- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make an assessment of whether rewilding on deep peat caused by a lack of management risks reducing (a) carbon sequestration and (b) populations of ground nesting bird species.
Answer
There are different forms of active management of vegetation on deep peat including muirburn, cutting and grazing.
As far as muirburn is concerned, NatureScot published research earlier this year which reviewed the evidence on the impacts of muirburn on wildfire prevention, carbon storage and biodiversity: NatureScot Research Report 1302 - Reviewing, assessing and critiquing the evidence base on the impacts of muirburn on wildfire prevention, carbon storage and biodiversity | NatureScot
Following on from the research, the NatureScot Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) have been asked to provide advice on the circumstances under which muirburn, including muirburn on peat could be permitted under licence, and where it would not be appropriate.
The Scottish Government will take in to account evidence from the NatureScot research and the SAC advice alongside information provided by stakeholders.
Further information on impacts of grazing and cutting are available in NatureScot guidance:
https://www.nature.scot/doc/peatland-action-peatland-management-guidance-grazing-and-muirburn
https://www.nature.scot/doc/guidance-muirburn-code#Cutting
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12034 by Michael Matheson on 28 November 2022, whether the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council's Collaborative Framework Charter includes within its scope a specific workstream to develop a windfarm support service operation vessel design and build programme in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government has been working closely with the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council’s Collaborative Framework Working Group, which is comprised of all active offshore wind developers in Scotland, the enterprise agencies and ORE Catapult, to develop a Strategic Investment Model (SIM). The SIM will deliver on the commitments in the Collaborative Framework Charter, and facilitate timely, strategic investment through the pooling/sharing and coordination of funds linked to supply chain commitments associated with the ScotWind projects. The Strategic Investment Model is expected to be finalised in the coming weeks, with further detail to be announced in early 2023.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what lessons it can learn from the reported use of an expert working group during the introduction of the UK Aggregates Levy, and whether it will consider establishing a similar working group during the introduction of a Scottish Aggregates Levy.
Answer
The Scotland Act 2016 empowers the Scottish Parliament to legislate for a devolved tax to replace the UK Aggregates Levy. This is an environmental tax that aims to reduce extraction of primary – fresh or new – aggregate, mainly crushed rock, gravel and sand, used as bulk fill in construction.
The Scottish Government is progressing work to develop a devolved replacement for the UK levy. Consistent with the Scottish Approach to Taxation, set out in Scotland’s Framework for Tax, we will continue to consult and engage with stakeholders via a range of channels and fora to help inform this work.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether guidance regarding the pharmacological and psychological management of benzodiazepine dependency has been finalised, following the interim guidance made available in 2021, and, if this is the case, whether it will publish this.
Answer
The guidance on the pharmacological and psychological management of benzodiazepine dependency published by the Drug deaths Taskforce has now been endorsed as the most up-to-date guidance available and will be updated following further research currently being undertaken and following engagement with prescribers.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government which railway stations across Scotland have access to Passenger Assist services.
Answer
The ScotRail Passenger Assist Service is available at all stations in Scotland, whether stations are staffed or unstaffed for all or part of the day. The ScotRail website provides details on how Passenger Assist can be requested and obtained.
Details can be found via the following link:- Accessible travel | ScotRail .
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils have received swimming lessons as a percentage of the school population in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The information you have requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people receive at least two hours of physical education per school week in primary schools, and at least two 50-minute periods of physical education per school week in secondary schools - between secondaries 1 and 4.
Under the provisions of Curriculum for Excellence schools and education authorities have the flexibility to decide upon the content of their lessons at the local level by taking into account the needs and circumstances of all children and young people in attendance. This includes taking decisions locally about the content of their PE lessons, where they can offer swimming lessons to their pupils if they wish to do so.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS Scotland patients in each NHS board have been referred for surgical treatment in the rest of the UK in each of the last five years.
Answer
This information is not held centrally. Public Health Scotland do not hold the information that would allow us to identify individuals who have been referred to other countries within the UK.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much funding has been awarded through the long COVID Support Fund, and to which sources.
Answer
We have made an initial £3 million available from our £10m long COVID Support Fund over this financial year to provide NHS Boards and partners with additional resource to respond to the needs of people with long COVID in their areas.
Territorial NHS Boards’ 2022-23 funding from the long COVID Support Fund has been split into two tranches. The first tranche (70%) was provided to NHS Boards in June. The second tranche (30%) will be made later in the financial year following progress reporting.
This is a well-established practice for the allocation of health board funding to account for any slippage in programme delivery, and is used across a range of policy areas.
The following table outlines the organisations to which funding has been made available for 2022-23, and the associated amounts. The full amount spent for 2022-23 will only be known at the end of the financial year.
Organisation | Total funding amount made available (£) |
NHS Ayrshire and Arran | 187,554 |
NHS Borders | 50,727 |
NHS Dumfries & Galloway | 79,426 |
NHS Fife | 178,051 |
NHS Forth Valley | 142,020 |
NHS Grampian | 254,847 |
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde | 595,169 |
NHS Highland | 119,641 |
NHS Lanarkshire | 320,007 |
NHS Lothian | 372,215 |
NHS Orkney | 14,716 |
NHS Shetland | 13,676 |
NHS Tayside | 194,620 |
NHS Western Isles | 19,988 |
NHS National Services Scotland | 370,000 |
Thistle Foundation | 87,343 |
| | |
TOTAL | 3,000,000 |
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government who produced NHS Scotland’s new National Digital Platform (NDP).
Answer
The development of the National Digital Platform (NDP) is a core commitment from the joint SG/COSLA Digital Health and Care Strategy (2018). This strategy was refreshed in 2021. NHS Education for Scotland (NES) was commissioned as the lead delivery partner.
Information on this important work is available via the website: www.nationaldigitalplatform.scot .
Up to 31 March 2022, a total of £6.838m was spent on the design, development and support for the NDP. NES accounts for spend during 2022-23 financial year have yet to be finalised and so associated costs for the NDP in this financial year cannot be provided as part of the answer.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10663 by Jenny Gilruth on 5 October 2022, which railway stations are included in the group of 18 high priority stations to have tactile paving installed in phase 1 of the current Rail Regulatory Control Period 6.
Answer
Network Rail advise that the list of 18 high priority stations to have tactile paving installed is as follows:
Ardrossan Town |
Argyle Street |
Bargeddie |
Carmyle |
Coatbridge Blairhill |
Dalry |
Glasgow Exhibition Centre |
Glasgow Queen Street Lower Level |
Helmsdale |
Larbert |
Milliken Park |
Montrose |
Mount Florida |
Mussleburgh |
Paisley Canal Street |
Stonehaven |
Wester Hailes |
Williamwood |
Due to the impact of industrial action on Scotland’s Railway, the tactile paving installations scheduled for both Mussleburgh and Wester Hailes stations were deferred. Network Rail has re-programmed them into Phase 2 works and is working to secure agreed planned suspension of rail services to permit safe infrastructure work to progress these.
