Chamber and committees

Comprehensive and rigorous monitoring of Scotland’s water environment is already undertaken by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). This monitoring shows that 66% of Scotland’s water environment as a whole is assessed as having ‘good’ status and that 87% of Scotland’s entire water environment is assessed by SEPA as having a ‘high’ or ‘good’ classification for water quality.

In its improving urban waters routemap, Scottish Water committed to installing 1,000 new CSO monitors by the end of 2024.

As highlighted in the answer to S6O-02060 on 23 March 2023, the river basin management plans set out our long-term aims for improving our water environment. The plans are supported by Scottish Water’s Improving urban waters route map, which commits up to £500 million of investment to improve wastewater treatment works, address unsatisfactory discharges and increase monitoring. Scottish Water published its first annual report on progress against the route map in December 2022 at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/help-and-resources/document-hub/key-publications/urban-waters-improvements .

All answers to Oral parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the Offical Report can be found at Meeting of the Parliament: 23/03/2023 | Scottish Parliament Website

It is not possible to give specific details of the types of cyber-attack Social Security Scotland has been subjected to. Doing so may provide information on the defences which protect the Agency’s systems. This information could then be leveraged in future attacks.

The vast majority of the cyber events monitored consist of attackers scanning Internet-facing benefit systems to discover potential weaknesses in the defences. Should any be identified, this can lead to further activity from the attacker to leverage this weakness. To date, the security defences have prevented all attacks from succeeding.

Within the Scottish Government funding of Health and Care research falls under the remit of the Chief Scientist Office (CSO).

As part of the Scottish Government response to the pandemic, in October 2020 CSO launched a funding call seeking applications which aimed to investigate the longer-term effects of COVID-19. Following an independent expert review process, 9 projects were funded with a total funding commitment of £2.5 million. The funding outcome was announced in December 2020.

https://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/funded-research/long-covid-call/

The timetable for completion of the 9 projects funded through the longer-term effects of COVID-19 funding call is provided below.

CSO funded research project start dates are confirmed through submission by the corresponding host institution of a completed start certificate ( Form7-Start-Certificate.docx (live.com) )

Project final reports are the result of a collaborative effort between the individual project teams and members of the CSO Public Engagement Group who work together to ensure the reports are written in accessible language. There is therefore an inevitable short delay between the project end date and the publication of the final report on the CSO website.

COV/LTE/20/04

Amplifying the voices of people with lived experience to improve understanding, support, treatment and education

Professor Kate Hunt University of Stirling

Project Start Certificate 01-03-23

9 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 23-02-23

Revised End Date 30-11-23

COV/LTE/20/06

Defining and understanding the longer-term effects of COVID-19: A mixed methods study exploring the frequency, nature, and impact of ‘long COVID’ in the Scottish population

Professor Jill Pell University of Glasgow

Project Start Certificate 01-02-21

End Date 31-01-23

Project Completed

Final report published on CSO website

https://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/COVLTE2006.pdf

COV/LTE/20/08

COVID-19: Tracking Persistent Symptoms in Scotland (TraPSS)

Professor Nicolas Sculthorpe University of the West of Scotland

Project Start Certificate 01-04-21

3 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 19-01-23

Revised End Date 31-06-23

Project Completed

Final report in draft

COV/LTE/20/10

Prevention and early treatment of COVID-19 long-term effects: a randomised clinical trial of resistance exercise

Professor Colin Berry University of Glasgow

Project Start Certificate 01-02-21

8 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 03-04-23

Revised End Date 30-09-23

COV/LTE/20/15

Developing and validating a risk prediction model for long COVID-19

Professor Aziz Sheikh University of Edinburgh

Project Start Certificate 01-03-21

6 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 09-09-22

Revised End Date 31-08-23

COV/LTE/20/26

Clinical phenotyping to enable targeted treatment of persistent cognitive symptoms after COVID-19

Professor Alan Carson University of Edinburgh

Project Start Certificate 01-04-21

CSO currently in discussion with Lead Investigator on no-cost extension

COV/LTE/20/28

Longer term impact of COVID-19 infection people with diabetes

Professor Robert Lindsay University of Glasgow

Project Start Certificate 01-02-21

12 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 11-10-22

Revised End Date 31-04-24

COV/LTE/20/29

Evaluating emerging models of community rehabilitation for people experiencing the effects of long-COVID to inform responsive service delivery across Scotland

Professor Kay Cooper Robert Gordon University

Professor Edward Duncan University of Stirling

Project Start Certificate 01/05/21

6 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 10/03/23

Revised End Date 31/10/23

COV/LTE/20/32

Lived experience of long term COVID-19 on NHS workers in health care settings in Scotland: a longitudinal mixed methods study

Dr Nicola Torrance Robert Gordon University

Dr Aileen Grant Robert Gordon University

Project Start Certificate 01-05-21

2 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 11-11-22

Project Completed

Final report published on CSO website

https://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/COVLTE2032report.pdf

CSO’s standard funding committees also welcome applications on the longer-term effects of COVID-19 infection. To date 2 such proposals have been recommended for funding by the CSO’s Health Improvement, Protection and Services Committee Health Improvement, Protection and Services Research Committee – Chief Scientist Office (scot.nhs.uk)

HIPS/22/33

Caring for Long COVID in Primary Care: Using Patient and Professional Experience to Build Co-Designed Solutions. A Participatory, Mixed Methods Study

Professor Catherine O’Donnell University of Glasgow

Project Start Certificate 01-04-23

Project end date 30-06-24

HIPS/23/08

Long COVID And Frontline Public Service Occupations: Impacts On Employees And Organisations

Dr Alice Maclean University of Stirling

Funding letter issued 06-07-23

Projected project end date 30-04-25

The Scottish Government welcomes this research and agrees with the need for Net Zero to be implemented in a manner that achieves maximum benefit for all of society. Through our Just Transition Planning and publication of the next Climate Change Plan we will ensure that we act quickly to achieve our Net Zero ambitions in a manner that assures inequalities are tackled in partnership with Scotland’s local communities.

The Scottish Government is committed to enhancing protection for our marine environment in the face of the twin crises of climate change and loss of nature.

Although we are no longer progressing with our proposals for Highly Protected Marine Areas, we want to develop a new pathway to enhancing marine protection with all those who will join us round the table. There is a wealth of innovative ideas in our island and coastal communities and we want to hear more of these to help us develop an approach which is fair, just and brings people together.

We are also committed to supporting any group that wishes to pursue community-led marine protection in its local area. We have already seen successful initiatives in Arran and in St Abbs and Eyemouth and we will do everything to support those communities that want to follow in their footsteps.

Additionally, we have an on-going programme of work to implement fisheries management measures in existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) where they are yet to be introduced, and to protect some of the most vulnerable priority marine features outside the MPA network.

After the summer recess, we will be consulting on proposals for fisheries management measures in offshore MPAs, beyond 12 nautical miles. The options to be consulted on have been the subject of extensive engagement over many years with a wide range of marine stakeholders. Inshore MPAs and priority marine features also require fisheries management measures and consultation on these inshore measures will take place in 2024.

Another step is the consultation on proposals to close fishing for sandeel in all Scottish waters which the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands launched on 21 July. This is a crucial step in safeguarding an important food source for many species, and it could aid the long-term sustainability and resilience of marine ecosystems.

Our Fisheries Management Strategy commits to rolling out Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) to key parts of Scotland’s fishing fleet. REM will offer enhanced scientific benefits, enabling us to boost the data and knowledge we have which in turn will help deliver an improved evidence base. This can be of significant benefit to not only the fishing industry but also fisheries managers and could improve our ability to provide enhanced protection to our marine environment going forward.

Broadcasting is reserved to the UK Government. We have not had any recent discussion with the UK Government on this particular issue, however we remain strongly committed to a fairer and more representative service for Scotland, and we will continue to press for its improvement to ensure it better reflects the specific needs and interests of Scottish audiences in terms of all programming, including sport.

We will continue to support expanding the offer for audiences to enjoy Scottish international football and other major sporting events on free-to-air broadcast TV.

Although the Scottish Government cannot influence access rights, and the listed events regime is the responsibility of the UK Government, we maintain a close interest in audience and stakeholder views in Scotland and we meet regularly with representatives of Ofcom and the broadcasters to urge them to consider how they can ensure that audiences in Scotland receive the best possible level of service.

The management of pipes and air conditioning systems in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital is managed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and it is not an area the Scottish Government would ordinarily be involved with.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have not submitted any report to the Scottish Government relating to the pipes within the air conditioning system at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

A table showing the number of social and affordable completions by local authority area can be accessed using the following link:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/affordable-housing-supply-programme-completions-updates/

The homes provided through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme comprise homes for social rent, for mid-market rent and for low cost home ownership. These homes take various forms including; new build homes, rehabilitation projects, conversions and off-the-shelf purchases of both new and second hand homes.

Humza Yousaf MSP, the then Cabinet Secretary, wrote to the profession on 7 February 2023 providing an update on the new Determination 1 and indicated the direction of travel for dental reform: Letter to NHS dental teams from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care | Scottish Dental

On 27 July 2023 I provided a further update to the profession on the Scottish Government’s payment reform, which included the revised item of service fees, and will launch on 1 November 2023: PCA(2023)4 – Fees for Determination I | Scottish Dental