Chamber and committees

The consultation responses have been analysed and the Scottish Government published a consultation analysis and government response to the consultation prior to the draft SSI being laid before parliament, which will occur by 1 October 2023.

The consultation analysis can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781835210758

The government response can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781835210925

We have committed to investing £97.5m over a five year period from 2021-22 to 2025-26 to support The Scottish Ambulance Services fleet replacement programme, which includes dedicated funding to support the introduction of over 250 electric vehicles.

Transport Scotland's Switched on Fleets programme has also invested just under £8.4m to support the decarbonisation of vehicles and install associated infrastructure.

Ministers and Officials follow the Scottish Government’s travel policies when travelling on official business. The policy for air travel is outlined below. Section 5 of the policy relates to private air travel.

Travelling by air - Colleagues can book flights for long distances, but should choose greener forms of transport, for example bus or rail, for shorter journeys.

Things to consider before booking flights - Before booking flights you should be aware that:

• mainland UK flights need to be approved at director level
• economy class should be used for journeys of 10 hours or less
• business class is only permitted if the flying time on a specific flight is more than 10 hours one-way, unless otherwise agreed
• always try to book well ahead of the planned trip to enable the travel agent to find competitively-priced tickets

To maximise negotiated fares/services available to the SG all official air travel must be booked through the SG’s Travel Agent. This should include travel required in emergencies as the SG’s Travel Agent operates an out of hours service.

1. Class of Travel -The class of air travel is governed by the airline’s fare structures on the various routes, the level of the officer travelling, and the duration of the flight. The following information sets out entitlements. Countersigning Officers may however exercise discretion.

Fare Structure Available on Flight Level of entitlement

Economy All staff

Business Senior Civil Service – however economy is encouraged

First Senior Civil Service in exceptional circumstances with prior approval of Director General.

2. Domestic flights - Air travel within the mainland United Kingdom should only be made with Director level (or above) approval.

The SG wishes to show leadership in getting best value for money, and prudent use of the public purse. Economy Class must be used in all circumstances where this is available, unless the Countersigning Officer is willing to sanction a higher level of ticket in accordance with the exception:

Where a member of staff, who is not a Senior Civil Servant, necessarily travels for official reasons, in company with a person who is not a United Kingdom civil servant, and who is travelling in a higher class.

Last minute bookings should be avoided. In exceptional circumstances, or where the Director is not available, retrospective Director level approval can be sought. However, before bookings are made you should discuss it with your line manager and inform your Director’s office of your intentions.

3. Travel to London -The presumed method of travel for staff going to London on official business is rail. Staff who intend to fly to London must obtain Director level authorisation. The SG’s Travel Agent can provide more detailed information on fares and ticket types.

4. Overseas travel -When travelling on official business staff should travel economy on any individual flight when the flying time (one way) is less than 10 hours.

Business class travel is only permitted when:

the flying time (one way) for that flight is more than 10 hours, or

the Countersigning Officer is willing to sanction a higher level of ticket in accordance with exception noted in part 2.

5. Charter flights - Special regulations apply in connection with the charter of air transport. The SG’s Travel Agent must be consulted in all cases where it is proposed to use that method of travel. The exception is if the aircraft is chartered by another government department.

International waste export legislation is a reserved matter for the UK Government. However we are working with the UK Government to support the delivery of its existing commitment to ban plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries, while urging it to go further and consider banning the export of plastic waste from the UK to all countries.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19387 on 24 July 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-answer.

While the UK-led Warm Home Prescription pilot was reportedly extended into Aberdeenshire in late 2022, the Scottish Government understands that an evaluation of this pilot is not available at the present time and the Scottish Government does not hold data on general practice prescriptions for the Warm Homes pilot. The Scottish Government would consider the merits of the approach upon receipt of any evaluation and would discuss with partners as appropriate at that time, dependent on the data and research findings provided.

The information requested is not centrally held by the Scottish Government but may be available from individual NHS Boards.

The Scottish Government is working to issue the Primary Care Improvement Fund allocation letter to all Health and Social Care Partnerships as soon as practicable and by end of August 2023 at the latest.

The majority of planning appeals are decided by reporters from Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) of the Scottish Government. Whilst Scottish ministers have the power to recall an appeal for their own decision, they would normally only do so in appeals that raise issues of national importance.

Windfarm appeal decisions are made on the planning merits of the case and in overall accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Reporters take full account of all submissions made by parties, including any representations from members of the local community. The reporter will carry out an inspection of the appeal site and surrounding area.

The current starting salary for a fully qualified/registered teacher in Scotland is £37,896, compared to (a) £28,000 in England and (b) £29,278 in Wales.