- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many surgical procedures have been cancelled in each of the last five years due to a lack of available staff, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government the member may wish to contact NHS board directly for information.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what the current average time is from the initiation of a compulsory purchase order to its conclusion, broken down by sector.
Answer
The Scottish Government regularly publishes a register of orders submitted to the Scottish Ministers for confirmation since 2012: https://www.gov.scot/publications/compulsory-purchase-order-register/. The current register, published in December, includes compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) received up to the end of October 2024. The register includes information on the time taken between receipt of a CPO by the Scottish Government and the decision as to whether the order is confirmed.
A number of steps typically precede a CPO being submitted for confirmation, including negotiation with affected landowners and preparation of the relevant documentation. These are matters for the relevant acquiring authority and are not included in the CPO register.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether its (a) media and software subscriptions and (b) professional memberships align with its (i) net zero and (ii) sustainability targets.
Answer
The Scottish Government procures software subscriptions services through centrally tendered national procurement frameworks which fully consider and technically assess environmental and sustainability factors through the procurement framework evaluation process.
Professional memberships and media subscriptions are managed in individual business areas rather than on an organisational basis. We do not hold centralised information on the Net Zero or sustainability position or ambition for media suppliers or each professional body the Scottish Government aligns with.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has terminated any software subscriptions in the last five years and, if so, for what reason.
Answer
The Scottish Government have terminated software subscriptions for several operational reasons. These include non-renewal on contract expiry, replacement with more modern services and the loss of business requirement to run the software.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what professional memberships are held by (a) it and (b) each of its departments and directorates, broken down by organisation.
Answer
All our professional memberships are held by and apply to individuals so the Scottish Government as a body does not hold professional memberships.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it uses to assess the necessity of software subscriptions across its departments.
Answer
The Scottish Government uses robust contract management procedures in relation to the procurement and compliance of licensing agreements for software subscriptions, procuring through national public procurement frameworks to ensure transparency, quality and value for money. Criteria will vary depending on business needs, costs and value.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it shares (a) software licences and (b) professional memberships across departments to reduce costs.
Answer
The Scottish Government operates a Shared Services approach to IT. 52 Agencies and Public Bodies out with the core Scottish Government take IT services from a centralised IT Service called SCOTSConnect.
The large customer base of over 21,000 staff and shared network brings a high level of standardisation, meaning we can drive economies of scale with better buying power for software and deliver exceptional value for money without compromising the provision of high quality services.
As explained in the answer to questions S6W-33501 and S6W-33502 on 28 January 2025 , decisions on professional memberships are made by Directorates, Divisions and Departments. Professional memberships are, by their nature, used to develop individuals in a professional capacity. We are not aware of any professional memberships that can be shared between individuals or Departments.
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.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what specific actions are being taken to address any health inequalities in rural areas as part of its overall healthcare strategy.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises that healthcare services should be planned and developed to meet the needs of patient populations and communities, including those in our rural areas.
In order to tackle the decline in Scotland’s population health and widening of health inequalities, the Scottish Government (SG) is developing a Population Health Framework (PHF), to take a cross-government and cross-sector approach to improve the key building blocks of health including: good early years and education; good work and income; healthy places; and equitable health care.
Health Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships are responsible for the diverse needs of their populations and plan their service provision according to that need. Officials engage with Health Boards and HSCPs on a regular basis to review health outcomes.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out any review of the value for money of its professional membership subscriptions in the last five years and, if so, what the outcome was.
Answer
We have not conducted a formal cross SG review. As explained in the answer to S6W-33501 and S6W-33502 on 28 January 2025. Decisions on memberships are made by Directorates, Division and Departments following the guidance outlined in S6W-33505 on 28 January 2025 which states it must be directly relevant to the person’s current job and of relevant value to the SG. Heads of Profession will also oversee and advise on memberships based on industry and practice requirements, and their knowledge of each membership’s efficacy and value for money.
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.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32904 by Fiona Hyslop on 14 January 2025, in light of the cabinet secretary's comment that "No full review of this [the Experimental Traffic Order (ETRO)], process has been undertaken since 2021 but officials have had a number of discussions with local authorities to provide further information on the change in process and to assist in putting the new measures in place", whether it will confirm what (a) partial reviews of this process have taken place, broken down by the (i) date and (ii) outcome of each review and (b) discussions have been held with local authorities, broken down by the (1) date, (2) local authorities involved and (3) outcome of each discussion, and for what reason this approach to the ETRO process took place, in light of the comment made by the then Minister for Transport in a letter to the Net Zero and Transport Committee on 16 December 2021 that "I can confirm that my officials will review the use of ETROs put in place by local authorities on a biannual basis for the first two years, then yearly thereafter...This will allow us to monitor not only the number of ETROs being made but also the purpose for which they are being used to assess if any further changes to legislation are required in the future."
Answer
While no formal post-legislative review has yet to be undertaken, my officials have been informally monitoring the use of Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETROs) by local authorities. Given the initial low uptake of ETROs following the legislative changes made it was felt that no formal review was required at that time.
Officials have advised that the scope of a review is currently being considered and that we plan to write to all local authorities to gather their views on the ETRO procedures within the next 4 months. It should be stressed that this review is often undertaken post-legislative change and would look at the numbers of ETROs brought in under the new legislation and any common issues local authorities are facing to help inform any further legislative change in the future. The review will not impact on the operation of existing ETROs or of TROs that are subsequently made under the current legislation.
Officials have also had a number of informal discussions with a number of local authorities who were in the initial stages of considering if an ETRO was suitable for various schemes. No specific record has been made of these conversations given that they are standard discussions between Transport Scotland and local authority officials