Alison Johnstone MSP

Lothian

Health & Sport, Social Security, Children & Young People

Alison Johnstone has represented Lothian region since 2011 and was an Edinburgh city councillor between 2007 and 2012. Alison is from Edinburgh and lives in the south west of the city. A former East of Scotland 800m and 1500m title holder, Alison is a qualified athletics coach and Board member of Scottish Athletics. She continues to campaign to preserve precious green space, for investment in walking and cycling and for access to sport for all. She led the Fans First campaign to win football fans the right to buy their clubs; led the fight against fracking by proposing a ban in 2014 when all other parties supported it; and persuaded ministers to make energy efficient housing a national infrastructure priority. Since 2016 her advocacy for a compassionate social security system has led to benefit sanctions not being applied to devolved employment schemes and boosted family incomes by securing a roll out of the Healthier, Wealthier Children programme. She secured an amendment to the Social Security Act to ensure that unnecessary face-to-face assessments will not be required to access disability benefits when these are devolved to the Scottish Parliament. Alison is also bringing forward legislation to introduce a real ban on fox hunting and protect Scotland's hares.

Failure to regularly test NHS staff “indefensible”

Tue 9 Jun, 2020

The Scottish Government’s failure to introduce regular, routine Covid19 testing for NHS staff is “indefensible” according to Scottish Greens Parliamentary Co-Leader Alison Johnstone MSP.

Ms Johnstone questioned the Cabinet Secretary for Health in parliament this afternoon noting, “scores of examples of blanket testing detecting large numbers of individuals with Covid without even knowing it”

Alison Johnstone MSP said:

Scottish Govt care home testing claim doesn't add up

Tue 2 Jun, 2020

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman’s claim that regular testing of all care home staff has begun is not backed up by the figures.

The policy to test all care home staff was announced a week ago and would require over 7,000 tests a day to meet that demand.

But since then the numbers of those tested has gone down and is averaging at 4,600 a day across all sectors.

Jeane Freeman told Scottish Green health spokesperson Alison Johnstone that regular testing of care home staff had already begun, but some staff had not given consent.

Greens responds to social care death in service announcement

Sat 23 May, 2020

Responding to the news that the Scottish Government is to introduce a £60,000 payment to the named survivor of any social care worker who dies if they don’t have any death in service plans of their own, Scottish Greens Parliamentary Co-Leader Alison Johnstone MSP said:

Lockdown routemap must be backed with robust TTI, say Greens

Fri 22 May, 2020

Scotland’s lockdown routemap must be backed with robust testing and tracing, the Scottish Greens have said.

Responding to the Scottish Government’s routemap for leaving lockdown, Scottish Greens health spokesperson and parliamentary co-leader Alison Johnstone said: “I share the First Minister’s reaction to the images of Portobello beach yesterday. It is clear lockdown will be increasingly hard to maintain, so I welcome the clarity provided by today’s route map.

We must do all we can to help those facing domestic violence

Alison Johnstone MSP Tue 19 May, 2020

While living in lockdown may be hard for most people, for some it is downright dangerous. People living with an abusive or coercive partner will feel trapped, with opportunities to reach out to family, friends or other support limited and challenging. While women’s refuges are running at a reduced capacity, Marsha Scott, chief executive of Scottish Women’s Aid has confirmed that every single service is still up and running.

Emergency law must ease access to contraceptive pill

Mon 18 May, 2020

Scottish Greens have called for measures to allow for the contraceptive pill to be made available free from pharmacies to be included in emergency coronavirus legislation.

Currently the contraceptive pill can only be accessed for free with a prescription from a GP, however the party’s parliamentary co-leader Alison Johnstone MSP has claimed that the lockdown measures employed to tackle coronavirus have reduced access to contraceptives, a major concern at a time when many women are in more vulnerable situations.

Johnstone welcomes introduction of carer testing

Mon 18 May, 2020

Welcoming this afternoon’s announcement from the Health Secretary that the Scottish Greens proposal for regular testing of care home staff is to be introduced, Scottish Greens Parliamentary Co-Leader Alison Johnstone MSP said:

First Minister challenged on testing and public health

Wed 13 May, 2020

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has yet to commit to regular testing of frontline NHS and care staff for COVID-19, despite the proposal being backed by experts, including Sir Harry Burns, the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.

At FMQs Scottish Greens parliamentary co-leader Alison Johnstone raised the results of new research into testing at a Cambridge hospital, which found a significant number of staff had COVID-19 without displaying any symptoms.

Greens back calls for more cash for struggling families

Wed 13 May, 2020

Scottish Greens have backed calls from poverty campaigners to get more financial support quickly to families struggling during the CIVID-19 lockdown.

Scottish Greens respond to change of Covid19 guidance

Sun 10 May, 2020

Responding to the First Minister’s statement this afternoon, Scottish Greens Parliamentary Co-Leader Alison Johnstone MSP said:

“I welcome confirmation from the First Minister that the Scottish Government will update its guidance to allow additional exercise. This will provide huge benefits for physical and mental health and will come as a particular relief to those without their own garden.

Alison Johnstone MSP Back to greens.scot

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