Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is aware of the BMA Scotland’s views that anaesthesia associates (AA) and physician associates (PA) should be regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) rather than the General Medical Council (GMC).

The Scottish Government is satisfied with the suitability of the GMC as the regulator. AAs and PAs are educated in curricula aligned to the medical model and work complementary to and under the supervision of doctors, a common regulator ensures consistent standards, providing doctors with better assurance when delegating clinical tasks. It also ensures a consistent approach across professional groups in relation to adverse events, particularly where fitness to practise concerns arise.

Furthermore, the Department of Health and Social Care published a UK-wide consultation in 2017 which clearly demonstrated a majority preference for the GMC as the regulator (59% in comparison to 20% for the HCPC).

With regard to the BMA Scotland’s concerns that GMC regulation will confuse patients as to a practitioner’s professional status, current guidance issued to Health Boards by the Scottish Government stipulates that patients should always be told when they are being treated by an AA or PA, rather than a doctor. Once regulated, the roles will also become subject to the principles in Good Medical Practice to always be open and honest about their role and ensure that they are working within the limits of their qualifications and experience.

The proposed membership for the Medical Associate Professions (MAPs) Programme Board is indicated below.

As arrangements are still being finalised ahead of the first meeting at the end of April, membership may be subject to change.

• Head of Recruitment and Capacity Building, Health Workforce Directorate, Scottish Government (Co-Chair)
• Medical Director, NES Education for Scotland (Co-chair)
• Deputy Chief Executive and Director of NMAHP, NHS Education for Scotland
• Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Scottish Government
• Chief Nursing Officer Directorate, Scottish Government
• Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, Scottish Government
• Chief Allied Health Professions Officer, Scottish Government
• Scottish Association of Medical Directors (SAMD)
• Scottish Executive Nurse Directors Group (SEND)
• Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties in Scotland
• Faculty of Physician Associates
• Association of Anaesthesia Associates
• General Medical Council
• Workforce Planning Lead, West of Scotland Regional Planning
• Head of Workforce and Development, North of Scotland Regional Planning
• Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD)
• Health Improvement Scotland
• Directors of Human Resources, NHS Scotland
• British Medical Association

The Medical Associate Professions (MAPs) Programme Board will meet for the first time in April 2024. Minutes of meetings will be published online on the NES Medical Associate Professions (MAPs) | Turas | Learn (nhs.scot)

In February 2021 Brookfield Multiplex advised NHSGGC that they had concerns regarding the suitability of the wall linings installed in the atrium of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. Intrusive surveys were immediately commissioned by NHSGGC that confirmed the installation of ACM polyethylene products which do not comply with current Building Control standards. It is the boards position that the wall linings installed did not meet the contract requirements and this is the subject of an ongoing legal action.

NHSGGC followed a Fire Risk Assessment process immediately after being notified of the concerns with the wall linings in the atrium. This process identified mitigation measures that were implemented from February 2021 to manage any potential fire risk generated by the presence of unsuitable wall linings.

A Full Business Case for replacement of the internal wall linings was approved in November 2022 with the works commencing in the same month and will be fully complete in 2027.

Ministers are carefully considering the outline business case for the Small Vessel Replacement Programme, which includes the procurement route and a full financial assessment of the programme.

This is an important, complex issue and an update will be provided to Parliament once a decision on investment has been taken. This is expected shortly.

The overall cost of the project, as stated in the Full Business Case, to replace the internal wall linings is £32.7m in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. This project is currently on site and is expected to run until 2027.

I refer the member to the answer to questions S6W-25404 and‎ S6W-25405 on 27 February 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 .

According to a 2023 report commissioned by Transport Scotland as of December 2022, there were 182 rapid/ultra-rapid charge points (>50kW) located within 100 metres of the trunk road and motorway network. There are also a significant number of lower powered charge points (<50kW) within 100 metres as well as many more rapid/ultra-rapid charge points within a reasonable travel distance of the trunk road network.

The most recent UK Department for Transport EV charge point statistics published in January this year show that there are over 1,000 rapid/ultra-rapid charge points across Scotland’s public EV charging networks, representing 21.4 per 100k people and more than any other region of the UK. Rapid charge points like these are more likely to be close to the main road networks to provide ‘en-route charging’ for EV drivers.

The announcement in the Scottish Budget 2024-25 signalled the Scottish Government’s intent to explore the reintroduction of a Public Health Supplement for large retailers in advance of the next Budget.

In line with the New Deal for Business the Scottish Government is committed to engaging early retail representatives and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that any impact of any proposals on business is fully understood. Exploratory discussions with business organisations have already started and will continue alongside engagement with other relevant stakeholders.

The Forestry Grant Scheme will remain the principal source of funding from the Scottish Government for woodland creation in the 2024-5 planting season. The scheme will continue beyond that date but no budget has been set at this stage.

The Woodland Carbon Code has been attracting additional funding for woodland creation and this is expected to rise further. The level of funding will depend on the number of carbon credits generated in future and the price paid for them.