Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-03350

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it will improve connectivity on the islands of Arran and Cumbrae ahead of the busy summer tourist season.

Question reference: S6W-26275

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 16 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will take to support the childcare sector, in light of reported data showing that the number of childminders almost halved from just over 6,200 in December 2012 to 3,225 in December 2023.

The Scottish Government values the important work that childminders undertake in communities and is committed to supporting and growing the sector. We commissioned research on the reasons for the reduction in childminder numbers (a trend that is mirrored elsewhere in the UK) which was published in April 2022 and can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/childminding-workforce-trends-qualitative-research-report/

Informed by that research, we are working with the Scottish Childminding Association to address the decline in the childminding workforce via a programme of recruitment and retention work. This work has been informed by recent pilot activity and will ensure that more families have access to the unique and flexible experience of childcare that childminders can offer. This programme is expected to launch in the Spring.

We will implement a range of measures to address retention issues, ensuring that our childminders are supported with their workloads and professional development, including trialling a mentoring scheme and models of funded time off the floor to allow childminders to undertake activity such as planning and continuous professional learning.

Question reference: S6W-26273

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the work of justice social workers in communities, in light of reported data showing that 13 local authorities made reductions to frontline criminal justice social workers in 2022-23.

The Scottish Government is working with local government and other stakeholders to support justice social workers and to enhance the delivery of services. This includes increasing funding and providing updated operational guidance.

In 2024-25, a total of £148 million will be invested in community justice. This includes an additional £14 million to encourage wider use of robust community-based interventions where appropriate. This additional investment reflects the evidence that such interventions can be more effective than short-term imprisonment at reducing reoffending, assisting with rehabilitation and ultimately ensuring there are fewer victims of crime.

Question reference: S6W-26271

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported figures highlighting that, in 2022-23, social workers in Scotland lost over 30,000 days in absences due to mental ill-health.

The Scottish Government recognises the pressures social workers are under and are taking action to support the workforce.

We have invested in wellbeing resources. From 2021 onwards, we provided the Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW) with £296,000 to invest in a Social Work Professional Support Service. This service covers a number of professional issues, including wellbeing and resilience, and is backed by the National Wellbeing Hub.

We have also provided funding to support the social work workforce. In 2022-2023 and also in 2023-2024, we gave £22 million to councils to address the shortages of social work staff in adult services.

Currently, we are working with partners to identify ways to better support social workers, including developing a Joint Workforce Improvement Plan in conjunction with COSLA to address recruitment and retention challenges. We have also formed a Joint Social Care and Social Work/Services Workforce Taskforce to explore ways we can deliver improvements for workforces in adult and children’s social care and social work.

We will create a National Social Work Agency to provide a single national body with oversight of the social work profession. The Agency will promote workforce wellbeing and create a listening leadership culture.

Question reference: S6W-26274

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported comments by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland that HMP Greenock "should be bulldozed" because of its condition.

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) are committed to modernising and improving the prison estate, to ensure it is fit for purpose for those who live and work in prisons, and supports the rehabilitation of people living there.

The decisions made by the UK Government to reduce capital funding in real terms year on year, alongside construction supply chain issues, labour shortages and recent high inflation mean that we are having to prioritise capital investment on areas of highest need. Replacing HMP Inverness and HMP Barlinnie remain the current prison infrastructure priorities.

In addition, SPS are undertaking a series of improvements to HMP Greenock until at least 2030, including roofing upgrades and replacements and refurbishment of the kitchen.

Question reference: S6W-26496

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve the availability of dental appointments, in light of Public Health Scotland figures showing that more than a third of those registered with an NHS dentist did not have an examination or treatment for three years.

As of 1 November 2023, we have introduced significant dental payment reform with the aim of encouraging dentists to provide more NHS dentistry. Official statistics from Public Health Scotland published in February 2024 and reflecting system activity following reform show that nearly 400,000 patients were seen by an NHS primary care dentist in November. This is an early indication that the system changes have been received favourably by many NHS dentists. In addition to improving conditions for existing workforce through reform, we are also continuing to work with our counterparts across the UK and devolved governments to expedite process and bolster the number of dental practitioners working in Scotland now and into the future with a view to supporting greater availability of appointments.

The official measure of participation is the number of patients that have been seen in the last 2 years, and official statistics show that before the pandemic, participation was around 70%. Participation provides an indication of patient contacts within the system at a point in time but is not, in itself, an indicator of access noting that there may be many reasons why registered patients do not attend the dentist. We therefore use a range of data to understand the position in NHS dentistry, including regular qualitative discussion with NHS Boards to support local and national interventions to improve patient access.

Question reference: S6W-26495

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 15 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the UK Secretary of State for Scotland's letter to the First Minister on 21 March 2024, in which he offered "the UK Government's assistance in introducing a recall mechanism for MSPs".

Question reference: S6O-03300

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the health secretary last met with the chief executives of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Ayrshire and Arran, and what was discussed.

Question reference: S6W-26510

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on repairs to the entire CalMac fleet in each calendar year since 2020.

The information in the following table has been supplied by CalMac. This information is not held by calendar year but has been supplied by Contract Year (CY) which begins in October.

CY05

Oct 2020-Sept 2021

CY06

Oct 2021-Sept-2022

CY07

Oct 2022–Sep 2023

CY08 (to date)

Oct 2023–Feb 2024

£17.262m

£28.525m

£30.036m

£24,852m

In addition, the following sums have been given to Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) as part of the SG Ferries Resilience Fund. These figures are not held by calendar year. This is preventative fund, over and above regular maintenance, and is aimed at lowering the risk of vessel breakdown and loss of service.

2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

2022-2023

2023-2024

(to date)

£3.348m

£3.503m

£3.622m

£3.537m

£10.371m

Question reference: S6W-26270

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 April 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is has any further plans to purchase or hire ferries from other countries, in light of reports of the successful delivery of the MV Isle of Islay from a company in Turkey.

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