- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Aileen Campbell on 7 March 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06201 by Aileen Campbell on 7 February 2017, for what reason the information requested was not provided and whether it will provide the information regarding whether the £15.3 million reduction in its drug and alcohol budget in 2016-17 has been replaced in its Draft Budget 2017-18.
Answer
The draft Scottish Government budget for 2017-18, which has now received parliamentary support at Stages 1 and 2 of the Budget Bill, provides for the allocation of £53.8 million to support Alcohol and Drug services.
As in previous years, the funds provided directly from the Scottish Government budget sit alongside funds provided from other NHS sources (including NHS baseline funding), statutory partners and the third sector, which collectively makes up the resources package for this important work.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 7 March 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what recourse there is for parents of children who are the victims of bullying at school.
Answer
It is the responsibility of head teachers, teachers, other school staff and local authorities to decide how to address bullying in their schools. We expect that all schools develop and implement an anti-bullying policy, which should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. The policy should indicate how the issue of bullying will be raised within the curriculum and how incidents will be dealt with and recorded.
If parents or carers are not happy with how the school has addressed bullying incidents, then they should contact their local authority. If they are not happy with the Council’s response then they may wish to consider asking for their complaint to be reviewed by the council. If they are still not happy with the Council’s response to the review then they can contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) who will look at the complaint.
The refreshed “National Approach to Anti-Bullying for Scotland’s Children and Young People”, which is due to be published later in 2017, makes clear the role of all adults (including parents and carers) in preventing and dealing with bullying as well as what they can expect from others.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 7 March 2017
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to prevent bullying in schools.
Answer
The Scottish Government is working on a refreshed national anti-bullying strategy for children and young people. We have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders as part of this process which will take a holistic approach to addressing this issue.
I recently agreed to a request from the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee for further engagement by the Committee on this issue. The Scottish Government will carefully consider the issues raised by the Committee and will publish the refreshed guidance later this year.
respectme, Scotland’s anti-bullying service is fully funded by the Scottish Government to provide direct support to local authorities, schools, youth groups and all those working with children and young people to build confidence and capacity to address all types of bullying effectively.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 7 March 2017
To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed its school bullying policy and when it will next do so.
Answer
The Scottish Government launched ‘A National Approach to Anti-bullying for Scotland’s Children and Young People’ in 2010. The approach forms part of our wider attempts to improve the health and wellbeing of our children and young people.
There have been a number of significant policy developments since the publication of the National Approach and a working group was established in January 2015 to refresh the guidance. The refreshed National Approach will communicate and promote a common vision to encourage all sectors to deliver a holistic approach to anti-bullying, including prejudice-based bullying in Scotland.
I recently agreed to a request from the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee for further engagement by the Committee on this issue. The Scottish Government will carefully consider the issues raised by the Committee and will publish the refreshed guidance later this year.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2017
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 7 March 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the resignation of two members of the review group into the use of transvaginal mesh.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 7 March 2017
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 2 March 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question SF5-00841 by the First Minister on 2 February 2017 (Official Report, c. 24), in light of 60% of newly-diagnosed dementia patients not receiving a referral to a support programme and 24% of those who are referred completing these, what specific steps the new dementia plan will take to improve the performance of post-diagnostic support.
Answer
Of the 40% of people newly diagnosed with dementia in 2014-15 who were offered post-diagnostic support, 73% completed the service.
As part of finalising The Scottish Government’s 2017-2020 National Dementia Strategy, we are working with stakeholders on options for supporting improvements in post-diagnostic support, including increasing the proportion of people newly diagnosed with dementia being offered the service.
In addition, we continue to work with others, including local service providers and managers, on an on-going programme of work to improve the consistency of post-diagnostic support and its recording
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 28 February 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06212 by John Swinney on 30 January 2017, in light of the cabinet secretary's comments, whether it, as an employer, will refuse to comply with all of the provisions of the Trade Union Act 2016.
Answer
The UK Government’s Trade Union Act 2016 received Royal Assent on 4 May 2016. While we have consistently made the case to the UK Government about the lack of evidence to support the need for this legislation, the Scottish Government, as a public services employer, must comply with the relevant duties which are compulsory within the Act.
The Scottish Government remains strongly opposed to the Act and believes the UK Government has made no attempt in developing this legislation to consider its impacts in Scotland and specifically on Scottish public services. The provisions in the Act are in stark contrast with our approach which is to promote strong trade unions to support the delivery of our economic ambitions. Our relationship with Trade Unions is based on co-operation and partnership working, not one of conflict which the UK Government is adopting. We will continue to support our trade union partners utilising all powers available to us to mitigate any negative impacts of this legislation and build stronger and better industrial relations in Scotland.
Ultimately, the most effective way to achieve this would be to transfer all powers over industrial relations to Scotland.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 24 February 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5F-00825 by the First Minister on 2 February 2017 (Official Report, c. 14-15), whether the £150 million of extra investment for the mental health strategy is new money or has been reprofiled or reallocated from elsewhere and, if the latter, from where.
Answer
The draft Scottish Budget 2017-18 commits the Scottish Government to delivering investment in mental health that exceeds £1 billion for the first time, and that in future years will grow at a rate above the overall growth in the frontline NHS budget. This will help reduce the inequalities of access and support experienced by people with a mental health problem and deliver person-centred support in line with the aims and ambitions of the new mental health strategy.
The commitment within the draft budget to invest £150 million over the next five years, currently profiled at £30 million in each year, builds on and extends our original commitment to 2021-22. For 2017-18 this provides a net increase in investment of 32% from the 2016-17 draft budget to £52.2 million.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 24 February 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05966 by Shona Robison on 31 January 2017, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding how many times in each of the last five years people have been treated in hospital wards that have not met a safe nurse-to-patient ratio.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not use fixed nurse to patient ratios to determine safe and effective staffing levels. Instead NHS Scotland uses the Nursing and Midwifery Workload and Workload Planning Tools to inform decisions about safe and effective staffing levels in 98% of service areas.
As was previously explained in the answer to S5W-05966, these tools use a validated triangulated and responsive approach based upon patient needs, local context and professional judgement to make evidence based decisions on Nursing and Midwifery staffing. Fixed staffing ratios are often based on a fixed point in time and are not consistently reflective of workload, case mix and the acuity attributed to that case mix. This approach, and the suite of planning tools, are endorsed by RCN Scotland.
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2017
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 1 March 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in developing links with Qatar.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 1 March 2017
