Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the benefits magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) could provide to eligible patients with essential tremor.

Having access to appropriate treatment is crucial to a patient’s employment prospects. The commissioning of specialist services through NHS National Services Division (NSD) allows all patients regardless of their Health Board to access the specialist care and treatment they need. At present, no new application has been received to designate MRgFUS as a national specialist service to NHS Tayside. NSD will continue to work with the MRgFUS team in NHS Tayside in the meantime.

Alternatively, eligible patients for magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for essential tremor can be referred to NHS Tayside in conjunction with the University of Dundee. Patients can also be referred to other services through cross border referral routes if appropriate.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14178 on 30 January 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

Section 22 of the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000 enables the Auditor General to raise concerns of any public body. Audit Scotland, in their 2021-22 audit of Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow Ltd (FMPG) criticised the payment of bonuses to senior managers of FMPG, particularly in light of the delays to delivery of vessels 801 and 802.

Scottish Ministers concur with the issue highlighted by Audit Scotland and do not support the payment of bonuses. That is why the Former Deputy First Minister’s Statement to Parliament on 16 March 2023, opened with an acknowledgment of the concerns and agreed with the criticism of payment of bonuses to senior managers at FMPG and committed to ensuring that new arrangements were being put in place to ensure that such as eventuality did not arise in the future.

The Scottish Government has been working closing with FMPG in formulating a revised remuneration model applicable to the senior management team at FMPG to apply in future years. Ministers will update Parliament as soon as details of this revised remuneration packages for the FMPG CEO and senior management team have been agreed.

Previously the public were able to report flytipping via the Dumb Dumpers system (whereby reports could either be made online to Zero Waste Scotland, or via a telephone hotline hosted by SEPA) and to local authorities directly.

As of 1 April 2023, the Dumb Dumpers telephone line no longer accepts flytipping reports. A recorded message advises callers to contact the relevant local authority.

Online searches for the Dumb Dumpers hotline and web form are directed from the Zero Waste Scotland and SEPA websites to an online tool which helps visitors to identify the correct local authority to which the report should be made. A Frequently Asked Questions document has been developed and is available on both websites to inform the public of updated reporting arrangements and why this change has been made.

The independent review into UK Government welfare services for veterans is focused on the effectiveness and efficiency of reserved welfare services for Armed Forces veterans that are largely owned or funded by the Ministry of Defence. However, the Scottish Government would assist the review if requested to by the review team.

An update will be provided to Parliament upon the conclusion of the due diligence being carried out on the cost estimates for the delivery of MV Glen Sannox (801) and Hull 802. We expect this work to be concluded soon.

Data on injuries and deaths from road accidents for 2022 are still being collected and provisional figures will be available on 24 May 2023. I will therefore be able to provide an update to the member's question at that time.

The Scottish Government has worked with the Forces Families Federations to advertise our vacancies through the Forces Families Jobs website. The website is also promoted through our Welcome to Scotland guide as a route to employment for Service families.

The most recent estimate of the number of veterans of the UK Armed Forces resident in Scotland is 220,000, which was taken from the annual population survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics in 2017. Scotland's Census 2022 included for the first time a question on previous service in the UK Armed Forces. Census data will help to support a better understanding of the veterans community in Scotland, including numbers.

Following agreement of a memorandum of understanding between Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in March 2022, an action plan was agreed between SDS, MoD and the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) who deliver support to leavers of the armed forces as they transition to civilian life.

Actions underway include:-

• SDS sharing labour market intelligence and other data to CTP for use by their career consultants;
• the development of a joint referral process for those early service leavers who may be entitled to, or will benefit from SDS careers services;
• jointly delivered training sessions on each organisation’s service offer to both CTP and SDS advisers;
• SDS attendance at a CTP jobs event in Kinloss at the end of 2022 and at Murrayfield on 20 April 2023
• work to ensure Modern, Graduate and Foundation Apprenticeships are promoted to early service leavers, veterans and their families.

Progress of the plan is being monitored at a joint senior level across SDS, MoD and CTP.