Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20183 on‎ 14 August 2023. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20183 on‎ 14 August 2023. 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 Climate Change Plan Advisory Group has undergone 4 of 7 plenary meetings and has so far elicited wide ranging input from diverse stakeholders into the next draft Climate Change Plan. This input includes on topics such as our vision for the future of Scotland, just transition work and energy use, with a Sub- Group meeting on the topic of heat in buildings planned in September.

The Scottish Government will produce an Outcomes Report regarding the policy outputs from the Climate Change Plan Advisory Group after the final meeting in October 2023. Policy outcomes from the group will be used to inform development of the upcoming draft Climate Change Plan.

We need to understand if there are any underlying causes that explain the increase in neonatal mortality across Scotland in 2021-22 and that is why we have commissioned Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) to undertake a review of the deaths. The review will consider the systems, processes and governance for the delivery of neonatal care which are relevant to the review scope. The HIS report will be published later this year.

In addition, the Scottish Government is funding a National Hub to review all child and neonatal deaths which was launched on 1 October 2021. The National Hub is jointly operated by Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Care Inspectorate, following the successful piloting of the approach in NHS Lothian, NHS Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire.

The Hub’s focus is to use evidence to inform practice to reduce the number of child and young people’s deaths in Scotland and to report annually on its findings. The aim of the National Hub is to ensure that a quality review is undertaken following the death of every child in Scotland and identify themes and trends via the use of standardised forms and processes for Health Boards and local authorities.

The number of patients waiting for first appointments with specialist chronic pain services and the length of wait they experience is published by Public Health Scotland. The latest report can be found here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/chronic-pain-waiting-times/ .

The national data collection and the statistics published on completed waits focus on the waits of those patients who attended a consultant-led clinic. This is in line with the current national target for waiting times for new outpatient appointments.

Some Health Boards have introduced new pathways that offer patients alternatives to being seen at a consultant-led outpatient clinic. Patients are given the opportunity to opt-in to these new pathways, and they are considered as no longer waiting once they take up this offer. Alternatively, patients can choose to remain on the waiting list for a first appointment at a consultant-led outpatient clinic.

National data on those waiting to access Chronic pain services includes patients who may choose to opt-in to these new pathways. The data shows a recent increase in the number of patients following these new pathways. In the most recent publication, the impact of these new pathways on published statistics is discussed in the full report on pages 12, 13 and 17. The publication includes a description of some of the new pathways that Health Boards have shared with Public Health Scotland. However, detail of pathways provided by individual Health Boards is a matter for the Board and is not information held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government does not collect data on the number of children and young people who have a nicotine addiction.

However, it monitors smoking and vaping prevalence in these groups, drawing on surveys like the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Scotland study; the Health and Wellbeing Census ; and the Smoking Toolkit Study (STS).

For example, from the Health and Wellbeing Census , undertaken for the first time by Local Authorities in Scotland between October 2021 and June 2022 among secondary school pupils in Scotland (S2 around age 13 and S4 around age 15). This shows that:

• 2.7% of pupils said they were regular smokers. Prevalence was higher in S4 (4.3%) than in S2 (1.6%).
• 6.7% of pupils said they vaped regularly (once a week or more). Prevalence was higher in S4 (10.1%) than in S2 (4.3%).

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20183 on‎ 14 August 2023. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20183 on‎ 14 August 2023. 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 local authority that has asked for financial support is East Lothian Council.

Decisions on oil and gas exploration and licensing remain reserved to the UK Government. However, the Scottish Government does not support the UK Government’s approach to oil and gas policy.

The unlimited extraction of fossil fuels is not consistent with Scotland’s ambitious climate obligations. Our focus must be meeting our energy security needs, reducing emissions and ensuring a just transition for our oil and gas workforce as North Sea resources decline. The Scottish Government remains absolutely committed to a Just Transition.

Through our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, we have consulted on a clear pathway to deliver on global climate commitments while capitalising on the enormous opportunities offered by becoming a net zero economy. This approach aims to ensure we take workers with us on our journey to net zero.