- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 8 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it is on track to deliver all the recommendations of the Respiratory Care Action Plan before the end of the current parliamentary session.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s Respiratory Care Action Plan (RCAP) sets out our priorities from 2021 to 2026 for driving improvement in the prevention, diagnosis, care, treatment and support of people living with respiratory conditions. A number of areas included in the RCAP are broad priorities requiring continuous work rather than finite commitments that can be completed.
We have undertaken action against every area of the Plan.
To give just some examples, significant steps have been taken on preventing respiratory disease with the launch of the Cleaner Air for Scotland Strategy, Warmer Homes Strategy and the refreshed Tobacco Action Plan that have their own specific recommendations and targets, and all of which embed respiratory prevention into wider Scottish Government policy.
In 2024, we published the Quality Prescribing Strategy for Respiratory: A Guide for Improvement 2024-2027 that sets out our ambitions for better access to respiratory care. This can be found here --https://www.gov.scot/publications/quality-prescribing-strategy-respiratory-guide-improvement-2024-2027
The Centre for Sustainable Delivery based at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital is developing national patient pathways for respiratory conditions including severe asthma, COPD and sleep apnoea. This work aligns closely with the commitments in the RCAP.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 8 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-30699 by Jenni Minto on 11 May 2024, how much it has allocated for the Respiratory Care Action Plan in the 2025-26 budget, and what this will deliver.
Answer
There is no funding solely allocated to the Respiratory Care Action Plan (RCAP) in 2025-2026. However, a number of the commitments in the Plan are being addressed by work that is part of other Scottish Government strategies– such as the Cleaner Air for Scotland Strategy, Warmer Homes Strategy, and the refreshed Tobacco Action Plan - or by additional funding we have provided to NHS Boards on a broader basis to make improvements that apply regardless of condition. This means it is difficult to break down funding we provide to various areas and organisations that is spent on delivering commitments listed in the RCAP.
For example, we are investing a record £21.7bn in our NHS in Scotland in 2025-2026, this includes £200m to reduce waiting times, which will deliver additional MRI, CT, ultrasound and endoscopy procedures and supports the delivery of the RCAP commitment to improve and simplify access to appropriate diagnostic tests.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 7 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Young Lives vs Cancer research, The Cost of Waiting, which states that almost one in two households with a child or young person with cancer had to use their savings, and three in five borrowed money, following a diagnosis, what consideration it has given to how such outcomes align with its child poverty reduction targets.
Answer
Eradicating child poverty in Scotland is a national mission and Mr Swinney’s top priority as First Minister.
We fully appreciate how difficult a cancer diagnosis is for young people and their families. We are committed to making sure the necessary support is available to all who need it, when they need it.
Our Child Disability Payment is designed to mitigate some of the additional costs of caring for a disabled or terminally ill child or young person. It is available to children and young people from the ages of 3 months to 18 years old, who have care and/or mobility needs as a result of a disability.
The Child Disability Payment has paid out over £1 billion to families with disabled children to date.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2025
To ask the First Minister when the landslip shelter on the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful will be complete.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2025
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of disability benefit waiting times, in light of the Young Lives vs Cancer research, The Cost of Waiting, which states that almost half of young cancer patients in Scotland finish their active treatment before receiving a decision on their disability benefit application.
Answer
There are a number of factors that impact on how long it takes Social Security Scotland to make a decision on disability benefit applications, including the time taken to gather the supporting information required to make a decision on an application.
Social Security Scotland has a dedicated application route for terminally ill children and young people, and anyone in Scotland diagnosed with a terminal illness by their healthcare professional can apply for disability benefits under Special Rules for Terminal Illness. Published data shows that applications under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness are currently processed within three working days for Child Disability Payment and two working days for Adult Disability Payment.
The most recent official statistics for Child Disability Payment show Social Security Scotland has made decisions on new applications almost twice as fast as in the previous financial year: Social Security Scotland - Child Disability Payment: high level statistics to 31 December 2024.
The latest Adult Disability Payment official statistics publication shows Social Security Scotland has made faster decisions on applications over the last year, with average processing times decreasing significantly in the last ten months, when compared to the previous financial year: Social Security Scotland - Adult Disability Payment statistics to 31 January 2025
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 6 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what recourse is open to any charities that have had funding withdrawn by (a) health and social care partnerships, (b) integration joint boards, (c) NHS boards and (d) local authorities based on inaccurate, inadequate or a lack of equality impact assessment reports.
Answer
Each of the bodies referenced are responsible for setting their budgets in accordance with their strategic plans and to meet the needs of their local population. How they allocate funding to delivery partners to achieve their outcomes is a decision for them however there is an expectation that public bodies funded by the Scottish Government will develop Equality Impact Assessments through the Equality Act 2010.
Where individuals or organisations feel that public bodies have not fulfilled their obligations under the Equality Act 2010, this should be drawn to the attention of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), as escalation is a matter for the Commission. The process involves the Commission's power to issue a compliance notice, and subsequently seek enforcement through the courts, if necessary.
Scottish Ministers cannot direct EHRC because it is independent from Government. As it is a reserved public body, the Scottish Parliament cannot change its powers.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that Social Security Scotland staff who assess disability benefit applications have appropriate knowledge and understanding of childhood and young adult cancers and their impact.
Answer
Social Security Scotland staff who assess applications receive comprehensive training developed in consultation with people with lived experience of health conditions and disabilities.
Due to the complexities and range of health conditions, decision makers are also supported by in-house Health and Social Care practitioners and equipped with the guidance necessary to properly assess the impact of young adult cancers and all other health conditions.
Training includes case studies which highlight a range of health conditions and disabilities, and Clinical Operations colleagues have delivered sessions on general cancer awareness.
As part of its commitment to providing a learning service, Social Security Scotland always welcomes feedback from clients. This helps the organisation understand clients’ views and improve their experience wherever possible.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 2 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding Equality Impact Assessment reports relating to their work, whether any charities that face having their funding reduced by statutory funders should be (a) consulted in the drafting of the report and (b) given sight of the report prior to any decision being made.
Answer
We must conduct an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) at the earliest stages of developing new policies or revising existing ones. This includes strategies, legislation, guidance, frameworks, training, funding, reviews, and any other activities that affect people. The EQIA process requires evidence gathering to understand and assess the potential impact of policy decisions. This evidence gathering can include public consultations and lived experience discussions with those organisations and members of the public to understand and assess any potential impacts.
Regulation 5 of these Scottish Specific Duties is particularly relevant to EQIAs, as it requires the assessment of all new and revised policies and practices for their impact on the three Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) needs, as well as the publication of these assessment results within a reasonable timeframe and in an easily accessible manner.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 25 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will remove the qualifying period for (a) adult and (b) child disability payment for young people diagnosed with cancer.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-35938 on 25 April 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 30 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the finance secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding a different model for allocating funding to Integration Joint Boards, in light of a recent Accounts Commission report highlighting the unsustainable gaps in their finances.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 30 April 2025
