Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the challenging financial circumstances that local authorities, and indeed the entire public sector are currently facing.

These challenges were considered and reflected in the Scottish Budget which will provide local authorities with record funding of over £14 billion in 2024-25, including £600.6 million of additional revenue funding.

Barnett consequentials accrued to the Scottish Government are added to the total available funding available to Scottish Ministers. It is then for Scottish Ministers to decide how all the resources available to them should be allocated. However, subject to the outcome of the UK Government Spring Budget, the Scottish Government has committed to pass on up to £62.7 million of additional funding directly to local government alongside any consequentials received for increased teacher pension employer contributions.

The Scottish Government supports a range of activities through the Forestry Grant Scheme and is seeking to maximise delivery of woodland creation whilst maintaining support for management of existing woodland. Scottish Forestry publishes regular Briefing Notes to inform customers of the funding available and how the funding is split across the range of grant budget categories and priority activities supported through the Forestry Grant Scheme. These Briefing Notes can be viewed at: Scottish Forestry - Forestry Grant Scheme .

Since November 2021, sentinel surveillance data have been available for mycoplasma pneumoniae in Scotland through the CARI sentinel surveillance programme. In this programme, sentinel GP practices across Scotland recruit and swab patients with symptoms of acute respiratory infection. These samples are all tested for ten respiratory pathogens, including mycoplasma pneumoniae. Enhanced surveillance data, primarily relating to symptoms, are collected by an online questionnaire from patients tested in the programme. Analyses from these data suggest that most infections display as a mild respiratory illness. To date, there have been no deaths in 1280 CARI patients positive for mycoplasma pneumoniae (up to week 7) within 28 days of their test. With the information from CARI, GP providers have been advised that they should consider mycoplasma pneumoniae as part of the differential diagnosis for community-acquired pneumonia cases.

PHS separately analyses data on all microbiology laboratory specimen results across Scotland to identify positive mycoplasma pneumoniae test in hospitals or care homes, or as requested in the community (by GPs). These data are reviewed by PHS and NHS Health Boards to identify any clusters or trends resulting in severe disease that warrant further intervention. To date, no unusual outbreaks or evidence of increased severity of disease has been noted and public health guidance on management of cases/clinical treatment remains unchanged.

The Scottish Government recognises that surveillance is a critical part of our approach to monitoring and managing the spread and prevalence of mycoplasma pneumoniae, Covid-19 and other respiratory infections. Public Health Scotland (PHS) are responsible for delivering Scotland’s National Respiratory Surveillance Plan with the support of the Scottish Government.

As part of PHS’s work, respiratory infection levels, including those of mycoplasma pneumoniae, and their impact are closely monitored throughout the year using various sources of data, including microbiological sampling and laboratory test results from community and hospital settings, NHS 24 calls, primary care consultations, hospital admissions, and mortality by cause. Intelligence generated from the different Scottish surveillance systems, including for mycoplasma pneumoniae, are used to inform proactive measures to prevent spread and ensure timely clinical response.

PHS has advised the Scottish Government that mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of respiratory infections, particularly in school-aged children. Most infections display as a mild respiratory illness, however, some persons experience severe pneumonia and require hospitalization. Significant cyclical increases in mycoplasma pneumoniae infections are observed every 3–5 years, likely because of changes in the circulating strain.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of many respiratory conditions to re-emerge following cessation of nonpharmaceutical interventions, including lockdowns and physical distancing, implemented as part of the pandemic response. After implementation of nonpharmaceutical interventions in response to COVID-19, the frequency of identified mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in Scotland substantially declined beginning in 2020, as was the case for other respiratory infections. Beginning in the autumn of 2023, the United States, China and other countries identified a re-emergence of the infection, a pattern similar to that observed in Scotland.

Mycoplasma pneumonia infection typically is not severe but it can cause a pneumonia that is usually mild in nature. PHS has reviewed routine surveillance data available to them and are reassured that most presentations of mycoplasma pneumoniae infections are of a mild respiratory illness, with children most commonly presenting at GPs with common respiratory symptoms. To date, there have been no deaths in 1280 CARI patients positive for mycoplasma pneumoniae (up to week 7) within 28 days of their test.

The Scottish Government notes that PHS continues to encourage good hand and respiratory hygiene to help stop the spread of winter bugs, including mycoplasma pneumoniae. By keeping hands clean and helping to ensure children practice good respiratory hygiene, the spread of this infection can be reduced. The Scottish Government notes that information on managing the symptoms of common winter illnesses including self-help guides and advice on preventing onward transmission, can be found on NHS Inform. ( https://www.nhsinform.scot/winter-illness/ )

The statutory minimum walking distances set out in legislation are a long-standing feature of our education system and there are no plans to change them. The Scottish Government published guidance for local authorities regarding home to school transport in 2021. The provision of home to school transport is responsibility of local authorities and decisions about changes to eligibility for free school transport are for local authorities to make, subject to the applicable statutory requirements.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Scottish Water has published its Improving Urban Waters Routemap ( https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Help-and-Resources/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Urban-Waters-Improvements ) which outlines the process to identify and plan future investment for the highest priority Unsatisfactory Intermittent Discharges (UIDs). This planned approached is agreed in conjunction with the environmental regulator SEPA.

Each financial year (Apr-Mar) it reports UID figures within an Annual return to the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) and as at March 2023 the figure was 776. This number is revised each year as improvement projects address UIDs and on-going studies identify new UIDs. The figure for 2023-24 will be published later this year.

The National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) announced an Inclusive Business Models review. The review is ongoing and is led by a representative stakeholder group. The independent review group is chaired by Neil McInroy, Global Lead for Community Wealth Building, The Democracy Collaborative and chair of Economic Development Association of Scotland (EDAS).

The review group is drawing on learning from both national and international experience. It is anticipated that the work will complete, with findings and recommendations published, in Spring 2024.

All regulated procurements are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Sustainable Procurement Duty and in accordance with guidance and good practice, including Scottish Procurement Policy Note 3/2022 which provides guidance to support taking account of climate and circular economy considerations in our procurement processes. The sustainable procurement duty within the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 (the “Act”) requires public bodies to consider how they can improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the authority’s area, and act in a way to secure improvements identified.

The Act requires authorities to outline in their Annual Procurement Strategy how procurement will deliver local environmental impacts and report progress in their Annual Procurement Reports.

We have developed our centrally-funded, Sustainable Procurement Tools (the “Tools”) to include Climate Literacy eLearning which is mandated for Scottish Procurement and Property Directorate staff.

Opportunities to build sustainability into all frameworks and contracts are identified at strategy stage and embedded throughout the procurement process, highlighting key opportunities which can be assessed as part of our tender evaluation and monitored through ongoing contract management. Environmental objectives include opportunities to reduce emissions, appropriate climate change adaption, use of materials, waste, bio security and bio diversity. Tenderers are also encouraged to offer community benefits which will help to support our climate change objectives and our journey to net zero.