Chamber and committees

The National Rail Conversation will be formally launched in April to mark the one year anniversary of ScotRail coming in to public ownership. Through the National Rail Conversation, we will listen to feedback from passengers, staff and stakeholders to shape a vision for ScotRail which best meets the needs of the people of Scotland. I will announce the timetable for the conversation at the launch.

The Rail Trade Unions were consulted about the selection of an individual to sit as a Non-Executive Directoron the Scottish Rail Holdings Board. The individual currently selected is the General Secretary for the STUC.

Transport Scotland currently has no plans to abolish return fares on ScotRail passenger services.

The Drug Deaths Taskforce was comprised of a range of individuals selected for their expertise in a personal capacity or on behalf of the organisations they represent, including those with lived and living experience.

The Scottish Government welcomes their final report which has provided a roadmap for future delivery, including 20 recommendations and 139 detailed actions. In response to this, we have published a cross-government action plan which includes a broad range of initiatives aiming to improve access to treatment and support for people with complex needs. All of the work set out in this action plan is framed within the context of the government’s wider efforts to address the social determinants of health.

The government have committed to investing £250m over the course of the parliament to delivering the National mission, and there is a comprehensive approval process in place to ensure best value for public money.

The Corra Foundation is responsible for operating funds which distribute money to third sector and grass roots organisations, who will play a vital role in reducing drug related deaths. Funding applications are assessed through robust assessment panels, which give people with either personal or professional lived and living experience of frontline services a voice in the decision-making process.

To further improve transparency and show the direction and impact of the funding we have committed, we published the first national mission annual report in November 2022. This report outlines the breadth of activity undertaken by public and third sector services in the first year of the national mission. We intend to publish a retrospective annual report every year for the remainder of the mission.

To support organisations and communities who wish to purchase a defibrillator, Scottish Government published a guide in 2018 providing advice on purchasing and installing a public access defibrillator. This can be found at the following link: Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: guide to public access defibrillators - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The guide includes information on organisations who operate subsidised schemes for the purchase of publicly accessible defibrillators. The British Heart Foundation is one of these organisations, they provide part funded defibrillators for communities alongside free ReVivr CPR training. More information on the BHF scheme can be found at the following link: https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators/apply-for-a-public-access-defibrillator

St John's Scotland also operate a community defibrillator scheme Public Access Community Defibrillators | St John Scotland

Scottish Ambulance Service can also provide advice and support around defibrillator purchase ( Automated External Defibrillators (scottishambulance.com) )

Scottish Government is a key partner in the Save a Life for Scotland partnership which delivers the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy 2021 – 2026. A key aim of this strategy is to increase the percentage of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest incidents which have a defibrillator applied before the ambulance service arrives from 8% to 20%.

This is not only about increasing the number of defibrillators in public places but also about building the evidence base to support defibrillator guardians to make strategic decisions about the placement of their defibrillators, to encourage their registration with Scottish Ambulance Service and to increase public confidence and knowledge around defibrillation. We are working as part of the Save a Life Scotland partnership to deliver on these aims.

Scotland’s Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Report 2019-2022 highlights that the number of Public Access Defibrillators (PAD) in communities across Scotland that are registered with “The Circuit” has more than doubled since 2019 and is now at almost 5,000. The full report can be found here: https://savealife.scot/ohca-report-2019-22/

Funding for Local Authorities is provided through the annual block grant settlement from the Scottish Government. Local authorities should use funding resources allocated to them in the manner which they believe will best meet local needs and circumstances within their respective areas.

Therefore, decisions on the installation and maintenance of defibrillators in schools is a matter for Local Authorities to consider at the local level.

A number of organisations provide advice and support for the purchasing and maintenance of defibrillators. This includes

The British Heart Foundation: https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators/apply-for-a-public-access-defibrillator

St Johns Scotland Public Access Community Defibrillators | St John Scotland

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) are invited as a member of the delivery group for the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy 2021 – 2026, as are Scottish Government. This work is overseen by Save a Life for Scotland and is focused on delivery of the aims included within the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy 2021 – 2026.

This information can be found in the published Pain Management Panel report. This is available here: Pain Management Panel consultations: report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government welcomes the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service announcement of a review into the process for dealing with warrants. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service exercises its functions independently of Government - it is entirely a matter for the SCTS to consider what action is necessary here.

The guidance issued by Lord Justice Edis seeks to prevent utility warrant applications being made and considered in bulk. That is already the position in Scotland.