Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has made no assessment of the impact of GP medical receptionists being called for jury duty. Individual GP practices are responsible for ensuring that they are adequately staffed for normal contingencies.

The Scottish Government’s Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF) provides funding for the implementation of multidisciplinary teams in primary care, including Community Link Workers. The PCIF was not subject to reductions announced in the Pre-Budget Fiscal Update so there has been no assessment of impacts.

The latest data that the Scottish Government holds on CLW numbers (to 31 March 2024) shows that CLW programmes in the six integration authorities within the Highlands and Islands region were funded (except for one post in Argyle and Bute) from integration authority PCIF allocations. These figures are published – please see the supplementary tables that accompany the summary report: Primary care improvement plans: implementation progress summary - March 2024 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

Both Scottish and UK Government Ministers have accepted a South Ayrshire Council proposal that the Prestwick Spaceport is no longer taken forward as part of the Ayrshire Growth Deal. Scottish Ministers look forward to working constructively with AGD partners to agree new projects to be taken forward using funding previously committed to the spaceport project, and are confident that these will focus on and build on South Ayrshire’s clear strengths in aerospace.

Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27663 on 3 June 2024. 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.

The Scottish Government and NatureScot have been focused on the development of the final draft of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and supporting Delivery Plans, which will be published later this year. The Scottish Biodiversity List remains an important part of this framework. NatureScot has already undertaken some preparatory work which will help inform this task, and we will continue to work together to produce a revised list in due course.

The total drug costs and fees for dispensing methadone mixture and solution (1mg/ml) to the NHS in the last year (July 2023 – June 2024), broken down by NHS Board, are presented in the following table. Cost data are complete for all NHS Boards, whereas fees are incomplete as some payment elements are handled locally.

Table 1: Total drug costs and fees for dispensing methadone mixture1. Items dispensed in Scotland by NHS Board – July 2023 to June 2024

The information requested on how many vacancies there currently are for midwives, broken down by NHS board can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (Vacancy tab).

The 1,152 reported is the Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) fall in the NHS Scotland Nursing and Midwifery establishment over the six months to 30 June 2024. Care should be taken when comparing workforce data over a six month period as it will be influenced by seasonal patterns. The NHS Scotland Nursing and Midwifery establishment fell by 99 WTE in the year to 30 June 2024.

The Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland. However, operational matters, including staffing, are in the first instance the responsibility of each NHS board. Health Boards will set their establishment depending on the service needs, taking account of national, regional and local priorities, and we expect NHS boards to plan and provide safe, effective and high-quality care, in line with their statutory service provision and workforce planning responsibilities.

The paper shared by the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre at the last Grangemouth Future Industry Board was not specific to the Grangemouth Refinery.

The information requested on how many midwives are currently employed on temporary contracts, broken down by NHS board can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at:

NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (Employment over time tab, contract type drop-down).