Chamber and committees

We have contacted 29 buildings so far to offer the direct provision of fire engineers. Once we ascertain consent and details, we will move to the contracting process.

Decisions on the allocation of its capital budget including fleet, equipment and buildings is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Board. SFRS has a 10 year capital programme based on risk and decisions on fire station investment forms part of a wider review that the SFRS is carrying out on the assets it needs to protect communities from risk.

The safety of Scottish Fire and Rescue Service staff is paramount and SFRS continues to monitor the remedial measures which were immediately put in place to rectify the potentially defective roofs found in 14 fire stations. All 14 stations have had an options appraisal to identify the best option to rebuild or refurbish.

The Scottish Government continues to provide financial support to protect the bus network and passengers. On 22 June I announced that an additional £25.7 million will be provided to extend the Network Support Grant Plus until October of this year. In return, operators are subjected to controls on the level of fare increases, controls on profits, Fair Work requirements and an expectation as to service levels run. I will be convening a group of Scotland’s bus operators to discuss how we can support network recovery, and place the sector on a sustainable financial footing for the long term. I would encourage operators and local authorities to work together to ensure that connectivity is protected as passenger demand adjusts from the effects of the pandemic.

The Scottish Government is aware that Optima Health, Police Scotland’s occupational health and employee assistance programme providers, have advised that there are no issues in terms of availability of appointments at present.

The Scottish Government is clear that any woman with concerns about Essure must be taken seriously and any complications arising from it must result in appropriate care being given.

With this in mind, the Chief Medical Officer wrote to GPs and secondary care clinicians on 30 June 2022 to raise awareness of the Essure device and its potential complications, and to stress the importance of a consistent approach and clear treatment pathway for any women experiencing complications as a result of this device. The letter has been published here .

Women who suspect the device may be related to symptoms they are experiencing, such as persistent pain, should in the first instance be encouraged to talk to their clinicians about what steps may be appropriate. It is expected that any woman presenting to general practice with symptoms or who wishes removal, should be referred to gynaecology specialists for investigation of symptoms, following local pathways.

Everyone needs a safe, warm place to call home, but I know that news of energy price rises will cause many people to worry about their fuel bills. My foremost concern is for households who are affected by these price rises, particularly those who are in or at risk of fuel poverty.

I also know that many energy consumers have seen their direct debit payments increase during this time, some to an excessive degree based on their usage. Unfortunately, regulation in the gas and electricity supply markets remains reserved to the UK Government meaning the Scottish Government’s potential actions are limited.

Within this context we have remained in contact with the UK Government and the energy regulator, Ofgem to raise the concerns of Scottish consumers in light of the large scale changes we are seeing in the energy market.

Since launching the Farm Advisory Service in 2016, which has seen over £20 million worth of support, we have ensured the service has worked in partnership with local agricultural agents and businesses through: regular stakeholder meetings, quarterly stakeholder updates, numerous sessions with agricultural agents and building in a robust feedback loop.

We have and will continue to offer a platform for the sector to feed into the service and have made a number of changes to the service from sector feedback in the past.

The Scottish Government has not carried out an evaluation of the performance of each NHS Board against Article 26 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme measures do not formally evidence the aims of Article 26 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Through the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme we reflect the aims of Article 26 of the Convention, particularly that rehabilitation begin at the earliest possible stage, and is based on the multidisciplinary assessment of individual needs and strengths.

Our Stroke Improvement Plan recognises that rehabilitation is key to improving people’s health and wellbeing. A refreshed Stroke Improvement Plan is in development and will reflect the key elements of a holistic model of stroke rehabilitation including assessment, interventions, evaluation and the rehabilitation infrastructure that supports the provision of coordinated care.

The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme (SSIP) report published on 28 June contains information on Stroke Improvement Plan (2014) priorities and actions; and can be found here: Scottish stroke improvement programme 2022 national report - Scottish stroke improvement programme - Publications - Public Health Scotland .

The Stroke Improvement Programme report 2022 containing the performance of Health Boards against the Stroke Improvement Plan priorities, including access to stroke therapy, is available at: https://www.strokeaudit.scot.nhs.uk/index.html .

The benchmark criteria for access to stroke therapy are not solely a measure of the initiation of therapy assessment within three days, but also consider the degree of multidisciplinary team (MDT) involvement and the documenting of discussions. A rating below ‘complete and embedded in practice’ does not mean that a board is not performing stroke therapy assessment within three days.

Our Stroke Improvement Plan recognises that rehabilitation is key to improving people’s health and wellbeing. A refreshed Stroke Improvement Plan is in development and will reflect the key elements of a holistic model of stroke rehabilitation including assessment, interventions, evaluation and the rehabilitation infrastructure that supports the provision of coordinated care.