Chamber and committees

In 2021-22, total funding of £1.1 million has been provided to Care & Repair (C&R). This was, in addition to the £1 million allocated to Scottish Fire & Rescue Service (SFRS) for its Home Fire Safety Visit programme to install interlinked fire alarms in the homes of those at highest risk.

Our funding for Care and Repair has enabled them to fit interlinked fire alarms to 2,421 households, with a further 1,466 households still to be completed. C&R average costs for a supply and fit of the battery operated fire alarms for a typical 3 bedroom home was £300.

The Scottish Government funding was for battery-powered alarms, which do not require alarms to be connected to the mains electricity supply by a qualified electrician.

The Scottish Government position is that pesticides should be authorised on a case by case basis where the available scientific evidence shows they do not pose unacceptable risks to human health, animals and the environment. An emergency authorisation for the use of the herbicide product Asulox has been approved for bracken control in 2022 in limited and controlled circumstances.

There is a need to move away from the use of emergency authorisations as the solution and look into more sustainable, long-term alternatives to Asulox. Officials have been instructed to begin talks with the other UK administrations and the Health and Safety Executive, to further engage stakeholders and those working on alternative solutions, to ensure we have more sustainable forms of bracken control going forward.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information however the Scottish Legal Aid Board does record applications for legal aid in Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act (DASA) 2018 cases applied where Section 22(1)(dd) of the Legal Aid Act (Person accused of certain offences) applies.

This classification does not specify the circumstances of the grant, only that the grant was made. Therefore it cannot be determined from the data below what ratio of those applications came from court appointed solicitors. This designation under section 22(1)(dd) is also not exclusive to DASA cases but is also applicable to all cases where an accused cannot represent themselves i.e. cases involving sexual offences, child witnesses, vulnerable witnesses, Abuse Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016, and trials in absence.

The annual figures for all section 22 (1)(dd) cases are as follows:

The Scottish Government gathers data on peatland restoration carried out by the Peatland ACTION programme each financial year in hectares (ha). The total number of restored hectares of peatlands in 2020-21 was 5,658ha; and the total number of restored hectares of peatlands in 2021-22 was 5,370ha.In 2022-23, we are on track to deliver a substantial increase in the number of hectares restored.

We are committed to further increasing the annual area of peatland we restore. To support this we are gathering evidence on the key bottlenecks as well as how we can best target restoration activity to deliver maximum value for money in terms of carbon, biodiversity and just transition outcomes.

LFD testing remains in place for specific population groups including unpaid carers, in order to in order to protect people in higher risk settings.

LFD tests can be ordered online through the GOV.UK portal, or by calling 119. More information can be found online at www.nhsinform.scot/covid19

Rooms for Refugees is a hosting service run by Positive Action in Housing. Scottish Government officials met with representatives from Positive Action in Housing on 4 August 2022 and discussed the Scottish Government’s Super Sponsor scheme.

Officials updated Positive Action in Housing on our Warm Scottish Welcome programme and discussed how the Scottish Government could continue to collaborate with Positive Action in Housing going forward.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09976 on 16 August 2022. 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 promotes cash-first responses to hardship so that people are able to make choices about the essentials that best meets their needs. This includes through investment in key social security measures such as the Scottish Child Payment, which will be further increased in value to £25 per child per week and expanded to eligible children under the age of 16 by the end of 2022.

Anyone worried about affording essentials should contact their local authority where they will be put in contact with local advice and support, including the Scottish Welfare Fund.

NHS Inform promotes staying safe and healthy in the summer and includes information on staying safe in the sun Summer health | NHS inform .

We know that inflation is having the biggest impact on those with the lowest incomes. We are doing what we can within our devolved powers and this year we have allocated almost £3 billion to support people who are struggling.

The National Care Service Bill proposes to enable the National Care Service (NCS) to support Fair Work in the sector, by including Fair Work within the guiding principles of the NCS (section 1 of the Bill) and establishing it as an exemplar of Fair Work. The NCS ethical commissioning strategies will also need to reflect these principles, and will therefore be a key tool for ensuring Fair Work is embedded in the way services are planned and provided. Services commissioned by the NCS, of whatever ownership type, will have to ensure they meet Fair Work and ethical commissioning standards and requirements.

Endometriosis is covered in all Undergraduate medical curricula and as such all doctors will have an awareness of the condition.

Further postgraduate training is provided to those training in General Practice or Obstetrics and Gynaecology from Foundation Year 2 until Certificate of Completion. These core groups will receive further training and develop more in-depth knowledge and understanding of endometriosis. This includes an in-depth understanding of all symptoms and the treatment options available to patients, including surgical treatment. The training also recognises the psychological and social well-being impact on women and the need for GPs to acknowledge and manage this aspect.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) also provide a Continuing Professional Development course on endometriosis which has a focus on possible symptoms, treatments and when referral to secondary care is necessary.

As part of our Women’s Health Plan, the Scottish Government is working to improve access for women to appropriate support, speedy diagnosis and best treatment for endometriosis.