Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has put in place a range of incentives in the Highland area to support NHS dental provision. Specifically:

• Scottish Dental Access Initiative. These grants are available to applicants wishing to open a new or expand existing practice provision. Payments of up to £100,000 for the first surgery, and £25,000 for each subsequent surgery are available through this initiative.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20057 on 15 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

“Tranche two” Marine Protected Areas are included in work currently ongoing to implement fisheries management measures within existing Marine Protected Areas.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20143 on 15 August 2023 for details of the timescale for this work.

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 COVID-19 Adaptations Expert Group have highlighted that there is a lack of information on ventilation performance and subsequent indoor air quality for existing buildings.

We are considering advice from the expert group to address this gap, including exploring the feasibility of a national ventilation performance survey for public sector buildings.

In Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 (CAFS) the Scottish Government committed to identifying what, if any, actions might best be undertaken at a Scottish level to address the issues associated with indoor air pollution, by 2026.

The Scottish Government do not hold any information on whether cadmium-plated pipes were water tested before the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital opened in 2015.

Ultra High Frequency (UHF) electronic identification (EID) for cattle has been trialled progressively in Scotland over the past decade through an Industry led Bovine EID ‘pilot’. The findings from this pilot, which has also considered Low Frequency (LF) technology, are expected to be published shortly. Any proposed future changes to regulations concerning cattle identification, will also be subject to a full public consultation.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested. The most recent Cancer Waiting Times Data from 1 January – 31 March 2023, published on the Public Health Scotland website, can be found at the following link - Cancer waiting times - 1 January to 31 March 2023 - Cancer waiting times - Publications - Public Health Scotland . Here you will find information on the median waiting times from referral to first treatment or from decision to treat to first treatment, split up by Health Board and Cancer Type.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested. The most recent Cancer Waiting Times Data from 1 January – 31 March 2023, published on the Public Health Scotland website, can be found at the following link - Cancer waiting times - 1 January to 31 March 2023 - Cancer waiting times - Publications - Public Health Scotland . Here you will find information on the median waiting times from referral to first treatment or from decision to treat to first treatment, split up by Health Board and Cancer Type.

Whilst there are no plans to collect GP waiting time data, Mr Yousaf announced last November the formation of the General Practice Access Group, with a view to understanding the challenges and issues affecting access to General Practice. This group will establish high level core principles to support and enhance patients’ experience of accessing ‘The Right Care, Right Time, Right Place’. Patient groups have been consulted and we expect the group’s work to be published later this summer.

The General Access group will help to build on the findings from the Health and Care Experience survey ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/health-care-experience-survey-2021-22-national-results/pages/3/) , which seeks out peoples experiences of accessing and using their GP practice and Out of Hours services.

It is difficult to make accurate estimates of the proportion of palm oil imported into Scotland that is from sustainable sources. There is no reason to believe that the proportion is significantly different from that for the UK as a whole. The most recent Annual Progress Report from the UK Roundtable on Sourcing Sustainable Palm Oil states that "since 2010, the proportion of UK imports of palm and palm kernel oil that can be reported as certified sustainable has increased from 16% to 72% in 2021, with the vast majority of remaining imports likely to be sourced through a form of assurance." The UK Government has consulted about regulations to introduce due diligence on forest risk commodities, which are planned to place new obligations on businesses that import large volumes of commodities that can be grown on newly cleared forest land. Businesses will be required to demonstrate that production of these commodities has respected local laws.