Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government wants to ensure families affected by Huntington’s Disease are given the best possible care, information and support and I was pleased to meet with the Scottish Huntington’s Association recently to discuss services in Scotland.

The Scottish Government provides funding to Health Boards and Local Authorities, and it is ultimately for local partners to agree a joint, integrated budget which will enable them to meet the needs of local people in line with their Strategic Objectives.

While agreeing budgets is the responsibility of partnerships, we expect that these decisions be made in consultation with people who use services.

The abundance of fish in Scottish waters means that a varied industry has developed over time, with many different types of fishing vessels operating as part of a mixed fishery. There are different target fish species, depending on the type of fishing vessel and where it operates, and different issues around unwanted catch. Discarding in the nephrops trawl fishery does occur as whitefish it is typically in very small amounts and for very specific reasons. Historically, very small amounts of whitefish may be caught alongside nephrops. Since the introduction of the landing obligation, this unwanted catch can amount to a disproportionate cost for fisherman who have to land and then dispose of it. As such, the Scottish Government have utilised lawful exemptions to the landing obligation for these fish, in order to lessen the financial burden on these small nephrops vessels. These exempted fish are fully accounted for in quota calculations and factored into stock assessments.

Going forward, as part of the policy development of Scotland’s our Future Catching Policy, we have been working with industry to explore pragmatic technical and spatial measures to support fishers to reduce discarding. We also know there are improvements we can make to the implementation of the landing obligation that will make the rules around discarding more effective and will work with industry and others to develop this across Scotland’s diverse fleets in order to minimise instances of unwanted catch in the first place.

This is being supported by the rollout of remote electronic monitoring and vessel tracking technology to enable us to better monitor fishing operations, effort and catch with the aim of ensuring fishing activity remains sustainable, responsible and accountable across all of our waters.

While the management of Scottish waters is an area of devolved competency, the Scottish Government continues to work with the UK Government and other devolved administrations through the delivery of the Marine Wildlife Bycatch Mitigation Initiative (BMI) which is a joint plan for tackling bycatch across the UK to minimise, and where possible eliminate, bycatch of sensitive marine species.

It is important to note that all vessels authorised to operate in Scottish waters do so under the appropriate licences, and are obliged to follow Scottish domestic management rules. This includes a mandatory requirement for all vessels (including EU vessels) operating in UK waters to report all incidences of marine mammal bycatch to the Marine Management Organisation.

Designation as a statutory consultee places certain statutory obligations on the relevant body to provide comments on any application notified to them within a set time period. These obligations have to be met and funded by the organisation in question. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has not requested to become a statutory consultee at this time and we do not have plans at this stage to take this forward however we will of course continue discussions with SFRS on this matter as and when appropriate.

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to improving healthy life expectancy and addressing the underlying inequalities that contribute to health disparities across Scotland – and as part of that recognises the importance of addressing the wider determinants of health that are set out under Sir Michael Marmot’s eight principles.

We are currently working with local, regional and national level partners to develop a Population Health Framework, which will be co-published with COSLA in Spring 2025. The Framework will set out a cross-government and cross-sector approach improve the key building blocks of health which include: good early years and education; good work and income; healthy places; and equitable health care. It will have an overarching aim to accelerate the recovery and improvement of population health in Scotland.

In addition, Professor Sir Michael Marmot is currently working with Public Health Scotland, with councils and health boards (over the next two years), through the Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland, in three ‘Marmot Places’: North Ayrshire, Aberdeen City and South Lanarkshire.

The Collaboration is intended to help these local areas reduce health inequalities and improve wellbeing in their communities. It will gather, integrate and share learning from all parts of the system (the NHS, local government, community and voluntary sectors, and businesses) about what is and isn’t working, towards improving health equity across the whole country.

A significant amount of work has been undertaken to date, to progress the implementation of the 55 recommendations made as part of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland, involving a wide range of stakeholders across the public and third sector. We continue to work with the NHS, Third Sector and private providers to identify and cost an appropriate model of community care for any future service reform and ensure that the voices of those with lived experience inform this work.

A report outlining how each of the 55 recommendations set out in the Independent Review have been closed or transitioned, and the rationale for that, will be provided to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee imminently and will be made available on both the Committee website and https://www.all-ears.nhs.scot/

The Scottish Government has no powers over the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS).

Ofgem and Energy UK are leading a cross-industry response to the RTS shutdown which includes a public awareness campaign. However, progress has been slow. Ofgem’s data from suppliers show that between October 2024 and January 2025 around 18,700 RTS meters were replaced in Scotland. As of January 2025, there were still 146,302 RTS consumers in Scotland who need to have their meters replaced. The switch-off date has already been extended three times and a further extension is not expected.

People who rely on the RTS will experience real and considerable detriment unless meters are replaced by the switch-off date. This is especially true for those in our rural and island communities where expensive electric storage heaters are more prevalent. The Scottish Government continues to consistently convey this message to the UK Government, Ofgem, and suppliers.

Since the creation of the RTS Taskforce in autumn last year, the energy industry has progressed a series of pilot projects in areas with high numbers of RTS customers. These pilots have been intended to target several upgrades at once while understanding and addressing technical challenges. However, many still wait for engineers who simply do not turn up or are insufficiently trained to upgrade the meter in question. The Scottish Government has asked for additional enforcement action to be put in place to reduce these instances and ensure that every household is fitted with a fully functioning meter before the deadline.

While we do not hold the necessary powers to direct Ofgem or suppliers, we are committed to raising awareness and working with those responsible to ensure consumers are not negatively affected by the switch-off. This includes contributing to RTS related engagement, consultations, and roundtables as well as raising the media profile of the switch-off. We have written to the UK Government, Ofgem, and industry on several occasions to press them to take the necessary steps to protect consumers in Scotland from detriment – highlighting the specific needs of rural and island communities and the availability of working smart meters as a viable solution – and continue to advocate for Scottish RTS users at every opportunity.

Any consumers experiencing difficulties with their supplier should contact Advice Direct Scotland (ADS). ADS receives funding from the Scottish Government as part of our devolved responsibilities for consumer advocacy and advice. Services include the free national energy advice helpline, available on 0808 196 8660 or at energyadvice.scot.

With just over three months to the deadline, and no clear Plan B, the UK Government and Ofgem must use their relevant powers to take urgent and proportionate action to substantially increase the number of properties upgraded. This is particularly pressing in rural and island areas where the number of RTS meters is disproportionate and where the impact on already high levels of fuel poverty could be significant.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-35647 on 21 March 2025. 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.

A conditional marketing authorisation was granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for givinostat (Duvyzat®) on 20 December 2024. A conditional marketing authorisation is an early temporary licence.

The pharmaceutical company that markets Duvyzat® has offered a national Early Access Programme which provides free of charge access to the medicine for the treatment of ambulant young people aged six years and older with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This has been in place since late December 2024.

It is for individual Health Boards to consider the implementation of any new medicine, and ultimately for the clinician in charge of a person’s care to advise on suitable treatment options. The Scottish Government is aware that Health Boards are currently considering how to schedule offering this medicine in the most fair and equitable manner.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-35647 on 21 March 2025. 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-35647 on 21 March 2025. 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.