Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09419 on 13 July 2022. 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 Scottish Ambulance Service advise that the average call length to arrange transport for scheduled care in June 2022 was 261 seconds. This is the length of time between the call being answered by the call handler and the call ending.

The cost of the call is not held centrally, and varies between the large numbers of telephony services and the tariffs they offer.

In financial year 2021-22, £12m was allocated to support the wellbeing of people working in health and social care of which £11,515,152 was spent.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) receives monthly data from most NHS Boards on the number of patients covered by the 18 weeks Referral to Treatment (RTT) standard seen within each specialty, including audiology. Due to the aggregate nature of this data collection, the requested detail on average length of wait and age are not available.

However, the following table shows the total number of patients seen and the number that waited over 18 weeks to be seen for audiology services across NHS Scotland, from January 2014 to December 2021 – the latest complete calendar year. This includes all patients reported as seen on the 18-week Referral to Treatment (RTT) pathway for audiology.

Total patients seen and number of patients that waited over 18 weeks, January 2014 – December 2021, NHS Scotland, Audiology

The increasing options for flexible working available through less than full-time training (LTFT), has had a positive impact on the demographics of the medical profession.

Women’s participation in medicine is currently at a good level. There are proportionately more women than men graduating from Scottish medical schools. The requirement for Scottish trainee doctors (junior doctors) to provide gender details is not mandatory, but of the 4,744 of 6,167 current trainees in medical programmes who have disclosed this information, 2,787 are women against a figure of 1,957 for men. Across the UK, women make up just under 48% of all doctors. However, the number of licenced women doctors has been increasing at a higher rate than doctors who are men, year-on-year.

There are currently 53 trainees in cardiology programmes, of the 37 who have provided information on gender, 11 are women, against a figure of 26 for men. Historically, cardiology has been dominated by doctors who are men, an issue that is not specific to Scotland. In recognition of the gender disparity, the Cardiology Specialty Training Board is taking steps to address the issue. This includes a review of their membership and that of the Speciality Training Committee memberships across the regions, in terms of both gender and ethnicity.

The need for Low Emission Zones (LEZs) is for individual local authorities to consider based on specific air quality parameters within their respective areas. To date no LEZ proposals have been submitted for Ministerial approval by Highland Council.

Any local authority considering the introduction of a LEZ would undertake an assessment in accordance with the National Low Emission Framework (NLEF).

Highland Council carried out an NLEF assessment in 2020 and concluded that existing measures contained within their Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP), along with other local measures, would be sufficient to improve air quality within Inverness.

The Scottish Government continue to task Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) to search the second hand tonnage market for appropriate vessels to support and enhance connections on Scotland’s ferries network.

CMAL have investigated some 70 vessels since 1 December 2021 of which only 1 has been deemed suitable for purchase. The vessel (MV Loch Frisa) was bought, upgraded and entered service on the Craignure-Oban service in June 2022.

Decisions regarding prosecutions remain a matter for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

The 2011 census had a response rate of approximately 94%. Of the 6% of non-responding households, approximately 1,800 cases were put forward for non-compliance action which resulted in 900 completed questionnaires being returned. Following Crown Office advice, five cases were subsequently reported to the Procurator Fiscal and two cases resulted in prosecution.

For the current Serco Caledonian Sleepers Ltd Temporary Measures Agreement in place, there is a small, capped, incentive payment linked to performance and not linked to cost base.

As the performance payments relate to potential future revenues receivable by Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited, this information currently remains commercially sensitive.

The replacement of train fleets in Scotland, including the HSTs, is aligned with the phases of the Decarbonisation Action Plan, a link to which is provided here:- Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan | Transport Scotland

This timescale is of course subject to continuous review in line with delivering the decarbonisation of the rail network in Scotland affordably and practicably and any other relevant developments, including recommendations arising from the Steering Groups considering the recommendations of, and subsequent analysis from the recent RAIB report into the Carmont accident.