- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle reported bus driver shortages.
Answer
We are working with operators to monitor the impact on service levels and changes in vacancy levels. My officials are also in regular contact with the Department for Transport regarding issues about delays to licence applications and driver testing, which have affected recruitment and training.
In addition, officials across the Scottish Government are working with the bus sector to facilitate solutions to workforce issues through the Labour and Skills Shortages Action Plan, and connecting Local Employability Partnerships (LEPs) who are aware of opportunities in their areas with bus service operators (through the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT)).
Examples of good practice are being shared across the network of both LEPs and members of CPT to encourage more local level collaboration that matches the needs in each area. For example, all LEPs have been made aware of the successful recruitment fairs run for McGills/Xplore Dundee by Dundee LEP.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether older and historic buildings will be subject to the same regulations as those set out in the Heat in Buildings Strategy, including the requirement for homes to reach EPC band C by 2033.
Answer
The Heat in Buildings Strategy confirms our intention to introduce – subject to consultation – regulations requiring Scotland’s homes and other buildings to meet EPC Band C equivalent, where that is technically feasible and cost effective. We also plan to regulate to ensure that buildings use zero emissions heating and cooling systems by 2045.
While the Strategy is clear that these regulations will apply to traditional and heritage buildings, we recognise that regulating and improving these buildings will present specific challenges and may require a bespoke approach. We will work with stakeholders including Historic Environment Scotland to consider what specific support and measures may be needed with respect to such buildings.
We plan to consult during 2022 on our proposals for regulating energy efficiency and zero emissions heating.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) procurement under the Air Traffic Management System project has been cancelled and, if so, for what reason.
Answer
HIAL’s Air Traffic Management 2030 Strategy (ATMS) is a long-term programme consisting of numerous different individual projects. Some of these projects include one or more procurement exercises. Across the programme as a whole some procurement exercises have concluded, some are ongoing and some have not started yet.
Following the announcement of the joint agreement between HIAL and Prospect to establish a new way forward, HIAL contacted those companies involved in the Remote Tower procurement to confirm that the tender exercise had been cancelled. HIAL felt it would be inappropriate and unfair to expect tenderers to remain engaged in the procurement process in circumstances where the timescale for, and scope and extent of possible future remote air traffic provision is unclear.
- Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Places for Everyone programme, and by what date it expects that Sustrans will be able to accept applications for new projects.
Answer
Whilst currently closed to new applications, Places for Everyone continues to fund over 250 projects as they progress through stages of development. Officials have met regularly with Sustrans to ensure these existing projects maintain momentum, and also plan for new projects. Sustrans has confirmed that they will re-open for new applications by Summer 2022.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many of the high-rise buildings that have been identified as having cladding that does not meet current building safety standards have had the cladding replaced, and, where the cladding has not been replaced, how many of the identified buildings have (a) a timescale and (b) funding allocated for the required work to be undertaken.
Answer
Our Single Building Assessment initial phase is ongoing with 25 buildings across Scotland. We do not expect any remediation will be required for the vast majority of high-rise or other buildings in Scotland.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of rising rates of skin cancer, and what its position is on the urgency of this issue, in light of there reportedly being more deaths in Scotland of young adults from melanoma than any other cancer.
Answer
The most recently published ten year percentage change tables show some upward incidence trends and downward mortality trends. This reflects improved survival.
We are committed to finding cancer early when the chance of survival and even cure is higher – this is reflected in our £44 million Detect Cancer Early (DCE) Programme. Melanoma was added to the Programme in 2016 following a robust options appraisal exercise (this included reviewing a wealth of data from incidence and survival to mortality and staging).
Since then, over £400,000 has been invested across NHS Scotland to support skin cancer CNS workforce, enhance image capturing and sharing, provision of equipment for GPs/ANPs i.e. dermoscopes and the development and delivery of lesion training programmes.
- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have currently been referred for orthopaedic treatment in (a) NHS Highland and (b) Scotland but have not yet been given a treatment date.
Answer
Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes quarterly statistics relating to the waits patients experience for new outpatient appointments and inpatient or day case admission at specialty and health board level using the links below.
https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/healthcare-resources/waiting-times/
The latest statistics were published on 30 th November 2021 and the following tables will be of interest.
New outpatient appointments (tab: 1.4 Table):
https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/media/10563/newop_nov21.xlsx
Inpatient or day case admission (tab: 2.4 Table):
https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/media/10487/ipdc_nov21.xlsx
The statistics published in the tables above include additions to the waiting list and not referrals as the national data captures only those referrals that lead to a patient being added to the waiting list for an appointment or admission.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will ensure there is a clear pathway and access to the NHS Centre for Integrative Care that is fully funded across NHS Scotland.
Answer
The NHS Centre for Integrative Care (CIC) is a facility that all NHS Boards across Scotland have the option of referring patients to for services not available locally.
The Scottish Government is providing £12.4 billion for frontline NHS boards, which is a £327 million (3.2%) increase. This is the first step to ensuring that frontline funding - which directly supports patient services - increases by at least £2.5 billion by 2026-27.
Over 50% of frontline spend will go towards community health services, delivering on our commitment to increase primary care funding by 25% over this Parliament, providing more care for people in a place and way that meets their needs.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its position in relation to introducing an equal right of appeal in the planning system.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no plans to make changes to rights of appeal in the planning system.
A number of amendments that sought to introduce a third party right of appeal were considered, and rejected, by the Scottish Parliament during consideration of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019.
- Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 30 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what the reasoning was for the questions contained within the Health and Wellbeing Census for school pupils.
Answer
