Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-07087

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) will be delivered within the proposed budget of £742 million.

Question reference: S5W-07086

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the performance of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) in delivering the package of improvements to Scotland’s railway infrastructure on schedule.

The Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) has already delivered a number of infrastructure improvements on time and within budget. Examples of these are the redevelopment of Haymarket Station opened in December 2013, the electrification of the Cumbernauld route in advance of the Commonwealth Games and the new Edinburgh Gateway rail/tram interchange station opened in December 2016.

The introduction of 7-car services from December 2017 and 8-car services with improved journey times from December 2018 remain on schedule.

There have been well publicised delays to the electrification of the Edinburgh Glasgow via Falkirk High route which will now see electric services introduced from July 2017.

The Transport and Scotland Works Order application is taking longer than allowed for in the Network Rail delivery programme. This incorporates a 3 month delay in the Network Rail submission of the application. This is likely to delay the architectural element of the Queen Street station redevelopment beyond March 2019.

Question reference: S5W-06623

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 8 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the study by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, which suggests that the health of children in Scotland is among the worst in Europe.

The Scottish Government welcomes the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health's State of Child Health report which reaffirms the work currently underway across government to improve child health is the correct approach. The Scottish Government is carefully considering all of the recommendations in the report to identify any further work needed.

Steps already being taken in Scotland include: rolling out the Family Nurse Partnership to reach every eligible teenage mother in Scotland by the end of 2018; prioritisation and expansion of the health visiting service provided to families; bringing forward a Child Poverty Bill for Scotland in stark contrast to the UK Government which has abolished its child poverty unit, maintaining our commitment to support people in Scotland affected by the UK Government's welfare cuts; providing a Baby Box for all newborn babies; progress in achieving the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly best practice standards; placing relationships, sexual health and parenthood education at the centre of the school curriculum; achieving the target of halving exposure to second hand smoke through the Take it Right Outside campaign 5 years early; investing in a range of programmes to support and encourage healthy eating; investing in free school meals for all primary 1 to 3 children; investing in physical education in schools; exceeding our target of delivering 150 Community Sport Hubs across all local authorities; working on a new Mental Health Strategy which will focus on the earliest and most effective interventions to prevent children and young people from becoming ill; and committing to producing an overarching child health and wellbeing strategy to consolidate all the actions.

Question reference: S5F-00982

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2017

To ask the First Minister for what reason life expectancy is no longer increasing in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-07092

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure early (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment for people with cardiovascular disease.

The Scottish Government's Heart Disease Improvement Plan (2014) affirmed heart disease as a clinical priority for NHS Scotland, including the prevention, detection, treatment and aftercare of heart disease and patients with heart disease. Two of the improvement priorities are in Secondary and Tertiary Care Cardiology, to ensure patients receive appropriate investigation and treatment, administered by skilled staff in a timely, equitable and evidence based manner, and Heart Disease Managementand Rehabilitation, to support patients affected by heart disease to live longer, healthier and independent lives.

Question reference: S5W-06622

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 2 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of the figures published by the Office for National Statistics, which record Glasgow as having the poorest life expectancy in the UK, with 1,448 deaths per 100,000 people in 2015.

Life expectancy in Scotland is increasing. The gap between life expectancy for men and for women is Scotland is continuing to narrow.

Reducing health inequalities is one of the biggest challenges we face. To tackle this we recognise that the root of health inequalities can be found in income inequalities – inequalities which are exacerbated by the UK Government’s policies of austerity and welfare reform.

We’re taking action focused on addressing the underlying causes of ending poverty - fair wages, supporting families, and improving our physical and social environments. The Scottish Government measures such as driving investment in affordable housing, increasing free school meals and continuing the commitments like free prescriptions, concessionary travel and free personal care, are the right approach to take. This is coupled with decisive action to address alcohol consumption, reduce smoking rates, encourage active living, healthy eating, and investment to improve mental health services.

In Glasgow, the Scottish Government is funding the Links Worker pilot programmes. The Link Worker programme sees a dedicated individual working in GP surgeries, helping patients on a one-to-one basis with non-medical problems that are making them feel unwell. We are committed to increasing the number of community Links Workers in disadvantaged areas to 250 over the next five years, with 40 to be recruited by September 2017.

Question reference: S5W-07081

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures published by the British Heart Foundation, which show that the premature death rate from cardiovascular disease in Glasgow is 127 per 100,000, compared with the Scottish average of 91 per 100,000.

National statistics published on 21 February 2017 indicate that the coronary heart disease mortality rate in Scotland has decreased by 38% in the last ten years; mortality rates in all deprivation quintiles also reduced over the decade. However, we are not complacent and know that reducing health inequalities is one of the largest challenges we face. To tackle this we need to shift our focus towards addressing the underlying causes of ending poverty, fair wages, supporting families, and improving our physical and social environments. Eating more healthily, being more active, stopping smoking and drinking sensibly can all play their part in reducing the risk of heart disease. We are taking firm action in all these areas to support people across Scotland to live healthier lives.

Our Heart Disease Improvement Plan, published in 2014, sets out the priorities and actions to deliver improved prevention, treatment and care for all people in Scotland living with heart disease. Prevention of heart disease, including championing work focused on inequalities and people at high risk of developing heart disease, is one of the six priorities in the Improvement Plan.

Question reference: S5O-00712

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that 30% of sheriff courts are failing to reach the 26-week target from caution and charge to verdict.

Question reference: S5W-07089

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with stakeholders in Glasgow regarding delays to the redevelopment of the Buchanan Galleries.

Discussions on the delivery timetable for the redevelopment of the Buchanan Galleries, and its economic impact, are being taken forward as part of the governance arrangements for the Glasgow Buchanan Quarter Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) pilot.

This is achieved through the TIF Executive which includes officials from Scottish Government, the Scottish Futures Trust, and City of Glasgow Council and is responsible for reviewing overall progress of the TIF pilot with the council leading on ongoing engagement with other relevant stakeholders.

Question reference: S5W-07091

Asked by: Adam Tomkins, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Glasgow City Council regarding the redevelopment of the Buchanan Galleries.