Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-14255

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the (a) number of deaths as a result of the recreational use of nitrous oxide in each year for which data is available, also broken down by age group and (b) cost to the NHS of treating patients as a result of harm or injuries sustained through the recreational use of nitrous oxide, and whether it will provide a breakdown of the types of injuries that have been sustained through the recreational use of nitrous oxide.

As Nitrous Oxide is not classed as a controlled substance under the reserved Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, it is not routinely screened for in toxicology testing.

The National Records of Scotland do publish ‘Accidental poisoning by and exposure to noxious substances’, but do not provide specific substance breakdowns.

Analysis of hospital admissions in relation to Nitrous Oxide would be limited by use of the ICD-10 diagnostic coding system. Nitrous Oxide use is coded within the ‘inhalant’ or ‘volatile substance’ category (F18), but this also contains other substances such as butane and glue, so it isn’t possible to narrow it down to the admissions specific to nitrous. There is also no mention of intentionality (i.e. recreational use) within these data.

Question reference: S6W-14079

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many potholes were (a) reported to and (b) repaired by Transport Scotland, in each month of (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

The following tables show how many potholes had been reported and repaired by Transport Scotland’s Operating Companies and DBFO Concessionaires per month in 2021 and 2022

2021	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
Potholes reported	1626	2388	2271	1128	1049	572	359	377	319	559	646	793
Potholes repaired	1446	2325	2127	1266	948	773	147	394	314	472	532	845

2022	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
Potholes reported	1238	1339	1077	856	675	473	327	276	183	354	500	717
Potholes repaired	1023	1129	1377	806	761	523	375	245	200	252	428	407

Question reference: S6W-14261

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13722 by Jenny Gilruth on 23 January 2023, how much budget is allocated to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion roles; how many staff work in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team, and whether it will provide a list of the job titles of the people in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team.

ScotRail Trains Ltd. has two full time equivalent roles within its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team; an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager and an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor. Scottish Rail Holdings also has a dedicated People and Culture role within the organisation.

Transport Scotland is not in a position disclose any individual’s personal salary data other than those that would be published as part of end of year financial statements and accounts.

Question reference: S6W-14256

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) eBay, (b) Amazon, (c) other retailers and (d) the UK Government regarding the marketing and sale of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes.

At this time Nitrous Oxide is not covered under the Misuse of Drugs Act, rather it is currently an offence under the reserved Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 to supply nitrous oxide if a person knows, or is reckless as to whether, it will be used for its psychoactive effect. Given the reserved nature of this legislation, the Scottish Government has not had any discussions with eBay, Amazon or any other retailer about the marketing or sale of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes. However, we have engaged heavily with the National Crime Agency and UK Government about the need for tackling the ease through which certain products can be bought online and used for criminal activity and will be responding to their current consultation about developing a new criminal offence around the supply or possession of articles used for serious crime, particularly pill presses. We would plan to engage with retailers about the impact of any new legislation.

The UK Government have requested that the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs conduct an updated assessment of the health and social harms of nitrous oxide and, following that assessment, provide advice on whether nitrous oxide should be controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Scottish Government officials are engaging with the ACMD around this review and have provided information to them in relation to it. The ACMD will explore, amongst other elements of Nitrous Oxide use, whether current regulations are having the desired effect of preventing the marketing and sale of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes and whether or not such an effect might be achieved by listing it under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Question reference: S6W-14073

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the effectiveness of Scottish Coast Guard Rescue Teams and related mental health support for their staff.

The Scottish Government has had no recent discussions with the UK Government on these issues; I have, however, recently met with the Maritime Coastguard Agency regarding all aspects of their operations in Scotland.

Coastguard operations are matters reserved to the UK Government and the responsibility of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, reporting to the Secretary of State for Transport, are responsible for providing effective operations and the welfare of its workforce.

The Scottish Government expects the highest shipping safety and other regulatory standards around Scotland’s coasts and that coastguard staff welfare issues are afforded paramount importance in what is a sometimes hazardous line of employment.

Question reference: S6O-01898

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the value of outdoor education to children and young people.

Question reference: S6W-14265

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13758 by Keith Brown on 19 January 2023, for what reason it does not hold this information; what consideration it has given to doing so, and whether Police Scotland holds this information.

The data received from Police Scotland for producing the National Statistics on Recorded Crime, is a simple count of the number of crimes and offences, for each local authority, which the police have recorded and cleared up. As such we are unable to separately identify any offences that included the seizure of a 3D printer or 3D printed guns. We also produce Official Statistics on crimes and offences involving the use of firearms in Scotland, but this doesn’t include information on seizures of weapons.

Whilst user needs are kept under review, there are no current plans to collect data on this specific type of activity as Police Scotland can be contacted for further information. In terms of the current position, they have confirmed that as of January 2023, there have been no seizures of 3D printed guns or 3D printers being used for illicit purposes.

Question reference: S6W-13664

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how many customer complaints ScotRail has received since it was brought into public ownership.

ScotRail has provided the below data for its closed customer complaints since 1 April 2022, by four-weekly rail period, with the prior year (2021-22) and final pre-pandemic year (2019-20) included for comparison:

Rail Year Period	Complaints 2022-23	Complaints 2021-22	Complaints 2019-20
Period 1	1,142	643	2,174
Period 2	1,867	1,079	2,218
Period 3	1,500	1,364	2,228
Period 4	1,015	1,316	2,130
Period 5	1,136	1,543	2,013
Period 6	1,038	924	2,125
Period 7	973	1,313	1,910
Period 8	1,088	1,951	1,482
Period 9	1,491	1,079	2,115
Period 10	1,269	1,034	1,534
Period 11	TBC	970	1,894
Period 12	TBC	575	1,519
Period 13	TBC	1,059	1,447
Total	12,519	14,850	24,789
Complaints as % of total journeys	0.0265%	0.0318%	0.0257%

ScotRail submits complaints data to the regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), and this data is published quarterly on the ORR website at https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/passenger-experience/passenger-rail-service-complaints/

Question reference: S6W-14018

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 31 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the economic and environmental value of inland waterways and canals to Scotland, and when it last met with (a) the Inland Waterways Association and (b) Scottish Canals.

The Scottish Government recognises the positive economic and environmental impact that canals and inland waterways make to Scotland.

Scotland’s canals contribute significantly to the nation’s economic, social and environmental prosperity, from supporting tourism and local businesses to creating jobs, stimulating housing development, helping to tackle health inequalities and encouraging greater accessibility to green and blue spaces for millions of people.

The results of an economic study in 2019, conducted by Peter Brett Associates (now part of Stantec), assessed the investment in the canal corridors across Scotland since the re-opening of the Lowland inland waterways in 2002. It found that the regeneration of Scotland’s canals has acted as a catalyst for £1.53 billion of investment on and around their banks, contributing to the creation of thousands of new houses and jobs. It further showed that the revitalisation of Scotland’s canals has attracted a substantial investment windfall in regeneration, tourism and infrastructure projects across the Highland and Lowland canals.

Scottish Canals is tasked with environmental responsibility, ensuring that the canals contribute to resilience in the face of climate change, and also contribute to the ambition of a decarbonised future.

Scottish Canals produces an Environment Strategy which seeks to define a clear route to delivering sustainable benefits on the canal network and the wider environment. The purpose of this strategy is to directly contribute to the Scottish Government’s National Outcomes by creating sustainable places, reducing the environmental impact of Scottish Canals’ use of resource and protecting and enhancing the built and natural environment. Scottish Canals will be updating this strategy in 2025.

My Officials have engaged with members of the Inland Waterways Association through the Cross-Party Group on Recreational Boating and Marine Tourism. I last met with the Chair and Board at the Falkirk Wheel on 25 August 2022 and my officials meet with Scottish Canals on a regular basis.

Question reference: S6W-14017

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 31 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recommendations in the Inland Waterways Association 2022 report, Waterways for Today.

The Scottish Government notes the recommendations included in the Waterways for Today report and recognises the importance of the issues raised by the Inland Waterways Association. The report highlights some of the positive work that Scottish Canals has undertaken in recent years, including the groundbreaking Glasgow Smart Canal.

Scottish Canals has benefitted from significant increases in Grant in Aid awards in recent years. Since 2019, the Organisation has received an annual uplift in resource funding from the Scottish Government and substantial increases to the capital grant allocation. This highlights the value that the Scottish Government places on Scotland’s canal network.

Chamber and committees