- Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 8 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report, “Understanding Substance Use and the Wider Support Needs of Scotland’s Prison Population”, which states that some prisoners have admitted to using drugs while in prison, how many prisoners it estimates have switched to using psychoactive drugs in each year from 2022.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
SPS does not record this information.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 8 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many buildings in the Lothian region have been identified as having flammable cladding.
Answer
Only a Single Building Assessment meeting the Scottish Standards can identify what cladding if any a building has and further identify whether the cladding is unsafe.
There are 107 entries in the pilot phase of the Cladding Remediation Programme. Entries may comprise a single block or building or a development or part of a development consisting of multiple blocks or buildings. Regional data is proactively published on gov.scot.
Developers homeowners or other organisations may have commissioned assessments without informing the Scottish Government, Therefore the true number may be higher and could increase as further information becomes available.
To respect the privacy of residents and homeowners we do not disclose the names of individual buildings or developments. The total entries in the pilot phase is 107, of which 69 entries are in Edinburgh and the Lothian region.
Extract from Single Building Assessment programme: spending information - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).
Region | Total |
City of Edinburgh | 62 |
East Lothian | 5 |
Midlothian | 1 |
West Lothian | 1 |
Total Edinburgh & Lothian | 69 |
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 8 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Part 4 of the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) Scotland Act 2016, whether it can provide more detail on what would be considered as the "reasonable requirements" to meet in order to support (a) people who have lost their voice or have difficulty speaking with communication equipment and (b) such people in using this equipment.
Answer
The legislative duty provides flexibility for the development of future communication equipment technology. Through the assessment process health boards should ensure they have justification based on the circumstances of each individual regarding necessity and reasonability, and taking into consideration the needs, views, and choices of each individual, as is the case with other health provision.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 8 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff in NHS Scotland are specifically trained in the use of communication equipment to help people who require augmentative and alternative communication (ACC) support, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
Since 2018, NHS Boards across Scotland have had a legislative duty to provide children and adults who have lost their voice or have difficulty speaking with communication equipment and support, necessary to meet their requirements.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 8 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what specific technology and communication equipment is available in (a) NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (b) all other NHS boards to provide care to patients who need augmentative and alternative communication (ACC) support, and how such support can be accessed.
Answer
Information on the specific technology and communication equipment that is available in NHS boards is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) support is being delivered across Scotland by NHS boards, primarily through speech and language therapy and often in collaboration with Education, Social Work, and the Third Sector, as appropriate to the assessed needs of each individual.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 8 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much NHS funding has been spent on communication equipment to deliver augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) support in each financial year since the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) Scotland Act 2016 came into force, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
Since 2018, NHS boards across Scotland have had a legislative duty to provide children and adults who have lost their voice or have difficulty speaking with communication equipment and support, necessary to meet their requirements.
As such, this information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government as it is for local NHS Boards to determine the levels of funding required for services providing Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), based on local priorities and clinical needs.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many teachers have been impacted by backdated pay agreements in (a) the current pay year and (b) each of the last five pay years.
Answer
Teachers in Scotland are directly employed by local authorities, who will have their own local payroll arrangements; therefore provisions relating to the backdated payment of pay awards will differ between authorities. The Scottish Government does not hold data on the number of teachers in Scotland who have received backdated payments, because this data is held locally by Councils as the employer of teachers.
On 2 October 2024 the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) issued a joint circular to local authorities regarding the agreed 4.27% pay increase for teachers, at all points in the SNCT pay scales, to be backdated to 1 August 2024.
- Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) children and (b) families had their school meal debt written off as a result of its school meal debt fund, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information. We are currently analysing bids to the School Meal Debt Fund and following up with local authorities on the information provided.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 November 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 8 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns that NHS Scotland is paying too much for clinical disposal needs, and when the contract for this was last tendered.
Answer
Management of the NHS clinical waste contract is a matter for Health Boards, and management of the NHS’s relationship with the clinical waste contractor is a matter for NHS National Services Scotland’s (NSS) National Procurement and Logistics Service.
Information regarding contracts tendered by NSS is publicly available and can be viewed on the Public Contracts Scotland website - Home - Public Contracts Scotland.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 8 November 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how it has monitored the performance of (a) NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (b) all other NHS boards in delivering augmentative and alternative communication (ACC) support to people in the period since the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) Scotland Act 2016 came into force.
Answer
Since 2018, NHS boards across Scotland have had a legislative duty to provide children and adults who have lost their voice or have difficulty speaking with communication equipment and support, necessary to meet their requirements.
To support and monitor the delivery of this duty, a National Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) advisory group with representation from AAC Executive Leads across all NHS boards including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, was established. Its membership brought together knowledge and influence, as well as specialist expertise to enable best practice to be shared to drive improvement.
In February 2020, the Provision of Communication Equipment and Support Progress Report was published, informed by contributions from the National AAC Advisory Group members, local government, people who use AAC and third sector providers. The report set out progress in the implementation of the legislative duty since commencement in 2018, which included:
- The publication of guidance on the Provision of Communication and Support,
- The development of a National AAC core pathway
- The development of AAC topic related learning modules
More information can be found in the report: Provision of Communication Equipment and Support : Part 4 of the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 (www.gov.scot).