Chamber and committees

There have been 28 personal injury accidents on the A90 north of Aberdeen from where the A944 intersects with the A90 to where the A90 meets the A98 in Fraserburgh since 1 April 2021 .

Over the past three years, 2020 to 2022, the monthly average sales income per Scottish fishing vessel ranged from £3,000 during 2020 in the under 10 metre fleet, and £295,000 during 2022 in the over 24 metre fleet.

Table 1: Average fishing income per vessel (£’000), Scotland, 2020-2022

Source: Economics of the UK Fishing Fleet 2021 — Seafish and Economics of the Fishing Fleet 2022 — Seafish.

There have been 49 personal injury accidents on the A90 between Dundee (Emmock Roundabout) and Stonehaven, where Slug Road crosses the A90 since 1 April 2021.

Information on non-injury accidents is not held by the Scottish Ministers

The Scottish Government will publish a Review of the 2019 Food Waste Reduction Action Plan early in 2024 which will outline progress towards the 2025 target. We will also publish the second consultation for the Circular Economy and Waste Route Map, detailing the Scottish Government proposals to deliver our system-wide, comprehensive vision for Scotland’s circular economy to 2030.

The Scottish Government regularly holds cross-portfolio meetings to discuss matters related to public health. The overall governance for cross-portfolio engagement on population health and its drivers is the Care and Wellbeing Portfolio. The most recent cross portfolio meeting under this governance was the Place and Wellbeing Programme Board (which sits within the Care and Wellbeing Portfolio) which last met on 7 December. Matters discussed included progress on how health and social care bodies can operate as effective anchor institutions and contribute to improved public health, as part of the wider community wealth building agenda.

The Care and Wellbeing Portfolio Board, which provides oversight of a portfolio of work to improve population health; address inequalities and improve system sustainability, last met on 26 July 2023.

At that meeting the Board considered joint work across Economy/Health and Social Care Portfolios and Public Health Scotland on economic inactivity and the impact it has on Scotland’s economy and population health. The Board also discussed the Verity House Agreement and the shared priorities of tackling poverty, transforming our economy through a just transition to deliver net zero and, delivering sustainable, person-centred public services. 

The Board next meets on the 24 January 2024 and is scheduled to consider long term planning around population health.

Additionally, the Scottish Government has regular cross-portfolio meetings about wider determinants that contribute to improving public health - including the Tackling Child Poverty Programme Board, the Fair Work Oversight Group and the Ministerial Population Taskforce.

The Scottish Government remains committed to introducing Land Reform legislation to further improve transparency of land ownership, help ensure large scale land holdings deliver in the public interest, and empower communities by providing more opportunities to own land and have more say in how land in their area is used.

It is important that the proposals in the Bill are robust to address the problems identified and to ensure this we are giving further consideration to measures in the Bill. Land reform is complex, and we are taking time to ensure that we have fully considered all responses to the consultation and subsequent comments from stakeholders.

To allow time for this further consideration and ensure we get the proposals right for introduction, we are planning a slight delay to the introduction of the Bill but it remains a Programme for Government commitment for 2023-24.

The Scottish Government also remains fully committed to ensuring that tenant farmers and small landholders are given equality of opportunity to access the new agricultural support framework. We will ensure that the future four tier agricultural support framework is able to work for all types of land tenure.

The impact assessments to inform proposals to introduce a charge on single-use disposable beverage cups are currently being developed, in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland, and will be published alongside the public consultation in due course.

There have been zero fatalities as a result of road accidents on the A90 between Stonehaven, where Slug Road crosses the A90, and by Aberdeen, where Skene road (A944) intersects with the A90 since 1 April 2021.

The NHS Scotland National Access Policy states that Health Boards should review reasons why patients may DNA or cancel appointments in order to take necessary steps to address issues and barriers as necessary including what support can be provided by Health Boards to reduce non-attendance. The policy can be found at The NHSScotland National Access Policy - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Public Health Scotland data up to 30 September 2023 showed the Did Not Attend (DNA) rates for New Outpatients has reduced by 1% over the last year - from 7.7% on 30 September 2023 to 6.7% in the most recent quarter. While DNA rates for inpatient and day-cases has been consistently at 0.7% in each quarter over the same period.

We recognise the importance of transparent and regular communication with patients, which is why we have included a standard package of communications that all Health Boards should be providing in the revised Waiting Times Guidance . This includes what patients should expect and their responsibilities while they are waiting for their appointment, test or treatment.

Local Authorities are accountable to their local communities and have the financial freedom to operate independently, taking account of local needs.

As independent corporate bodies, it is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

Ultimately, it is for locally elected representatives to make local decisions on how best to deliver services to their local communities.