Chamber and committees

Any considerations for HST replacement including timescales must take account of the conclusions of the Carmont Steering Group, and must be informed by the available budgets and the business case for change. The procurement of new rolling stock forms an integral part of Transport Scotland’s Decarbonisation Action Plan.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18442 on 13 June 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

The detailed information requested is currently being collated and will be provided as soon as it is available. A copy will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib number 64328).

ScotRail fleet reliability and cleanliness are operational matters for which ScotRail Trains Ltd is responsible. Details of how ScotRail is monitored for its Public Performance Measure (punctuality and reliability) and also how its stations and trains are monitored via Transport Scotland’s Service Quality Incentive Regime (SQUIRE) can be found by accessing the following link:-

Performance & Reliability | Public Performance Monitoring | ScotRail

Property owners and landowners have primary responsibility for protection of their land and property from flooding. A range of other bodies have responsibility for different aspects of flood risk management. These roles and responsibilities are clearly set out in Flood Risk Management (Scotland) 2009 Act. The Act creates a joined up and coordinated process to manage flood risk at a national and local level.

Scottish Government oversees the implementation of the Act. Scottish Ministers are responsible for setting the policy framework for implementing how flooding is managed in Scotland including the responsibility for approving the objectives and actions set out in the national flood risk management plans.

SEPA is Scotland’s national flood forecasting, flood warning and strategic flood risk management authority. They produce the national flood risk management plans, provide flood forecasting and warning services, provide flood risk advice to planning authorities and carry out awareness raising activities to increase community resilience.

Local authorities ensure local accountability by leading on the preparation of local flood risk management plans, which supplement the national plans prepared by SEPA and ensure actions are locally targeted and delivered. They also have the ability to make and build flood protection schemes. Local authorities also inspect, clear and repair watercourses to reduce flood risk and routinely maintain road gullies on public roads and highways to ensure adequate road drainage. During severe flooding, local authorities will work with the emergency services and co-ordinate shelter for people evacuated from their homes.

Scottish Water are responsible for the operation of public foul and combined sewers and the public waste water network; managing problems caused by sewers either flooding or becoming restricted due to chokes or collapses; removing foul drainage and the drainage of rainwater from roofs and paved areas, from within the curtilage of premises, on connection to the public sewer.

The Scottish Government continues to liaise with the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit regarding youth violence and funds the Unit to take forward a number of preventative measures, using a public health approach which focusses on the underlying drivers of offending behaviour. These are outlined in the recently published Violence Prevention Framework for Scotland and include targeting weapon carrying amongst some young people; targeting the effects of social media on violence; and helping support more young people with multiple complex issues to engage with appropriate services. The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit will also be one of numerous partners we are engaging with in the forthcoming summit on violence in schools.

The Scottish Government’s universal Baby Box programme, the only one in the UK, opened for registration on 15 June 2017. Nationwide delivery of Baby Boxes began on 15 August 2017 for all babies born and resident in Scotland.

I am unable to provide the number of Baby Boxes delivered in the Glasgow Kelvin constituency area as data on the numbers of Baby Boxes distributed is recorded by Health Board area. The total number issued in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board area up to 26 May 2023 is 64,612 Baby Boxes.

Since 1 April 2018, support for victims of offences under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 has been placed on a statutory footing.

Statutory support is delivered through grant awards from the Victim Centred Approach Fund to the Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance (TARA) and Migrant Help. Support may be provided for up to 90 days, or longer in some circumstances, and can include accommodation, assistance with day to day living, medical advice and treatment including psychological help, language translation and interpretation, counselling, legal advice, help accessing other services and, if the victim wishes, repatriation.

Case assessment is part of the ongoing support function carried out by TARA and Migrant Help and as such the Scottish Government does not hold this information.

In the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, 221 individuals moved from Scottish Government-funded accommodation to Home Office asylum accommodation.

The Scottish Government does not hold sufficient data to provide the remaining information requested. This information may be held by operational partners.

Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of National Library of Scotland, including information relating to any repair and maintenance works, are best answered directly by National Library of Scotland.

I have asked National Library of Scotland to respond directly to the member with a full reply to his question in writing.

Our £1 Billion backed NHS Recovery Plan aims to continually increase capacity for outpatients.

We have seen an increase in the level of activity for new outpatients in the latest quarter (May 2023), which was at the highest level of activity in any quarter since the start of the pandemic.

Last year there were over 1.2 million patients seen for an outpatient appointment, an increase of 8% compared to 2021, when over 1.1 million outpatients were seen.

Further statistics on additional inpatient and day case activity in 2022-2023 will be released alongside the NHS Recovery Plan update this autumn.