Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-22154

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with energy network operators and the wider utilities sector to review their processes for (a) establishing restoration plans and timelines during times of severe weather and (b) communicating regular updates to responders and the public.

The Energy sector is reserved to the UK Government. This limits the Scottish Government ’ s ability to directly engage with energy network operators and ask for a review of their processes.

However, the Scottish Government does regularly engage with UK Government Departments and the energy network operators in Scotland along with the wider utilities, particularly during severe weather events, where we encourage and emphasise the importance of accurate restoration plans and timelines.

In addition, we continue to work closely with the UK Government lead departments when they are developing statutory reporting arrangements and will make clear the requirements of the Scottish Government during a severe weather response.

The Scottish Government also supports the three Regional Resilience Partnerships (RRPs) who coordinate communications between Scottish Government, utility companies and categorised responder organisations who are working in affected areas during emergency responses. In this role the RRP coordinators engage with stakeholders on restoration plans at a local level as well as in the statutory requirement of category one responders to communicate with the public in emergency responses.

Question reference: S6W-22121

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its implementation of the short-term recommendations from the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland.

There are a number of recommendations that have been made through the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland, many of which are targeted specifically at Health Boards and other partners, as well as the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government is considering all of the recommendations made. Given the broad scope of the recommendations, and the seriousness of the issues raised, it is important that sufficient time is taken to fully plan how any actions will be taken forward.

We will provide an update to Parliament in due course.

Question reference: S6W-22141

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for the funding that it provided to Relationships Scotland - Tayside and Fife in 2022.

The Scottish Government did not provide any direct funding to Relationships Scotland Tayside & Fife in 2022.

Relationships Scotland operate a network of 21 Member Services across Scotland, including Relationships Scotland Tayside & Fife.

In 2022, the Scottish Government provided Relationships Scotland with core funding via the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning & Empowering Communities third sector fund; and with grant funding to provide child contact services.

Question reference: S6W-22143

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what objectives it set for the funding that it provided to Avenue Confidential in 2022.

The Scottish Government did not provide any funding directly to Avenue Confidential in 2022.

Relationships Scotland operate a network of 21 Member Services across Scotland, including Avenue Confidential (known as Avenue).

In 2022, the Scottish Government provided Relationships Scotland with core funding via the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning & Empowering Communities third sector fund; and grant funding to provide child contact services.

Question reference: S6W-22122

Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish all correspondence that it had with the British Dental Association Scotland between 1 October 2022 and 5 October 2023 regarding reform of the dental payment system.

Question reference: S6W-22070

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many women have had to travel outside their NHS board area for an abortion in each year since 2019-20, also broken down by the patients' NHS board.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) data is provided below on numbers of patients receiving abortion treatment in a Health Board other than their Board of residence.

It is not possible to distinguish how many patients had to receive treatment in another Health Board or how many chose to do so.

Number of terminations where Board of treatment is different from Board of residence, Scotland, 2019 to 2022.

Health board of residence	2019	2020	2021	2022 (Provisional)
NHS Ayrshire and Arran	15	8	7	9
NHS Borders	*	*	*	*
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	*	*	*	*
NHS Fife	82	73	84	85
NHS Forth Valley	12	23	14	12
NHS Grampian	11	*	10	*
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde	9	6	8	8
NHS Highland	116	131	158	144
NHS Lanarkshire	348	343	266	273
NHS Lothian	5	10	6	8
NHS Tayside	9	14	11	14
Island Boards	53	45	37	45
Total	665	660	605	605

Excludes terminations where board of residence is not known or terminations were carried out privately.

* Indicates values that have been suppressed due to the potential risk of disclosure.

Question reference: S6W-22091

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many hospital pharmacists have been employed in each NHS board area in each year since 1999.

Information on how many hospital pharmacists have been employed in each NHS board area in each year since 2012, can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot .

Data is not held from before 2012. The following figures include all pharmacists working in any territorial board, in Acute, Mental Health, or in a Community Hospital setting. It excludes ‘central staff’ since some of these were employed in primary care, but includes Golden Jubilee National Hospital and National Waiting Times Centre staff. Figures provided are head count.

NHS Board	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Ayrshire & Arran	61	66	70	66	78	65	74	70	67	67	86
Borders	14	12	11	14	14	12	15	15	14	15	16
Dumfries & Galloway	18	17	19	20	20	18	23	24	27	18	23
Fife	29	24	30	35	36	52	43	42	49	52	53
Forth Valley	37		36	36	38	42	42	42	38	35	45
Grampian	74	77	70	87	84	85	90	84	88	95	87
Greater Glasgow & Clyde	203	296	245	236	236	238	241	222	233	239	236
Highland	49		53	47	46	43	45	46	44	41	46
Lanarkshire	82	83	82	82	87	90	95	100	98	97	91
Lothian	137	152	162	151	159	163	175	146	167	172	171
Orkney		2	2	2	3	3	3	2	3	4	4
Shetland		3	2	1	3	3	3	3	4	3	3
Tayside	70	69	67	71	69	68	78	68	68	76	70
Western Isles	3	66	4	4	3	4	5	4	4	4	5
GJNH / National Waiting Times Centre	11	9	12	13	16	17	17	19	19	20	19
National total	788	810	865	865	892	903	949	887	923	938	955

Question reference: S6W-22071

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether its ministers have engaged with any of their counterparts in Northern Ireland, Wales and England about introducing abortion clinic buffer zones in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-22079

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many prison cells currently containing two or more inmates have less than 7m² living space, excluding space dedicated to sanitary facilities, broken down by prison.

Question reference: S6W-22088

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the eligibility criteria for the Young Patients Family Fund.

Chamber and committees