- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow Southside, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports calls for global debt cancellation to be a key pillar of the UN Loss and Damage Fund, ensuring that climate-vulnerable nations are not required to take on more debt to recover from climate disasters.
Answer
Scotland remains committed to being a leader and bridge builder on climate justice. This includes by convening and influencing at international events, to champion climate justice and amplify Global South voices.
We have previously incorporated debt justice within our climate justice advocacy positions: advocating prior to, during and after COP29 for a proportion of the UNFCCC Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage to be ringfenced so as to make finance directly available to communities in the form of grants, not loans. As a government we are currently scoping opportunities to increase the strength and reach of our advocacy on the issue of the global climate debt crisis, including at key upcoming international events.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow Southside, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support calls for debt justice for any countries that are required to take on debt to recover from climate disasters and climate-related loss and damage.
Answer
Scotland remains committed to being a leader and bridge builder on climate justice. This includes by convening and influencing at international events, to champion climate justice and amplify Global South voices.
We have previously incorporated debt justice within our climate justice advocacy positions: advocating prior to, during and after COP29 for a proportion of the UNFCCC Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage to be ringfenced so as to make finance directly available to communities in the form of grants, not loans. As a government we are currently scoping opportunities to increase the strength and reach of our advocacy on the issue of the global climate debt crisis, including at key upcoming international events.
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow Southside, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to use its role as a climate leader to advocate for debt cancellation as part of climate justice in the run-up to COP30.
Answer
Scotland remains committed to being a leader and bridge builder on climate justice. This includes by convening and influencing at international events, to champion climate justice and amplify Global South voices.
We have previously incorporated debt justice within our climate justice advocacy positions: advocating prior to, during and after COP29 for a proportion of the UNFCCC Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage to be ringfenced so as to make finance directly available to communities in the form of grants, not loans. As a government we are currently scoping opportunities to increase the strength and reach of our advocacy on the issue of the global climate debt crisis, including at key upcoming international events.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35438 by Gillian Martin on 20 March 2025, whether it has adapted the approach of the UN report and, if so, how it arrived at the specific target of "seeking [a] reduction of Scotland's extraction of raw materials by one third", in light of the country's specific circumstances.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the importance of the findings of the UN report and the need to promote sustainable resource use.
As well as the recent UN report noted in S6W-35438, Zero Waste Scotland was also influenced by recent Circularity Gap Reports in setting its Corporate Plan target. These highlighted the importance of cutting material consumption by one third:
https://www.circularity-gap.world/2023#download
https://www.circularity-gap.world/2024#download
The Circular Economy and Waste Route Map sets out the Scottish Government’s intention to set its own circular economy targets by 2027.
https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-circular-economy-waste-route-map-2030/
- Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow Southside, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its future plans are to further champion climate justice at international events, including in relation to the growing debt crisis faced by many climate vulnerable countries.
Answer
Scotland remains committed to being a leader and bridge builder on climate justice. This includes by convening and influencing at international events, to champion climate justice and amplify Global South voices.
We have previously incorporated debt justice within our climate justice advocacy positions: advocating prior to, during and after COP29 for a proportion of the UNFCCC Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage to be ringfenced so as to make finance directly available to communities in the form of grants, not loans. As a government we are currently scoping opportunities to increase the strength and reach of our advocacy on the issue of the global climate debt crisis, including at key upcoming international events.
- Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how the hospice care sector will be factored into the structural processes around the Agenda for Change and medical pay awards agreed in its Budget for 2025-26 to ensure that they can achieve ongoing pay parity with NHS levels.
Answer
Officials are undertaking work with the chair of the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group and Hospice UK to fully understand the requirements to provide pay parity to those delivering frontline services in line with NHS Agenda for Change levels. Officials are also continuing to explore the mechanisms for providing this funding, while respecting local commissioning arrangements.
This funding does not bring hospice staff under AfC terms and conditions and is only intended to provide pay parity with NHS Agenda for Change levels. Independent hospices will have their own terms and conditions for the staff they employ.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is encouraging the use of faecal calprotectin tests, which help to improve the diagnosis for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Answer
We expect all healthcare professionals to follow best practice and adhere to current guidelines and standards when providing care and support for people with suspected IBD, including the use of faecal calprotectin tests, to help improve diagnosis for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
A national IBD pathway for NHS Scotland was published in January 2025: inflammatory-bowel-disease-ibd-pathway.pdf. This pathway is intended to be used for primary and secondary care health care professionals who are concerned that a patient may have undiagnosed IBD.
- Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider giving hospices £5 million in addition to further funding in its Budget for 2025-26 aligned to the Agenda for Change and medical 2025-26 pay awards once agreed.
Answer
The Scottish Budget 2025-26 identified funding of £5 million to help support independent hospices deliver pay parity with Agenda for Change (AfC) levels for 2025-26. Officials continue to work with the chair of the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group and Hospice UK to understand the requirements from each hospice. Officials are also undertaking work to explore the mechanisms for providing this funding, while respecting local commissioning arrangements. Funding will be provided in financial year 2025-26.
To note, it is the responsibility of Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) to commission palliative care services, including independent hospices, to meet the needs of their local populations.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) birth to two-, (b) three- to five- and (c) six- to 12-year-olds have been supported as part of the Childsmile campaign in each year since 2006, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
This information is not held by Scottish Government.
The University of Glasgow (UoG) is responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of the Childsmile programme. Since 2013, UoG has published annual national headline reports on the Programme, which includes data on a range of Childsmile activity in multiple settings. The reports can be accessed via the Childsmile website: https://www.childsmile.nhs.scot/professionals/resources/research-publications/
Information on the Programme prior to this may be available from individual NHS Health Boards.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 17 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS hospital sites have been reported for vermin infestations in each of the last five years, and what action was taken.
Answer
Vermin infestation in hospital sites is a matter for local NHS Boards to deal with. The Scottish Government is not aware of any hospital site in Scotland being reported to a regulatory or statutory body for vermin infestation within the last five years.
