Chamber and committees

The antenatal booking appointment is usually the first contact point between the primary or named midwife and pregnant women. We expect all women to have an initial assessment of their health, obstetric and social needs completed, and be offered appropriate screening referrals and other care options by the 12th full week of pregnancy.

The Scottish Government Local Delivery Plan standard for early access to antenatal care states that at least 80% of pregnant women in each Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile will have booked for antenatal care by the 12th week of gestation. This standard has been met or exceeded consistently since 2013-14. Public Health Scotland published its latest annual statistical report on antenatal booking, Antenatal Booking in Scotland , in March 2023, which shows that 92.8% of pregnancies were booked by 12 weeks in the year ending 31 December 2022.

Anti-social behaviour is clearly unacceptable on Scotland's public transport, and in wider society, and we are committed to tackling it. The police, local authorities and other agencies are responsible for tackling anti-social behaviour at the local level. These agencies, empowered by the Scottish Government, work in a concerted and co-ordinated way with local people to co-ordinate activities to tackle the problem of anti-social behaviour in communities.

Formal Warnings, Fixed Penalty Notices and Anti-social Behaviour Orders, alongside positive diversionary and early intervention activities can be used. Police Scotland and Local Authority Anti-Social Behaviour teams support bus operators to enforce their conditions of carriage and British Transport Police is responsible for law enforcement on Scotland’s rail network.

To tackle the issue of Anti-Social behaviour, BTP formed a Safer Transport Strategic Group bringing together partners from the wider transport network with the aim to create a safe space on all modes of transport through partnership working.

In regards to monitoring data and recorded incidents of anti-social behaviour on Scotland’s railway the British Transport Police holds this and can be contacted at [email protected].

Families told us, as part of the Best Start engagement process, that they wanted the best care possible for their babies. Evidence tells us that the very smallest and sickest babies will get the best outcomes if they care cared for in high volume units.

This change will affect families in many different parts of Scotland, and the Chief Executive of Bliss sits on the Best Start Programme Board and was a participant in the options appraisal process, representing the views of neonatal families.

Scottish Government will be consulting with families in the affected areas on implementation of the new model, so that we can take account of their concerns when the pathways and processes for the new model of care are designed. This will affect a very small number of families, however, it is important that we hear the voices of those families to input into design of service delivery.

Neonatal units will also continue to seek parent feedback locally to ensure opportunities to improve experiences of care for families are identified.

The decision on whether or not to proceed with planned commercial rollout of broadband infrastructure is a matter solely for the relevant broadband infrastructure provider and their own internal governance. However, the Scottish Government is working to incentivise further commercial build through the series of pledges that comprise our Full Fibre Charter, and I am encouraged by discussions that took place with suppliers at last month’s Charter Forum.  

Any homes or businesses not in a supplier’s commercial build plans, and which cannot access a superfast connection, are being supported to access a minimum of a superfast service through the Scottish Government’s R100 programme.

We are acutely aware that energy consumers, and especially consumers that receive treatment at home, are feeling the impacts of recent price hikes in the cost of electricity. We are aware of a variation in practice surrounding reimbursement policies for electricity costs relating to home dialysis. We are working with health boards to understand how best to achieve national consistency so that patients undergoing home dialysis are protected from the impact of high electricity prices, wherever they live.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22375 on 3 November 2023 . 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 .

Taxis and private hire cars are licensed under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 ("the 1982 Act"). While the Scottish Government has responsibility for the overarching legislation, the day to day administration of the licensing regime is devolved to independent licensing authorities – in effect the 32 Scottish local authorities. The 1982 Act authorises a licensing authority to appoint, after consultation, stances for taxis.

There are no current plans to review the taxi licensing regime, as set out in the 1982 Act. If there are any issues with any specific taxi stances/bays this will be a matter for the relevant licensing authority to consider and address where appropriate.

Earlier this year the Scottish Government published updated ‘Best practice guidance for local licensing authorities and taxi and private hire car operators on the licensing of taxis and private hire cars and their drivers’.

This guidance offers best practice advice to licensing authorities on a range of issues relating to the licensing of taxis, private hire cars and their drivers and was revised with the assistance of a working group including representatives from the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, local licensing authorities, taxi and private hire car trade representatives and UNITE the Union.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22375 on 3 November 2023 . 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 .

95 wind applications have been consented by Scottish Ministers, under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, in the last ten years. Effects on peatland (where relevant) are assessed on a case by case basis in accordance with current methodology and available tools, including the carbon calculator , and are taken into account through the statutory consultation process with SEPA and NatureScot when considering applications made to Scottish Ministers.

The Scottish Government does not collate peatland data from each application and we are therefore unable to provide analysis of how much peatland has been excavated and restored and how much carbon has been emitted from those consented developments (if built). Applications and related environmental information are advertised and made publicly available for inspection in accordance with the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 and the Electricity (Applications for Consent) Regulations 1990.

More about our processes and consultation requirements can be found on the Scottish Government website .