Chamber and committees

Transport Scotland, alongside industry partners, is exploring options for lengthening passing loops on the line to enable longer and more frequent freight and passenger services.

Enabling the transfer of freight traffic, particularly from the adjacent A9 to the Highland Main Line, will produce significant carbon savings and improve safety and traffic flow on the A9.

We will fund the infrastructure enhancements necessary to produce further journey time savings on the Highland Main Line once a robust business case has been established for this expenditure.

I recognise that apprenticeships are vital to ensuring that the electrical sector has the skills it requires.

SDS is responsible for managing the apprenticeship programme in response to industry demand and in line with Ministerial expectations. They will continue to ensure that apprenticeships can support the sectors we need to grow our economy and deliver our just transition to net zero.

It is standard practice for SDS to review changing demand for apprenticeship starts in-year, and they adjust the number of starts allocated to respond as appropriate within their budget.

‎SDS undertook a reallocation process for MA starts in December 2022 and were able to allocate several hundred starts to training providers, with an extra 116 places allocated to the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT). They then allocated a further 87 places in February 2023, bringing the total number of places allocated to SECTT during 2022-23 to 865.

The Scottish Government values the crucial role carried out by kinship carers and is committed to delivering a Scottish Recommended Allowance for them, alongside foster carers. We acknowledge that it has taken far longer than we would like. That is why we are actively exploring all available options and working at pace with CoSLA, to deliver the allowance as soon as possible.

On 1 January 2023, a one dose schedule was introduced in Scotland for all those eligible in the HPV vaccination programme up to their 25th birthday. We envisage that this programme change will increase the amount of people completing their vaccination schedule as it will remove the requirement to be recalled to receive a second dose.

We have outlined to Health Boards that some of the resource freed up due to the reduction in vaccination sessions due to the change to a one dose schedule should be re-directed to interventions that strengthen programme delivery, increase coverage rates and reduce inequalities.

Additionally, we have developed a dashboard which allows us to interrogate deprivation data further which will allow us to work with PHS and Health Boards to support these groups and encourage HPV vaccination and wider vaccination services.

The information requested on providing the latest data showing the retention rate of (a) nurses and (b) doctors in the NHS is not centrally available.

Information on vacancies by the three main staff groups, can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence

The turnover rate for all staff across NHS Scotland in 2021/22 was 8.1%.

Time charter crew are employed by the vessel owner and therefore the onus is on them to ensure Compliance with the Fair Work action plan. CalMac Ferries Limited would only be responsible if the charter is on a bareboat basis or the vessel is owned by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd. Consequently, both companies do insist that all crew are paid the real Living Wage on time charters, and if this is not provided by their employers they would supplement to ensure they equal the Living wage.

The 2025 target date for completion of the full programme represented an ambitious challenge. It was reliant on the timely and positive outcome of a range of factors such as completing public and stakeholder consultation; statutory approval processes; sufficiency of market capacity; supply chain availability and availability of funding, all of which have been significantly impacted by Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. As I confirmed to Parliament on 8 February 2023, this has made the 2025 date unachievable.

Transport Scotland is urgently considering a range of different options to provide Ministers advice on the most efficient way in which to dual the remaining sections. Work to determine the most suitable procurement options for these sections is a complex exercise which looks at a number of factors including how the project can be delivered most efficiently by the industry, whilst minimising disruption to road users and helping to support economic recovery post-COVID. This work is expected to conclude in Autumn 2023 and I will provide an update on a new timescale for completion to the Scottish Parliament at that time.

Circularity Scotland (CSL) are a private non-profit organisation and are therefore not subject to public procurement requirements. An extensive tender process was carried out by Circularity Scotland over a period of around 12 months before appointing a waste collection provider. Decisions regarding their contracts are for them – this is entirely appropriate for a scheme that has industry responsibility at its heart.

(a) To date approximately 5-10% of tree tubes/guards have been removed where plants have established quickly due to local conditions. For the majority of the site, tree establishment has been slower, which is common for exposed roadside locations. It is anticipated that there will be an increase in the phased removal of the remaining guards over the next 2 years as the planting continues to establish and flourish.

(b) There are circa 1.5 million new trees planted alongside the AWPR. Since 2018 and 2019, when the various sections of AWPR were opened, the specialist landscape contractors have had teams of full-time personnel engaged year-round inspecting and maintaining the site. The landscape maintenance includes regular grass cutting, weed control and pruning to encourage growth.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government.

Public Health Scotland does publish statistics on the number of children registered with a dentist but data on the accommodation status of patients is not collected. Registration statistics can be viewed at: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/dental-statistics-registration-and-participation/dental-statistics-nhs-registration-and-participation-24-january-2023/ .