Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00315 on
17 June 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

Scottish Government officials met with representatives of small drinks producers on 2 July 2021. We will consider their views alongside the findings of the Gateway Review into Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme.

The recruitment of members for the new Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel will be underway imminently. The Panel will comprise a Chair and five Members, at least one of whom must have lived experience of fuel poverty. Assuming there are sufficient applicants who meet the criteria and can be recommended for appointment, we expect the Panel to be in place by early November.

We have provided funding to Energy Action Scotland for a number of years to undertake a programme of work that supports Scottish Government fuel poverty policy development and delivery, as well as increasing stakeholder awareness of fuel poverty issues in Scotland . In 2020-21 this amounted to £130,000.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we also made funding available to a number of organisations to assist households struggling with their energy costs. The Fuel Bank Foundation was provided with £877,000 in total, which it used primarily to provide same-day top ups to households with prepayment meters who were at risk of self-disconnecting. Later their services were extended to include households reliant upon unregulated fuels such as heating oil. Advice Direct Scotland delivered the Home Heating Support Fund on our behalf, making available £1,050,000 to households referred by specialist energy and debt advice services, who were at serious risk of self rationing their energy use, regardless of fuel type or meter type. A further £2,100,000 was provided to the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations to deliver the Social Housing Fuel Support Fund, which supported member RSLs to deliver schemes designed to support tenants experiencing fuel insecurity.

Further funding is planned for 2021-22, as part of the Social Renewal Advisory Board Response Fund, which will build on the projects undertaken over the last year. Details are expected to be confirmed soon.

In line with our Programme for Government commitment, the Fuel Poverty Strategy will be published by the end of this year. We will consult with a wide range of relevant stakeholders. The timescale for this consultation will be confirmed in due course.

The information requested regarding the number of NHS staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 at a hospital level is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Public Health Scotland publishes Health Care Worker Data by NHS Board, this information can be accessed here:

Dashboard - COVID-19 Statistical Report - 14 July 2021 - COVID-19 statistical report - Publications - Public Health Scotland.

The option for women aged 71 and over to self-refer for a breast screening appointment will resume once capacity in all screening centres returns to pre-Covid or close to pre-Covid levels. This is based on the recommendation of the Scottish Screening Committee, the National Screening Oversight and the Breast Screening Programme Board, all three of whom are keeping the situation under regular review. They are also working closely with Health Boards to increase appointments and meet this criteria as soon as possible. We continue to emphasise that everyone should remain symptom aware and report any symptoms to their GP immediately for these to be investigated.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government or by Public Health Scotland.

Information relating to the number of suspected cancer referrals made by NHS dentists would be held by individual Health Boards.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Information on how many NHS dental consultations were emergencies is held with the individual dentist. However, the overall number of NHS dental consultations can be found on Public Health Scotland at: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/dental-statistics-fees-and-treatments/dental-statistics-fees-and-treatments-statistics-as-at-march-2020/ .

We have provided additional funding to NHS Boards where required to support prioritised care for individuals affected by the incident within the cervical screening programme.

Four Boards have requested funding to provide additional clinics as follows:

• Lanarkshire - £28,000
• Lothian - £8,098
• GGC - £5,000
• Fife: £2,700

No other Boards have requested funding, but we will keep the situation under review and will provide further funding if needed. Additionally, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, who are helping support the response with their Helpline, have also received funding from the Scottish Government.