Chamber and committees

I am pleased to confirm the Scottish Government has no plans to close any ScotRail ticket offices, unlike proposals from UK Government train operators to close ticket offices elsewhere and this includes the Avanti ticket office at Glasgow Central station.

I have written to the UK (Rail) Minister setting out the Scottish Government’s objection to these proposed ticket office closures and raising strong concerns around potential impacts on disabled and other passengers who rely on support from station staff to access rail services. My letter was copied to Andy Mellors, Managing Director, Avanti West Coast and Antony Smith, Chief Executive, Transport Focus.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17566 on 17 May 2023. Due to the annual budget cycle, Scottish Government cannot yet confirm dates or capital budgets for future bidding rounds. However, we continue to engage with regional stakeholders on planning and priorities for future funding calls. The timing of potential future bidding rounds will be considered in the New Year.

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

The following number of people in Scotland made a non-directed kidney donation in the last five years:

We need to rapidly accelerate our deployment of renewables in order to support decarbonisation of the GB grid by 2035, and significant investment in our grid infrastructure is required to ensure clean, low-cost renewable electricity can flow to where it is needed. We are clear that such infrastructure must be delivered with lasting benefits for our economy and the people of Scotland .

In regard to the proposals for pylons in the Torthorward area, we understand that Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) has undertaken the first of two rounds of public consultations on the proposed Harestanes West connection. No application has been submitted to Scottish Ministers for consideration with regards to this development. Once an application is submitted it is subject to consultation with the public, statutory and local bodies, and local communities have an opportunity to make a representation to the formal application.

The Scottish Government is aware that communities in areas which may be impacted by proposed electricity network developments may have questions and concerns regarding pylon infrastructure, and we can provide assurance that any potential impacts - on communities, nature, landscape and other valued natural assets - are important considerations when determining applications for consent.

The Scottish Government welcomes the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland’s report and will carefully consider its recommendations.

The Scottish Government has already taken action to address the gaps in data on out-of-area placements specifically for people with learning disabilities and complex care needs through the implementation of the recommendations made within the Coming Home Implementation Report.

This work is being carried out in partnership with COSLA and brings practitioners, professionals and people with lived experience together to progress these recommendations which aim to significantly reduce inappropriate out-of-area placements experienced by people with learning disabilities and complex care needs.

We launched Dynamic Support Registers across Scotland in May 2023 to improve monitoring of out-of-area placements and to help local areas to plan for people with learning disabilities and complex care needs. Integration Authorities are operationalising these local Dynamic Support Registers and will also report data from them using a new national reporting system.

The operation of Dynamic Support Registers by all Integration Authorities was agreed through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Scottish Government and COSLA.

Equally Safe is Scotland’s strategy to take action on all forms of violence against women and girls. By this, we mean violent and abusive behaviour directed at women and girls precisely because they are women and girls. We know that VAWG can have a devastating impact on victims, and we are committed to eradicating VAWG in all its forms.

This is why, through our Delivering Equally Safe Fund, we are supporting 121 projects from 112 organisations that focus on early intervention and prevention, as well as support services. Included are organisations that support victims fleeing from family abuse. Inspiring Scotland manage DES on behalf of the Scottish Government. A full list of all the DES projects can be found on Inspiring Scotland's website.

The Scottish Government welcomes the Mental Welfare Commission’s report and will carefully consider its recommendations in full.

We expect each NHS Board to have a clear understanding of their patient caseload, whether they are treated locally or elsewhere. Initiatives like our Coming Home Implementation Report makes clear it is essential that Scotland provides support and services in a way which ensures that human rights are respected and protected.

We continue to work in partnership with NHS Boards in order to ensure our NHS increases capacity, delivers reforms in the delivery of care, and gets everyone the treatment they need as quickly as is possible.

Energy Savings Trust, who administer the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Landlord Loan Scheme on behalf of the Scottish Government, do not hold this information in the format you have requested.

However, the Scottish Government has provided funding for 26 properties for renewables systems through the PRS Landlord Loan Scheme since the scheme was established in April 2020.

The number of family members who overrode their relative’s express authorisation for organ donation after that relative’s death, in each of the last 10 years, is set out in the following table. Express authorisation is where someone, in life, has documented their donation decision either on the NHS Organ Donor Register or in some other form of writing.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with NFU Scotland, as a stakeholder and member of the Agricultural Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB).