Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government greatly values the work of those working on the national helpline. The national helpline is available 7 days a week between 8am and 8pm as an alternative channel for those patients who are not able to access content or services digitally. On average the helpline answers 23,000 calls on a weekday and around 14,000 calls are answered on each day over the weekend. There are between 200 to 400 people who staff the national helpline, dependent on demand patterns.

The average time taken to answer a call to the helpline, was less than a minute. There has been an increase in calls since 17 May 2021 which has meant people have been place in a queue on weekdays.

Having identified the increase in demand over the last two weeks, additional resources are being mobilised from the week, starting 31 May 2021 to reduce call wait times.

We recognise Scotland’s part in historic injustices like the transatlantic slave trade and Empire. We are determined to acknowledge and learn from our past and the role Scotland played. We must also focus on making sure we deliver positive outcomes for the minority ethnic people of Scotland now. A number of our Programme for Government 2020 – 21 commitments focus on recognising Scotland’s role, how we educate ourselves about our past and raise awareness of these events to the wider public.

Scottish Ministers are not aware of any powers that they have which would allow them to direct a charity such as the Dick Bequest Trust to require any return of money in the way that is being suggested. Scottish Ministers are actively considering the associated issues raised in a recent Press and Journal article as well as a letter addressed to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and will respond in due course.

Transport Scotland publishes information on changes in transport emissions in the Carbon Account for Transport. The most recent version of the Carbon Account for Transport, which covers emissions up until 2018 is available at the following link: Carbon Account for Transport - No. 12: 2020 Edition

There is no externally assessed and marked examination diet this year. However, it is necessary for learners to be assessed to provide evidence to demonstrate their level of attainment and to allow teachers and lecturers to use their professional judgement to determine each learner’s provisional results.

The timing and nature of the assessments has been decided by local authorities, individual schools and colleges, providing flexibility to assess individual learners at different times and in different ways. This allows teachers and lecturers to take account of the variable disruption to learning that their pupils have experienced as a result of the pandemic.

The one-off payment will be made following completion of teachers’ and lecturers’ work in relation to the Alternative Certification Model. We are continuing to work with partners to finalise the details and delivery mechanisms for the payment which will be announced in due course.

The former Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills met with SQA on a number of occasions and I have had an early discussion with the SQA Chief Executive on matters relating to the delivery of SQA’s functions.

The Scottish Government is a member of the National Qualifications 2021 Group which was established to co-produce the Alternative Certification Model and oversee implementation. This, together with an associated working group, has met weekly since it was established in October 2020.

The Scottish Government is committed to implementing all of the recommendations of Baroness Cumberlege’s Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, entitled First Do No Harm, where they relate to the responsibilities of the Scottish Government. The steps being taken to achieve this are set out in the Scottish Government’s Delivery Plan - published on 24 March..

The Delivery Plan describes a programme of work based on a multi-layered approach to rapidly reduce, and eventually eradicate, harm associated with mesh, sodium valproate and Primidos applicable and relevant to the Scottish context. To do this, the Scottish Government will work collaboratively with colleagues across the NHS and representative groups to agree and implement this work programme across Scotland.

In relation to sodium valproate specifically, through implementation of the Neurological Care and Support Framework , the Scottish Government is funding the development of an epilepsy register in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire, with a view to roll out across all NHS Boards in Scotland. Initial discussions have been held regarding the potential to link with UK-wide data sets facilitated by MHRA, in order to ensure alignment with a UK-wide valproate registry.

Our commitment to tackling the climate emergency and transitioning to a net-zero society by 2045 is unwavering. In 2019, the whole-life carbon impact of Scotland’s household waste reached its lowest level since official recording began.

To help achieve this, building Scotland’s circular economy and reducing, recycling and reusing resources is vital. With this and our world leading climate change targets in mind, the Scottish Government have committed to review the role that incineration plays in Scotland’s waste hierarchy and will update Parliament on plans for this in due course.

To further accelerate progress, Scottish Ministers are fully committed to ending the practice of sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill by 2025. This is in line with recommendations made by the Committee on Climate Change.

We still need capacity to dispose of residual waste, which cannot be reused or recycled, while we make the transition to a circular economy in Scotland.

It is worth nothing, responsibility for dealing with any planning applications rests, in the first instance, with the local council as planning authority.

Responsibility for qualifications development sits with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

Existing Environmental Science qualifications (available at National 3, National 4, National 5 and Higher) draw from the sciences and social sciences and take a problem-solving approach to attempt to develop solutions that prevent or reverse environmental deterioration and aim for sustainable practices.

As part of the Learning for Sustainability Action Plan, SQA will consider the contribution Learning for Sustainability can make to new or revised qualifications, and will work with stakeholders to provide recognition, signposting or accreditation.

Consideration of options for extending the Borders Railway continues to be undertaken through the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). This is a national appraisal of strategic transport interventions and will conclude later this year.

As detailed in the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal, STPR2 will create the evidence base for future transport investment decisions by the Scottish Government. Depending on the outcome of STPR2, feasibility work would then progress on the basis of, and informed by, findings from this appraisal work.