Chamber and committees

Vitamin D status is measured annually as part of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS).

The latest report is available at: NDNS: results from years 9 to 11 (2016 to 2017 and 2018 to 2019) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Scottish Government is not currently undertaking research to assess levels of vitamin D deficiency in the general population, including in relation to deprivation.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and person-centred.

The NHS Recovery Plan, launched in August, sets out the Scottish Governments key headline ambitions and actions to be developed and delivered now and over the next 5 years, backed by more than £1 billion of investment. Scottish Health Boards are in the process of implementing their remobilisation plans for 2021-22, with an initial additional £80 million dedicated to supporting waiting times already provided this year.

We will publish a National Workforce Strategy by the end of the year, to further support the remobilisation and recovery of health and social care services and set out priorities for recruitment, training and retention. We anticipate that the Strategy will be used by workforce, service and financial planners from across Health and Social Care at all levels.

We are aware that the pandemic has impacted on waiting lists for neurology clinics and are currently implementing programmes to mitigate this situation. The Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) is working closely with Neurology services to support the adoption of Active Clinical Referral Triage (ACRT) and Discharge Patient Initiated Review (PIR) approaches within Neurology. Both ACRT and Discharge PIR support better access for patients based on clinical need and can be applied in various neurological conditions, including MS.

The recent Scottish MS Register report noted that despite the challenges presented by COVID-19 during 2020-21, 87% of newly diagnosed people received contact with an MS specialist nurse within 10 working days of diagnosis and over 99% of people were contacted within 10 working days of an MS nurse receiving the referral.

We have invested £1.4m over the past year, through our Neurological Care and Support Framework, into innovative projects which improve the care and support of people with neurological conditions. This includes over £300,000 on projects which improve the health and wellbeing of people with MS in Scotland, including better integrated care and supported self-management.

We are working closely with colleagues in Public Health Scotland to develop systems that will collect key data to inform service planning, delivery of clinical standards, and improvement across Scotland. In the first instance we have commissioned an audit of prevalence for neurological conditions from primary care system and we anticipate this data collection will begin during 2022.

We are also working with the Neurological Alliance of Scotland to distribute the first national patient experience survey specifically for people with neurological conditions.

Public Health Scotland collects waiting times data for neurology, which informs current practice in relation to service improvement. We are aware that the pandemic has impacted on waiting lists for neurology clinics and are currently implementing programmes to mitigate this situation. We are working with NHS boards through the Centre for Sustainable Delivery to implement more efficient ways of working such Patient Initiated Review and Active Clinical Referral Triage. These can be applied in various neurological conditions.

Regarding the cost of treating neurological conditions, service areas within NHS health boards carry their own budgets and associated financial improvement plans to manage and improve efficiency of their spend across specialties. Neurology spend data is collected as part of the annual Costs Book exercise published by Public Health Scotland, and we continue to work with health boards and consider data issues as part of this.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03702 on 29 October 2021. 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 .

In our Heat in Buildings Strategy, the Scottish Government has committed to phasing out the need to install new or replacement fossil fuel boilers (in off-gas grid areas from 2025, and in on-gas areas from 2030) subject to technological developments and decisions by the UK Government on reserved matters.

We will consult in further detail on this issue during 2022. Should any legislation be required subsequently, it will be subject to a range of impact assessments to allow the Scottish Parliament the opportunity to fully scrutinise the impacts.

In our effort to remove emissions from heating buildings, the Scottish Government has separately a zero emissions first approach in our delivery programmes and will phase out funding for fossil fuel heating systems by 2024 (where it is not detrimental to our fuel poverty objectives).

We have already phased out oil and LPG boilers from Warmer Homes Scotland, Area Based Schemes and Home Energy Scotland Loans.

No households have had their replacement oil or LPG boilers or heating systems cancelled as a result and all Warmer Homes Scotland and Home Energy Scotland Loan applications with committed offers signed prior to 6 September 2021, for either replacement oil/LPG boilers or heating systems, will have these honoured and receive their installations/loans. No local council has reported plans to install an oil/LPG boiler or heating measure as part of their Area Based Scheme.

From now on, households eligible for assistance under Warmer Homes Scotland will be offered low-carbon alternatives, where these are technically appropriate for the property. These include High Heat Retention Heating Systems, Air Source Heat Pumps, Ground Source Heat Pumps, Micro-hydro, Micro-wind and Micro-CHP systems. Some of these measures may be of particular benefit to households living in rural and island areas that are not served by the gas grid. Warmer Homes Scotland operates a national pricing mechanism, meaning that rural and island homes are not disproportionately affected.

Since April 2021 our Area Based Schemes have included additional funding to provide low carbon and micro-generation measures as part of a whole house approach. Local councils are encouraged to offer these measures to households living in or at risk of fuel poverty, where this is technically feasible and will result in lower energy bills. Our Area Based Schemes also provide additional funding and support for remote rural and island communities to reflect the delivery challenges in these locations, including higher installation costs.

The Electricians Working Group last met on 29 October 2019 and discussed the proposed consultation on the regulation of electricians and on increasing consumer awareness about the use of electricians. Minutes of all meetings of the Electricians Working Group are available at https://www.gov.scot/groups/electricians-working-group/ .

The Electricians Working Group is expected to meet once the Scottish Government’s response to the consultation is published and will discuss that response.

The Scottish Government’s consultation on the regulation of electricians closed on 12 February 2021. All responses were analysed and a report was published on 23 March 2021. A link to the report can be found on the consultation web page at https://consult.gov.scot/energy-and-climate-change-directorate/a-consultation-on-the-regulation-of-electricians In addition, on the same web page can be viewed the submitted responses where consent had been given to publish the response. The Scottish Government is currently considering its response to the consultation and key stakeholders will be updated in due course.

All buses are required to be compliant with the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) which are a matter reserved to the UK Government.

We are however aware that the Department for Transport (DfT) have granted some time limited exemptions to home to school transport and rail replacement bus services.

The UK Government, through their published National Bus Strategy for England “Bus Back Better”, included a commitment to complete a review of PSVAR by the end of 2023. This review should ensure that the accessibility of bus and coach services continues to be informed by the needs and expectations of disabled passengers for the foreseeable future.

All trains which run in Scotland must meet the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Non-Interoperable Rail System) Regulations 2010 (RVAR 2010) and the requirements in the Persons of Reduced Mobility National Technical Specification Notices (PRM NTSN). These regulations are reserved to the UK Government and regulated by the Office of Road and Rail.

The UK government (DfT) Access for All and Mid-Tier Programmes will deliver step-free access at Anniesland, Croy, Dumfries, Johnstone, Port Glasgow, Uddingston and Anderston between 2019 and 2024. The Scottish Government also remains committed to improving access, as part of wider rail investments, beyond the UK government programmes and over the same period Scottish Government will provide funding for step-free access at Aviemore, Pitlochry, Nairn and Kingussie stations in addition to making all new stations fully accessible.

The Scottish Government recognises that disabled persons’ parking places play a vital role in enabling disabled people to carry out day-to-day activities that non-disabled people can take for granted. Local authorities have a duty under the Disabled Persons' Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009 to promote the proper use of disabled persons’ parking places, and aims to make all disabled bays enforceable. To do this, local authorities can use their Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) making powers to allow them to make adequate provisions for disabled parking around schools to aid parents or guardians.

In relation to the placing of a disabled persons’ parking place on a local road, it will be for the local authority to ensure it has complied with any relevant legislation and to take account of the safety of all road users. Local authorities are responsible for deciding how best to meet this duty on local roads in their areas.