Chamber and committees

KPMG have advised that there are 23 contracts across Scottish Government public bodies that they would have considered bidding for, were it not for them having stepped back from bidding for Scottish Government work. The combined value of these opportunities is estimated to be over £137,000,000, but KPMG are not conducting internal assessments of these opportunities and so may not have bid for them all, and would be unlikely to have won everything that they bid-for.

As tenders are ongoing it would not be appropriate to list the contracts at this stage as, were bidders to understand that a potential competitor was not participating, it could distort the competition, either reducing quality or increasing costs to the public purse. However, the tenders cover a range of service types, including research, analytical services, business-planning, and economic modelling.

All non-domestic properties are valued periodically at a revaluation and the resulting ‘Rateable Value’ applies for the full period of the valuation cycle. Values are benchmarked against same date for all properties which is called the ‘tone date’. Both of these features ensure fairness for all ratepayers. The tone date for the current 2017 revaluation cycle was 1 April 2015. For the next revaluation cycle taking effect on 1 April 2023, the tone date is 1 April 2022.

The valuation of all non-domestic property is a matter for the Scottish Assessors, who are independent of central and local government. The Assessor uses the established legal framework to determine premises’ rateable values based on the notional rental value that they could be expected to attract on the open market if they were vacant and to let.

Since the start of the pandemic, businesses have benefitted from over £4.5 billion in support from the Scottish Government. This includes COVID-19 non-domestic rates reliefs which have saved businesses around £1.6 billion in reduced rates bills since 1 April 2020. Responding to a key ask from the business community to avoid a cliff edge return to full rates liability from 31 March 222, we are continuing relief for properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors at 50% for the first three months of 2022-23, capped at £27,500 per ratepayer.

Like all governments we were constrained by affordability and consequently it was necessary for difficult decisions to be taken. To date we have spent almost half a billion pounds more in support of Scottish businesses, compared with the funding we have received for that purpose from UK Government.

The Scottish Budget 2022-23 ensures the lowest poundage in the UK for the fourth year in a row and supports a generous package of reliefs.

Table 1 shows the tax rates and thresholds that will apply in 2022-23.

There are also a number of rates reliefs available in each of the three countries, including up to 100% relief for small properties. Table 1 sets out the eligibility thresholds for 100% relief in each of the schemes across Scotland, England and Wales in 2022-23.

Table 1: Property rates and rates relief for small properties, Scotland, England and Wales, 2022-23

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

We would advise contacted health boards to obtain this data.

Audiologists are working on reduced capacity due to the remaining covid restrictions, specifically, reduced numbers of patients have access to the service because of additional infection control measures.

All services have seen a surge in referrals since lockdown has begun to ease and GPs have become more accessible. Waiting lists have grown as a result and services have to balance ensuring that patients receive good quality, efficient and effective treatment with managing the waiting list down.

The Scottish Government has been discussing the need for better data on metastatic breast cancer over several months including seeking advice from Public Health Scotland and breast cancer specialists. Additionally, officials have met with the Third Sector to discuss evidence of need. Dialogue continues as we seek to improve data collection methods.

The information requested is not held centrally. Public Health Scotland publishes a quarterly report on Diagnostic Waiting Times which covers eight key diagnostic tests. These diagnostic tests are used for a range of conditions, including cancer.

Anyone who reports a positive LFD test through the UK Government website is directed to complete a contact tracing form at a website hosted by Test and Protect. To complete this form, the individual must input their surname, date of birth, and input a unique code given to them when contacted by Test and Protect after testing positive. Without these three unique identifying factors, an individual cannot access the contact tracing form, ensuring the form is correctly matched to the specific individual.

If any information on their Covid-19 Status is wrong, individuals should phone the Covid-19 Status Helpline on 0808 196 8565.

Questions S6W-07586 and S6W-07587 have been combined for response.

The Programme for Government (2021) outlined the Scottish Government’s proposal to bring forward a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill during this Parliamentary session. This will consider the best way to ensure the interests of future generations are taken into account in decisions made today. The proposed Bill will therefore put duties on public bodies and local government to take account of the impact of their decisions on sustainable development, in Scotland and internationally. We intend to set out more detailed proposals later this year.

Questions S6W-07586 and S6W-07587 have been combined for response.

The Programme for Government (2021) outlined the Scottish Government’s proposal to bring forward a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill during this Parliamentary session. This will consider the best way to ensure the interests of future generations are taken into account in decisions made today. The proposed Bill will therefore put duties on public bodies and local government to take account of the impact of their decisions on sustainable development, in Scotland and internationally. We intend to set out more detailed proposals later this year.

Through the development of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guidelines on chronic pain in adults and children and young people , Scotland has been a world-leader in promoting evidence-based approaches for healthcare professionals to improve standards of care and management of chronic pain.

The Programme for Government 2020-21 committed to developing and publishing a new Framework for Chronic Pain Service Delivery. A draft Framework was published for public consultation and the responses are currently being analysed. We will publish our response to the findings, including how these views have been used to shape the final Framework, later this year.

The draft Framework sets out the Scottish Government’s aim to ensure that people have a choice of treatments for chronic pain, where there is evidence they are effective, underpinned by commitments to support patients and healthcare professionals to better understand and agree effective options to manage pain. This is intended to lead to less variation in the quality and availability of services for people with chronic pain.

As part of implementation of the Framework, we will explore opportunities to update the existing guidelines to ensure they reflect the most recent evidence and best practice, including offering new treatments where there is evidence that they are effective.