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-08648

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 18 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that the aims of the Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care are applied.

The Scottish Government is working with a wide range of stakeholders to take forward a £3.5million programme of work to achieve the ten commitments set out in the Strategic Framework for Action on Palliative and End of Life Care (SFA).

The National Implementation Advisory Group (NIAG), which includes representatives from health, social care, independent and third sectors, supports and advises on the implementation of the SFA and improvement actions at both local and national levels.

Question reference: S5W-08440

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 13 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the import of (a) ivory, (b) rhino horns and (c) other materials from endangered species.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. CITES is reserved to the UK Government. CITES applies to the import of ivory, rhino horns and other materials from endangered species.

Police Scotland, working in partnership with the UK Border Force, are responsible for enforcing the law on CITES in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-08439

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 13 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what support it offers to wildlife attractions to help them maintain security against break-ins.

The Scottish Government does not directly provide support to wildlife attractions to help them maintain security against break-ins. Police Scotland, Local Authorities, Community Safety Partnerships and their local partners work to raise awareness, for all business sectors, of the measures that can be adopted by individual businesses to improve security, safety and resilience.

Advice and guidance to businesses in dealing with various crimes can be found on the Police Scotland website: http://www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/246633/

Question reference: S5W-08441

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 13 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what part it plays in international (a) projects and (b) groups that tackle wildlife crime.

Work is being undertaken at the Scottish Government’s Scottish Advice for Science and Agriculture (SASA) on international projects to develop resources for DNA-based species identification in illegally traded species such as rhinos and pangolin. SASA are also co-organising the Society for Wildlife Forensic Sciences international conference in Edinburgh in June. This event will bring together wildlife forensic scientists, law enforcement officers and policy-makers from around the world.

The Scottish Government also provides funding to the National Wildlife Crime Unit, based in Stirling, which provides investigative support across all UK police forces to tackle wildlife crime.

Question reference: S5W-07621

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 31 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many women have travelled from (a) the Republic of Ireland and (b) Northern Ireland to Scotland to obtain legal abortions in each of the last three years.

The total number of legal abortions performed in Scotland on women who are normally resident in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland during the period 2013 to 2015 was 5.

As the numbers of legal abortions performed in Scotland on women who are normally resident in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in each of the last three years are very small, we are unable to provide a further breakdown of this figure to the risk of disclosing personally identifiable information.

Question reference: S5W-07974

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings in the report, The Best Start, a Five-Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland, how many midwives are currently regularly on call, and whether this would increase under the new model for continuity of care.

Question reference: S5W-07973

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings in the report, The Best Start, a Five-Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland, whether the new model of continuity of care will require all midwives to be trained in multiple disciplines and, if so, how much training this would involve and what the impact would be on current staff resources.

Question reference: S5W-07975

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings in the report, The Best Start, a Five-Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland, whether more than one midwife will be assigned to a patient to allow for 24-hour care each day and, if not, what implication this would have on its aspiration for continuity of care.

Question reference: S5W-07972

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 March 2017

Question reference: S5W-08135

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing free or discounted travel for (a) part- and (b) full-time carers.

There is a range of support available to carers in Scotland funded by the Scottish Government and local authorities.

Although the National Concessionary Travel Scheme does not contain specific eligibility criteria for carers, eligible disabled people can apply for a companion concessionary travel card which allows the card holder and a companion (who may be a carer) to travel together free of charge for the same bus journey.

In addition, a substantial number of carers qualify for free bus travel under the National Concessionary Travel Scheme because they are aged 60 or over. Younger carers may also benefit from the National Concessionary Travel Scheme for Young People, which provides discounts on bus and rail travel for all young people living in Scotland aged 16 to 18 and full time volunteers up to age 25.