Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04170 on 12 November 2021. 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 has a number of ways to engage with UK Government on trade matters and has championed the interests of Scottish seafood exporters throughout the EU exit and trade negotiations process. That work continues through the Scottish Seafood Industry Action Group.

The issue of delayed or rejected smoked salmon consignments has not been raised with the Scottish Government directly. I wrote to the member on 2 December 2021 to seek further information and to put the affected business(es) in touch with my officials directly.

Information is available on the number of offences recorded by Police Scotland under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 – which relates to dogs worrying livestock on agricultural land.

A table showing the information requested has been prepared and a copy of this table titled 'Table 1: Offences of Protection of Livestock from Dogs, North Ayrshire, 2007-08 to 2020-21' is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib number 62925).

Prior to October 2020, Scottish local authorities could claim for subsidy from the EU School Milk Scheme to put towards their local school milk schemes. Following the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, the Scottish Government committed to providing funding to allow Scottish local authorities to continue offering subsidised milk in their schools.

This funding arrangement will continue for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year during which time we will be working with our local authority partners to develop a free school milk scheme which provides for children’s dietary needs. Stakeholder engagement will take place appropriately during that process.

The Scottish Government works closely with the Home Office on the requirements for the Passenger Locator Form (PLF). It is a UK wide system as border controls are a reserved matter. However, as health policy is devolved, the Scottish Government ensures that the PLF aligns with Scottish policy and legislation for international travellers arriving into Scotland. The 48 hour completion window for PLF submission is a vital tool which enables Scottish Ministers to act swiftly in response to emerging concerns, such as when changes are made to the country/territory red list, or when new international travel restrictions are announced, often at short notice. The PLF contains specific logic to ensure travellers into Scotland have the met the correct health measure requirements (tests, isolation, managed quarantine) based on where they have travelled from. The trace and compliance response to international travel has required PLF data to be immediately and securely available across health departments. To enable this, the PLF is only available online accessed via Gov.UK. Details of the helpline to provide and advice on completion are also available on Gov.UK. The helpline is not able to complete the PLF on an individual’s behalf.

We recently reviewed progress against the new and existing actions in the October 2020 Ending Homelessness Together action plan. We published our findings in the October 2021 annual report to Parliament: Ending Homelessness Together: annual report 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The Scottish Government has never issued any guidelines on measuring low-frequency noise.

We currently report on progress against the measures in Ending Homelessness Together action plan by means of an annual report to parliament. At the most recent meeting of the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group on 5 November 2021, we invited views from the expert group, which includes representatives with lived experience of homelessness, on how we can more effectively measure the impact of measures to end homelessness. The group saw value in the development of an improved outcomes monitoring framework. Officials are now exploring ways to improve the way we use evidence and data and will report back to the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group in due course.

As per the previous answer to question S6W-03267 highlighted, a consultation has taken place on the Planning Specification and Context Report for the Sectoral Marine Plan for Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas Decarbonisation (INTOG). That consultation closed on 20 October 2021 and the Scottish Government is aiming to publish the results of that consultation alongside the Initial Plan Framework, which sets out all parameters and spatial components, shortly. This document will include definitions for both Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas components. It is, of course, the intention to ensure that projects delivered under INTOG are competitive.

I appreciate how difficult postponement of treatment has been for people with chronic pain, including those who may have had their normal treatment paused as a result of the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many factors determine the suitability and availability of specialist pain procedures, including clinical prioritisation and the availability of staffing, theatre capacity and the ongoing implications of COVID-related pathways.

In September 2020, the Scottish Government published the Framework for recovery of NHS pain management services to support the rapid and safe re-mobilisation of specialist pain management services. We remain committed to ensuring that Health Boards, including NHS Lanarkshire, resume specialist pain services as quickly as it is safe to do so.

We will shortly be launching a public consultation on a new Framework for Pain Management Service Delivery which includes an aim to deliver more timely access to care and improved health outcomes for people with chronic pain.