Chamber and committees

Professor Anna Glasier OBE was appointed as the first Women’s Health Champion for Scotland on 26 January 2023.

Professor Glasier has been contracted to work four days a month, with her tenure coming to an end in June 2024.

Professor Glasier recently published her first Women’s Health Champion update blog which can be found here: Health and Social Care My first update as Women's Health Champion - Health and Social Care (blogs.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government has committed to a process of a judge-led inquiry once all legal proceedings relating to the malicious prosecutions are at an end. The exact form of inquiry will be determined at the point once all legal proceedings are concluded. The Scottish Ministers will announce when an inquiry will be held and the Justice Directorate has been identified as the directorate to lead on providing advice to Ministers.

The former Lord Advocate, James Wolffe KC, advised Parliament on 9 February 2021 that the Crown is committed to supporting an inquiry.

Shelagh McCall KC has been instructed to independently consider reports of criminal conduct from a legal perspective in relation to the prosecutions connected to Rangers Football Club. This process is in place to ensure that any allegations of criminal conduct are considered fairly and objectively.

The civil litigation and the work of Shelagh McCall KC remains ongoing at this time, and it would be inappropriate to comment on specifics in respect of these cases. However, the Crown remain committed to supporting an inquiry once all legal proceedings have concluded.

A success rate of tree planting is not recorded as such. The planting is designed to deliver specific objectives such as landscape integration, screening/shelter, and ecological enhancement etc. However, this does not necessarily mean 100% of the stock planted needs to establish in order to achieve the objectives. A number of annual inspections are carried out by the landscape architect throughout each year of the 5 year establishment period. These inspections determine whether the planting is on course to deliver the intended design outcomes, and can result in remedial actions for the contractor to carry out.

The planting design is for a relatively high density of approximately 1 plant per square metre. It is anticipated that some plants will fail due to natural competition or the challenges presented by local conditions. In areas where a significant proportion of plants fail then it would be more likely that replanting will be required, and this has been the philosophy adopted for the first few years of the maintenance period. It is estimated that approximately 25% of plants have failed to establish over the first three years since planting. The inspections have determined that approximately 15% of plant failures will require to be replaced in order to achieve the aims of the design.

The Scottish Government are currently undertaking a programme of work to improve the Community Health Index (CHI) systems. The new CHI is a single national system replacing the existing eight separate CHI systems and is due to go live in late summer 2023.

There is currently no funding allocated for marine litter removal at Arrochar, Loch Long. This work is eligible for funding through Marine Fund Scotland https://www.gov.scot/policies/marine-and-fisheries-grants/ 

The content of the Bill has not been finalised but the majority of the measures being considered for inclusion have already been subject to consultation. In late 2021, the New Deal for Tenants consultation was issued seeking views on a wide range of rented sector reform measures, including the introduction of a national system of rent control. A joint Scottish Government/ COSLA consultation was held on proposals for new prevention of homelessness duties early in 2022. The responses to both consultations are informing the development of our proposals.

As non-executive directors (NXDs) are not employees of the Scottish Government but appointees of the Permanent Secretary, they are remunerated through the payment of quarterly Fees as opposed salaries. Alongside receiving quarterly Fees for their services, NXDs are also entitled to be reimbursed for relevant travel and accommodation expenses in line with the Scottish Government’s Travel and Subsistence policy.

Remuneration of NXD Fees and Expenses in each year since 2016:

Transport Scotland officials attend a quarterly liaison meeting with the Highland Council regarding trunk road matters within their area. In addition to the quarterly meeting, the Highland Council road officers get in touch with Transport Scotland officials as and when required.

The local road network is the responsibility of local authorities and they will allocate resources on the basis of local priorities.

The Scottish Government is planning to bring forward a draft of the next Climate Change Plan before the end of 2023 to set clear asks and responsibilities for all of the main actors on delivering climate policy in support of our climate change targets. We will also bring forward draft Just Transition Plans at the same time.

As part of the work in developing an enhanced framework for action with local government, the Scottish Government will explore co-producing a roadmap with local government partners, setting out the roles and responsibilities of local authorities in delivering net zero as part of the development of the next Climate Change Plan.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to offer funding to the University of Dundee to support access to magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment for patients with essential tremor.