Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-14327

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider implementing a plan to research any possible link between chronic urinary tract infections and endometriosis as part of the Women's Health Plan, and what action it is taking to improve specialist appointment waiting times for those experiencing chronic urinary tract infections.

Question reference: S6W-14330

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is considering with local authorities to ensure that vaping products and e-cigarettes are properly disposed of and recycled, including examining how trading standards relate to this issue.

Question reference: S6W-14331

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance, advice and/or support is provided to retail outlets that sell vaping and e-cigarette products in relation to the disposal and recycling of those products.

Question reference: S6W-14332

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
Current Status: Answer expected on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to maintain and expand access to free meals for children and adults, in light of reports of services being at risk due to funding pressures affecting local authorities and charities.

Question reference: S6W-14321

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to (a) reduce any in-work poverty among the Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) workforce and (b) ensure that the funding model enables (i) private and (ii) third sector ELC providers in partner settings to pay the Living Wage to all staff, not just those delivering the funded entitlement.

Question reference: S6W-13359

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) support it has provided to and (b) recent engagement it has had with the Edinburgh-based renewables firm, Red Rock Power, and whether it will reconsider any relationship it has with the company in light of reports that it is linked to the endangerment of the world’s rarest ape, the Tapanuli orangutan, through the construction of the Batang Toru dam in Indonesia by its parent company, the Chinese state-owned, State Development and Investment Corporation.

The Scottish Government has not provided any funding support to Red Rock Power in relation to its offshore wind activities in Scotland. Officials last met with Red Rock Power in November 2022 to discuss progress on their development of the Inch Cape Offshore Wind farm off the coast of Angus.

Scottish Ministers are committed to protecting the natural environment which is demonstrated across a wide range of policy areas including biodiversity. A new global biodiversity framework was agreed at the UN CBD COP15 meeting in Montreal, in December 2022, with the aim of protecting and restoring biodiversity across the world. This framework includes a ‘whole of government’ approach – which we were successful in advocating for through the Edinburgh Process for biodiversity - and ‘whole of society’ approach.

We recognise the importance of biodiversity and the urgent need for action at all levels to tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, to ensure a nature-positive world. In Scotland we will continue to work to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and reversing declines by 2045, through our new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and Delivery Plan.

Question reference: S6W-14044

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to provide any additional financial support to people in abusive relationships during the cost of living crisis, in order to enable them to leave their abusive partners in situations where they are financially reliant on them, and what its position is on the reported suggestion by Women's Aid to introduce an emergency support fund for this purpose.

We are very concerned about the additional hardship women and children experiencing domestic abuse are facing as a result of the Cost of Living Crisis. We recognise this can impact their ability to leave their abuser and we are exploring options around the delivery of financial support in order that this is not a barrier to leaving an abusive partner.

We are working with Scottish Women’s Aid (SWA) and other organisations to consider how this support can be best developed and delivered.

No-one should have to endure domestic abuse and help and support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline on 0800 0271234.

Question reference: S6W-14290

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Current Status: Answer expected on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will increase the funded childcare entitlement to the equivalent of 50 hours a week.

Question reference: S6W-14282

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answer expected on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to involve the Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on (a) Chronic Pain, (b) Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Conditions, (c) Long Covid and (d) Women's Health in the work of bodies that have a chronic pain remit, including the National Care Service Lived Experience Experts Panel.

Question reference: S6W-14263

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Current Status: Answer expected on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many doctors are currently assigned to Drug Treatment and Testing Order services, broken down by NHS board.

Chamber and committees