Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is aware that East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership, along with many areas across the country, is experiencing extreme pressures due to increased demand for care and staffing pressures, due to annual leave, sickness and self-isolation of staff. The partnership has taken the difficult decision to temporarily relocate the bed capacity and staff from Edington Hospital to East Lothian Hospital to maintain safe staffing levels and provide safe and functional care. The partnership also has plans to open 10 additional interim care beds at Crookson Care Home within 3 months, which will provide additional step-down capacity and help improve the flow through hospital.

East Lothian Integrated Joint Board has established a Care Homes and Community Hospital Change Board, to oversee the developments and look at the longer term options for community hospitals in East Lothian, Including Belhaven and Edington hospitals.

We are working with Health Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships to address current workforce issues and improve hospital flow and discharge arrangements across Scotland.

The Scottish Government and all associated agencies, are currently working towards the targets set out in the 2019-20 Programme for Government, where we outlined our commitment to phase out the need for all petrol or diesel cars in the public sector fleet by 2025 and for all other new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee on the Climate Emergency is currently being established. Once finalised, the remit of the new Sub-committee, including its membership and operating arrangements will be subject to approval by the First Minister. It is however envisaged that the first meeting will take place during October 2021.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02823 on 24 September 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 committed to deliver the National Transitions to Adulthood strategy as part of the 2021 Programme for Government and within this Parliamentary term. Our priority is to start early discussions with disabled children and young people to have their voices clearly heard across developing policies that impact on their daily lives, which we plan to undertake by January 2022. In addition we will review responses to the National Care Service consultation on the inclusion of children's social work and social care services as a route to reduce complexity and improve transitions and support for those that need access to a range of services.

We will carry this out in the context of wider work that has a direct impact on these children and families including United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) / United Nation Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD), Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) Refresh, the Promise, the Review of Additional Support for Learning Implementation on Support for Learning: All our Children and All their Potential , Fair Work, and Mental Health.

As concluded in the Initial Appraisal: Case for Change for the Glasgow City Region, the re-opening of disused rail lines and associated stations within Glasgow City Centre was one of the interventions recommended for the next stage of appraisal. This option is one of 58 potential new stations across Scotland that are being appraised as part of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

The appraisal process for STPR2 is considering the performance of all options against the transport outcomes we are seeking, the Transport Planning Objectives, which are aligned to our National Transport Strategy priorities and outcomes. The interventions will seek to contribute to our vision of a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

Therefore, we need to consider the social and economic benefits and impacts based on performance against these objectives and the five Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria, to determine the overall Value for Money. This also takes into account risks, uncertainties and other factors such as affordability, deliverability and the wider acceptability of options. This will be an important consideration given pressures on current and future public finances.

Also underpinning STPR2 is the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy where we will aim first to reduce the need to travel unsustainably, make better use of and enhance existing infrastructure, before investing in new capacity. This hierarchy is also central to Infrastructure Investment Plan. STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

Until the appraisal process is completed, it is not possible to make individual decisions on potential new stations such as Parkhead North.

Future transport investment decisions, such as the reopening of the former station at Finnieston, are being considered within the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). As concluded in the Initial Appraisal: Case for Change for the Glasgow City Region, the re-opening of disused rail lines and associated stations within Glasgow City Centre was one of the interventions recommended for the next stage of appraisal, together with wider proposals for a Glasgow Metro.

The appraisal process for STPR2 is considering the performance of all options against the transport outcomes we are seeking, the Transport Planning Objectives, which are aligned to our National Transport Strategy priorities and outcomes. The interventions will seek to contribute to our vision of a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

Therefore, we need to consider the social and economic benefits and impacts based on performance against these objectives and the five Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria, to determine the overall Value for Money. This also takes into account risks, uncertainties and other factors such as affordability, deliverability and the wider acceptability of options. This will be an important consideration given pressures on current and future public finances.

Also underpinning STPR2 is the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy where we will aim first to reduce the need to travel unsustainably, make better use of and enhance existing infrastructure, before investing in new capacity. This hierarchy is also central to Infrastructure Investment Plan. STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

In 2016 the Scottish Government committed to invest up to £125 million in the Aberdeen City Region Deal, matched by the UK Government. Alongside the Deal, the Scottish Government announced an additional £254 million of investment in the North East’s Infrastructure.

This includes £200 million to help improve journey times and increase capacity on key rail links between Aberdeen and the Central Belt, and £24m for a new grade separated junction at the Laurencekirk A90/A937 south junction. The rail improvement project is on course to conclude option selection by early next year and we expect to complete the project by the end of 2026. We also continue to push forward with the statutory authorisation stage for the A90/A937 Laurencekirk Junction Improvement scheme. Delivery of the scheme itself can only commence if it is approved under the relevant statutory procedures, at which point a timetable for the construction phase can be set.

In addition, up to £10 million was committed to help extend digital infrastructure across the City Deal region and the City Network Extension project, which is delivering full fibre connectivity to a number of public sector sites across the city of Aberdeen, is expected to complete later this year while the Full Fibre Project in Aberdeenshire is expected to complete next year.

To date no eligible housing infrastructure projects have been submitted as part of the £20m indicative allocation referred to in the 2016 agreement.

The Scottish Government collects information on households who apply to Local Authorities for homelessness assessment. This includes information on reasons for homelessness, including evictions, but does not include information on the time between evicted households having their tenancy terminated and formally presenting to the local authority. There are currently no plans to assess the feasibility of collecting this data.

Not all evicted households experience homelessness and approach their local authority for help, and not all who do will necessarily be assessed as homeless.

Landlords and lenders are legally required to inform the relevant local authority when they take action that puts a household at risk of homelessness due to eviction by completing a Section 11 Notice. On receiving notification, the local authority should take the most pro-active approach possible to prevent homelessness occurring appropriate to the particular case.

All current Scottish Government Homelessness data collections, their guidance and the resulting publications can be found here .