Chamber and committees

Incidents of anti-social behaviour on the rail network in Scotland are recorded by the British Transport Police (BTP) and can be sourced via the following link:- Stats and data | British Transport Police (btp.police.uk)

We are currently undertaking a refresh of the Social Security Programme Business Case and we will publish an updated version by the end of this year, which will include a refreshed delivery timetable and updated cost estimates.

Network Rail is undertaking restoration works following a serious fire, in July 2021, which caused extensive damage to Troon station building as well as overhead power equipment.

To date (a) £900,000 has been spent on Troon to make the station safe following the fire and to undertake temporary works to bring the station back into use for passengers.

The full cost of rebuilding the station will be dependent on the design selected for the new station building. Options for the new building will be publicly available later this summer.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to specifically review the number of board members needed for an organisation under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. However, in our Programme for Government 2021-22, we have committed to review the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 to consider how we can give local communities more of a say over the things that matter to them in their community. This will provide an opportunity to consider many aspects of the Act including the number of board members.

Evidence on the performance of the operator in respect of the Temporary Measures Agreement (TMA) performance criteria will be assessed by Transport Scotland at the end of the TMA period.

The performance scores achieved by the operator against each criteria will be used to calculate the performance payments.

The British Academy of Audiology (BAA) reports have been widely distributed amongst professionals, including all GP practices in NHS Lothian, ENT surgeons, community child health doctors, and speech and language therapists. NHS Lothian has had extensive communication with a range of partners including teaching staff and the Director of Education. As part of this process, those working with children who had any concerns about a child's hearing were encouraged to contact the Audiology department directly or to refer the child through the normal route.

The frequently asked questions, which was developed, has also been shared with specialised teams in education in the four local authority areas across NHS Lothian. My officials are also engaging with local authority heads of service for deaf education and NHS Lothian to address any additional concerns regarding support and education planning for families.

So far, 124 families have been contacted directly by NHS Lothian and offered a retest; 39 children have now had their retest with a further 11 with an appointment to date. From the 39 retested, 10 children have been found to have a new hearing impairment.

Officials continue to work closely with NHS Lothian regarding paediatric audiology, including communications. As highlighted, information has been widely circulated amongst professional staff groups working directly with children and their families, with clear mechanisms for children to be referred to the audiology department where there are concerns about their hearing. NHS Lothian established a telephone line in December last year and this continues to be operational to make it easy for families to make direct contact with the Board about any audiology concerns, the board is also working closely with the National Deaf Children Society.

Powers related to consumer protection, and to the energy price cap set by Ofgem, are reserved to the UK Government. However, I am concerned that energy consumers who are not registered directly with a licenced energy supplier may not be protected by the price cap and may not be eligible for the £400 rebate support announced by the UK Government. This affects those living in park homes, for example, in which a landlord bills households for their for energy use and is also a particular issue for heat networks.

The Scottish Government has raised the issue of unequal treatment of those households who do not have a domestic supply contract with the UK Government, who must ensure that any support for consumers is applied to all those that need it. I am also concerned by the current lack of regulation around the supply of heat via heat networks and I am clear that work to address this by the UK Government through Energy Security Bill is needed urgently, and suppliers must take action to support their customers ahead of any legislation coming into force.

Where concerns have been raised over affordability my officials have contacted the suppliers involved to highlight these and push for improved practice from those involved, we have also worked closely with Citizen’s Advice Scotland and others to support affected customers.

The Scottish Government recognises the adverse impact on victims, witnesses and on the accused of prolonged proceedings, and is supporting justice agencies to improve the management of cases to minimise unnecessary delays. For example, through its investment in the Recover, Renew and Transform Programme, justice agencies are delivering reforms to support early resolution of summary cases at the outset and to focus trial preparation in cases which cannot be resolved. This work builds on the introduction by the judiciary of Pre-Intermediate Diet Meetings (PIDM) in December 2020, a new procedure aimed at reducing the risk of late-stage rescheduling.

Transport officials have had one specific meeting on micro-mobility including e-Scooters at which the possibility of legislation and regulation was discussed. This was an information provision session and not a discussion.

The Secretary of State for Transport wrote to me in April 2022 about his proposals for a new framework for micro-mobility in UKG’s forthcoming Transport Bill. In my response I stated that where proposals may encroach on devolved interests, it is expected that UKG should seek the Scottish Parliament’s legislative consent in a timely manner, and respect the outcome of the Scottish Parliament’s decision on consent.

This question was answered on 20 December 2021.