, so all of these figures will be higher.