Chamber and committees

Studies looking at the impact of respiratory infections on those with lung conditions have often demonstrated that this cohort are at greater risk of hospitalisation. We recognise that people with lung conditions often have pre-existing reduced lung function and if they become infected with COVID-19 or flu, are at a disadvantage from the onset.

As set out in Priority 5 of our Health and social care: winter preparedness plan 2023-2024, “Protecting people who may be most impacted by severe illness, hospitalisation or death from Covid-19 and flu, through vaccination, is a key means of protecting individuals from illness and reducing demand on our health and social care systems.”

Our successful vaccination programme means many people previously considered at highest risk of infection and severe disease, and the wider population, are now far less likely to become seriously ill from Covid-19 or flu.

However, a group of people do remain at high risk – primarily people who have a weakened immune system. These people should continue to follow the advice of their GP or specialist clinician, who best know their health condition and circumstances.

Care and support for people with chest, heart and stroke conditions or long COVID is being provided across the full range of services being delivered by our NHS. This includes local primary care teams, community-based rehabilitation services and referrals for further investigation delivered in secondary care settings where needed.

The Scottish Respiratory Advisory Committee identified three initial priorities for implementation of the Respiratory Care Action Plan (2021) which were; child to adult transitions, access to data and pulmonary rehabilitation. The child to adult transitions sub-group has produced recommendations which will be shared shortly. We have recently commissioned Public Health Scotland to begin scoping work to develop a respiratory audit programme, and we are working closely with services across Scotland to deliver improvements in pulmonary rehab.

We are making progress on delivery of our Heart Disease Action Plan (2021) and have recently completed a scoping exercise with cardiac rehabilitation services to identify priority areas for improvement.

Since publication of the Stroke Improvement Plan in June, the Scottish Government has appointed a Consultant Stroke Physician as Clinical Lead for Stroke to lead on its implementation. We are developing a bundle of rehabilitation measures for inclusion in the Scottish Stroke Care Audit and are also developing measures of patient experience of rehabilitation.

We have established a £10 million long COVID Support Fund to support NHS boards to increase the capacity of existing services, develop these into more clearly defined local pathways and provide a more co-ordinated experience for people living with long COVID. We made an initial £3 million available from the fund over 2022-23, and a further £3 million is being made available from the fund over this financial year.

The purpose of Scotland’s National Marine Plan is to set out the strategic policies for the sustainable development of our marine resources. Regional marine plans are currently being developed for three out of the eleven defined Scottish Marine Regions (Orkney, Shetland and the Clyde). Unlike the National Marine Plan, which ‘must’ be prepared and adopted under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, regional marine plans ‘may’ be prepared and adopted, under the same legislation. It is not within the scope of any National Marine Plan to require the production of Regional Marine Plans by a set date.

Families told us, as part of the Best Start engagement process, that they wanted the best care possible for their babies. Evidence tells us that the very smallest and sickest babies will get the best outcomes if they care cared for in high volume units.

This change will affect families in many different parts of Scotland, and the Chief Executive of Bliss sits on the Best Start Programme Board and was a participant in the options appraisal process, representing the views of neonatal families.

Scottish Government will be consulting with families in the affected areas on implementation of the new model, so that we can take account of their concerns when the pathways and processes for the new model of care are designed. This will affect a very small number of families, however, it is important that we hear the voices of those families to input into design of service delivery.

Neonatal units will also continue to seek parent feedback locally to ensure opportunities to improve experiences of care for families are identified.

The Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care budget is facing unprecedented pressures as we address the backlog in care and deliver the recovery and renewal of NHS services. We are also facing the most difficult financial situation since devolution, with the lingering effects of austerity, Brexit and the pandemic combining with high inflation and war in Ukraine to place extreme pressure on public finances.

Within these constraints we are committed to providing assistance with electricity costs associated with life-saving at-home equipment where possible.

Patients using home oxygen concentrators are fully reimbursed for the energy costs for running the equipment. This is managed through a national contract which includes a regular review of price changes and any adjustment required.

Please see answer to question S6W-22410 on 7 November 2023 with relation to home dialysis equipment.

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 number of deaths where malnutrition was the underlying cause in any death over the past 10 years is as follows (Table 1):

Table 1 - malnutrition (E40-E46) was the underlying cause

Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads in their area and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic.

However, I can confirm that the Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance activated the Bellwin Scheme on 23 October 2023. The Bellwin Scheme is a discretionary scheme to give special financial assistance to local authorities as a result of providing relief and carrying out immediate work due to large-scale emergencies.

Argyll and Bute Council is one of six local authorities to have notified the Scottish Government of a potential claim relating to Storm Babet.

The Scottish Government is not considering steps to reduce recreational fishing for salmon or trout in Scotland. 

Recreational fisheries for salmon and trout are regulated by a body of legislation that determines where and when fishing can take place, by what method and whether any fish caught can be retained or must be returned to the water. 

The Conservation of Salmon (Scotland) Regulations 2016 prohibit the retention of salmon caught in coastal waters and specified inland waters. The regulations are amended annually to take account of the latest assessment of the conservation status of salmon.

As a result of statutory and voluntary measures, the practice of catch and release has increased in recent years. In 2022, catch and release accounted for 97% of the total rod catch of salmon and 91% of the total rod catch of sea trout.

The Scottish Government has not made specific representations to Ofcom in relation to the changes to spectrum allocations due to be discussed at the World Radiocommunication Conference 2023, or the impacts of those changes on particular groups. We understand that the UK Government, who lead on decision-making around broadcasting as it is a reserved issue, have directed Ofcom to represent the UK at WRC-23, and have expressed that their preference is for no change to international spectrum allocations. The Scottish Government understands that, if a different spectrum allocation is agreed at WRC-23, the UK would still have considerable freedom over how to use the spectrum going forward.

The Scottish Government is supportive of the view, set out in the Broadcast 2040+ Campaign, that audiences should continue to have access to the high-quality broadcast TV and radio services they rely on. In response to a letter from members of the Campaign, I wrote to arrange a meeting to hear more about the valuable work of the Campaign and will meet with them on 6 December. When that meeting takes place, I will ensure that the positive health and wellbeing impacts of access to broadcast television and radio are discussed.