Chamber and committees

The Report of the Task Force on Gear Conflict, while recommending Marine Scotland undertake targeted surveillance in areas where there is historically known to be gear conflict, also recognised that there are no statutory requirements for gear conflict avoidance or resolution and no easy solution to the problem. Our assets are tasked according to risks of legislative infringements and therefore there has been no specific tasking with regards to gear conflict.

However, we introduced The Gear Marking (Scotland) Order 2020, which makes it a legal requirement for a fishing vessel deploying buoys for fishing operations for those buoys display their name and registration number. This builds on the Best Practice Guidance for Marking Static Fishing Gear we published in August 2018. At sea, our Marine Protection vessels have been actively engaged in assuring compliance with this Order and our Inshore Protection Programme has enabled more agile and responsive monitoring in inshore waters.

In addition, the outcomes of our 2017 Inshore Fisheries Pilots initiative have worked to address some of the causes of gear conflict and test approaches aimed at mitigating them. Our Mull pilot for example successfully introduced temporal and spatial separation of the creel and scallop dredge fleet, while the Outer Hebrides pilot is testing creel limitation as well as a low cost approach to tracking and monitoring of fishing vessels.

We are also continuing to encourage the industry to develop voluntary codes of conduct and providing support wherever necessary. Our national network of Regional Inshore Fisheries Groups are the correct medium for such proposals to be proposed and developed.

In 2020 Marine Scotland introduced a new mechanism for reporting gear loss that aims to take a holistic approach, facilitating fishers being reunited with displaced gear. A report of lost gear can be made via any of our 18 Fishery Offices. The aim of this is to help fishers arrive at an amicable outcome, but that will also ensure all necessary information is available, should Police Scotland require to be involved.

The Scottish Government are continuing to progress our commitment to modernise the Scottish fleet by deploying appropriate and proportionate vessel tracking and monitoring systems across inshore vessels. Work is well underway with the extension of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) systems to the scallop dredge sector. Our Fisheries Management Strategy 2020-2030 also acknowledges the importance of making full use of technology to ensure more effective compliance and develop the evidence base to underpin future decision making. Wider extension of appropriate tracking systems across the inshore fleet is also one of the priorities under the recent Bute House Agreement.

In addition, our 2017 Inshore Fisheries Pilots initiative have worked to address some of the causative agents of gear conflict and test approaches aimed at mitigating them. Our Mull pilot for example has successfully introduced temporal and spatial separation of the creel and scallop dredge fleet, while the Outer Hebrides pilot is testing creel limitation as well as a low cost approach to monitoring fishing vessel activity.

The Scottish Government also continues to work collaboratively and closely with Police Scotland and in situations where gear conflict amounts to theft, Police Scotland should be contacted.

The Maternity and Children’s Quality Improvement Collaborative (MCQIC) is taking a quality improvement (QI) approach in its work to improve our understanding of the variation in caesarean section rates in Scotland. This work is in its early stages, with initial scoping work underway. The next phase of the QI work is due to commence early in the next quarter and will involve further engagement with NHS Boards.

MCQIC publishes resources relevant to its work on its website. Relevant outputs from this QI programme will also be shared in this way as the work progresses.

Maternity and Children Quality Improvement Collaborative (MCQIC) | Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) | ihub - Maternity and Children Quality Improvement Collaborative (MCQIC).

Resilience of the Energy Sector is reserved and therefore the responsibility of the UK Government.

Power Companies are required to meet statutory obligations under the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 with respect to minimum clearances from overhead lines, wires and cables including minimum ground clearance requirements.

The Scottish Government are contributing to both the Storm Arwen Ofgem review and the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) review and will carefully consider the findings to understand where improvements could be made in future.

In September 2021, the Scottish Government set out our approach and 16 commitments to improve care and support for people with long COVID in Scotland. Our approach is to ensure people have access to the support they need for assessment, diagnosis, care and rehabilitation in a setting as close to home as possible. Whilst long COVID clinics are one model NHS Boards may consider, we recognise that no one single approach is likely to fit all areas and circumstances.

It is for each NHS Board to develop and deliver the best models of care appropriate for their local population and that is why our Approach Paper underlines our commitment to making sure our NHS is resourced to respond innovatively to the needs of people with long COVID.

Our £10m Long COVID Support Fund will give NHS Boards additional resource to develop tailored approaches to best meeting the needs of people with long COVID in their local areas. This could include strengthening and improving the co-ordination of existing services, or establishing dedicated services (including ‘long COVID clinics’) if appropriate.

The Scottish Government is currently working closely with Building Digital UK (BDUK) to develop our understanding of what Project Gigabit means for Scotland. To date, Project Gigabit has primarily focussed on England with the procurement approach developed for the supplier market there. We want to be sure that any approach works in a Scottish context and is tailored to extend future-proofed digital connectivity across the country.

We hope to publish a Gigabit Open Market Review in the coming weeks which will inform any future gigabit procurement strategy for Scotland. We want to ensure that Scotland receives a fair share of Project Gigabit funding and support – a share commensurate with the scale of the challenge we face.

We expect the expert panel to be assembled in the coming months and to consist of a broad range of stakeholders. There are a diverse range of issues to be considered including biomass availability, competing demands, technology readiness, environmental and sustainability issues. Representation and format for the panel are yet to be agreed.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital importance of 4G for remote rural and island communities. Mobile telephony is however, as with wider Telecommunications policy, a Reserved subject area and the responsibility of the UK Government. The installation of alternative power supplies at mobile sites is a decision made by each operator.

The Scottish Government work closely with the UK government and operators to ensure that increasing resilience of the telecoms network in Scotland is a priority.

GP practices which are run by independent contractors must have arrangements in place which operate in accordance with section 15 of the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011. Patients should raise their concerns in the first instance by phoning, writing to or emailing the practice manager.

If patients are not satisfied with their GP practice's response, they can then raise their concern with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman. Any complains about a GP or GP practice that are upheld by the Ombudsman are directed to their contracting Health Board and are followed up by the Ombudsman's office to ensure that the actions and recommendations are implemented.

Social landlords are responsible for ensuring their housing stock complies with housing standards including the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH). Decisions on how the energy efficiency ratings required by EESSH are met, is an operational matter for individual social landlords and not something in which the Scottish Government can intervene. EESSH does not require the removal of fireplaces. Any decisions to remove fireplaces in social housing in rural communities lies solely with the social landlord who owns the housing stock.

Compliance with EESSH is reported to the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) and social landlords can claim exemptions where there are significant obstacles relating to cost, technology and necessary consent.