Chamber and committees

This is an operational matter for ScotRail and Stena Line. ScotRail advises that it regularly meets with Stena Line to review potential service changes and ensure tickets are available on rail retail systems. Details of these tickets can be found via Rail & Sail to Ireland | Stena Line , which also provides contact details for Stena Line for further information.

The number of patients waiting for first appointments with specialist chronic pain services and the length of wait they experience is published by Public Health Scotland. The latest report can be found here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/chronic-pain-waiting-times/ .

The national data collection and the statistics published on completed waits focus on the waits of those patients who attended a consultant-led clinic. This is in line with the current national target for waiting times for new outpatient appointments.

Some Health Boards have introduced new pathways that offer patients alternatives to being seen at a consultant-led outpatient clinic. Patients are given the opportunity to opt-in to these new pathways, and they are considered as no longer waiting once they take up this offer. Alternatively, patients can choose to remain on the waiting list for a first appointment at a consultant-led outpatient clinic.

National data on those waiting to access Chronic pain services includes patients who may choose to opt-in to these new pathways. The data shows a recent increase in the number of patients following these new pathways. In the most recent publication, the impact of these new pathways on published statistics is discussed in the full report on pages 12, 13 and 17. The publication includes a description of some of the new pathways that Health Boards have shared with Public Health Scotland. However, detail of pathways provided by individual Health Boards is a matter for the Board and is not information held centrally by the Scottish Government.

There has been no female high secure provision in Scotland since 2009. The decision to stop providing treatment was because the majority of women at the time did not in fact require high security and the development of medium secure services provided an opportunity to address that.

In the small number of cases where a female does require high security, an arrangement was put in place whereby a woman who requires treatment in a high secure facility can be referred to Rampton Hospital, Nottinghamshire, and transferred via the statutory cross-border transfer process.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20183 on‎ 14 August 2023. 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

We urge anyone with a nicotine addiction caused by using tobacco or nicotine vapour products to contact the free NHS Quit Your Way Scotland' helpline on 0800 84 84 84 to speak to an advisor, who will be able to provide advice and support and can direct individuals to local support services.

Alternatively, local pharmacies can also offer a range of therapies and interventions to help reduce addiction.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20183 on 14 August 2023. 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

The Scottish Government and CoSLA are jointly responsible for delivering the Creating Hope Together action plan 2022-2025 . We have appointed a new National Delivery Lead to work with Strategic Outcome Lead partners to drive forward delivery of the action plan; this includes ensuring the successful delivery of year one priorities to help achieve our vision of reducing suicide deaths.

Our previous suicide prevention action plan, Every Life Matters , created a suite of resources, learning, partnerships, and engagement forums, which has created strong foundations for delivering the new priorities. Specifically, we have ongoing work to build on in the following areas: United to Prevent Suicide social movement; Time, Space and Compassion approach to suicidal crisis; focused campaigns aimed at children and young people; tailored suicide prevention learning resources; suicide bereavement support services; and, reviews of suicide deaths.

Early development work has also started to support delivery of new priorities, including: creating peer support groups; improving safety at locations of concern; understanding help-seeking behaviour amongst people who may be suicidal; and, working in settings where there is a higher risk of suicide. We have already made progress in delivering the whole of Government and society approach to suicide prevention, which underpins our new strategy and action plan. For example, we have embedded suicide safety as part of the National Planning Framework 4 so that it can be actively considered in the preparation of local development plans and as part of new development proposals.

Finally, our new innovative delivery model, Suicide Prevention Scotland , creates a strengthened suicide prevention community for Scotland. This brings together valuable insights from our Academic Advisory Group, Lived Experience Panel and Youth Advisory Group, alongside the experience of national, local and sectoral partners who are working to prevent suicide. We will also bring in partners with particular skills and expertise as required. This delivery model harnesses our collective knowledge, expertise and resources allowing us to design and deliver our priorities in a way that is relevant and impactful across Scotland’s communities.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20183 on‎ 14 August 2023. 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

The Scottish Government, in conjunction with road safety partners, developed a world leading Road Safety Framework to 2030 (RSF 2030) which was published in 2021 and sets out a compelling long-term goal for road safety, where no one is seriously injured or killed on our roads by 2050.

The journey to achieving this goal also includes ambitious interim targets where the number of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads will be halved by 2030.

The delivery of the RSF 2030 is monitored through the three-tier structure of the framework governance and reported through its annual delivery plans .

The Scottish Government and our partners are committed to road safety and never complacent. We are resolute in our determination to save lives and meet the long-term goal set out in the framework.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the percentage of police resources that are dedicated to tackling cybercrime.

The police budget has increased by £80 million in 2023-24 bringing the overall budget to over £1.45 billion. The allocation of this budget is a decision for the Chief Constable and Scottish Police Authority, including the allocation of resources to tackle cybercrime.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority work together to ensure the necessary resources and expertise are in place to tackle emerging areas of threat, such as cyber-crime and fraud.

The Scottish Government works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Police Scotland to ensure Scotland is well prepared for cyber threats and would urge all organisations to follow the NCSC’s advice and guidance.