Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with lung cancer are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

Clinical nurse specialists make a valued contribution to delivering services and supporting patients and families who require specialist care. The Scottish Government has invested over £2.4 million annually in the Specialist Nursing and Care Fund since 2015.

The Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland; however, the statutory responsibility for delivering or commissioning services at a local level lies with local authorities, NHS Boards and integrated health and social care partnerships. Operational decisions, including whether there is a need for lung cancer specialist nurses, are therefore matters for those bodies.

As set out in the Chamber on 15 Dec, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde was asked to undertake a high-level review of a specific procurement exercise carried out by NHS Grampian.

The Board was asked:

• On the basis of having appropriate NHS procurement expertise and having not been involved in the procurement exercise being reviewed.
• To consider if the overall process was conducted in accordance with NHS procurement procedures, including documentation, scoring and selection.

The review has since completed and been shared with the Member. The review found that the exercise was conducted in a compliant manner.

The Scottish Government welcome the report’s focus on contributing to delivery of Scotland’s statutory Climate Change Targets.

Some of the recommendations align with Scottish Government existing actions to support the bus sector, including £113 million funding for 548 modern, zero emission buses, the £500 million Zero Emission Bus Market Transition Scheme to help organisations to understand the steps required to replace their bus fleet with zero emission alternatives and £25.8 million Bus Partnership Fund for bus priority in 11 partnerships covering 28 local authorities across Scotland. Other recommendations fall out with the remit of the Scottish Government, with recommendations on fuel duty and other taxation reserved fully to Westminster.

More widely on transport’s contribution to emission reduction, our route map to achieve a 20% reduction in car kms by 2030 also sets out the range of actions that will support mode shift and measures that support bus use. The route map similarly notes the need to address the cost of motoring and outlines that we are taking forward research to explore equitable options for demand management measures to discourage car use.

I thank CPT for the report which I will consider in full and respond in due course.

The Scottish Government's concessionary bus travel schemes are the most generous in the UK, with free travel for under-22s, over-60s, and people with disabilities. The Partnership and Franchising powers in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 allow Local Transport Authorities, such as those covering Greater Glasgow, to gain control over the fares in their area, but that would be a matter for the relevant Local Transport Authority.

The Chief Executives of Transport Scotland and Glasgow City Council met with Landsec on 9 November 2022 to discuss the proposed redevelopment of Buchanan Galleries.

Since then Transport Scotland and Network Rail officials have been engaged with Landsec to discuss further its proposals for Buchanan Galleries and the surrounding area. The most recent meeting was on 18 January 2023.

For the period between the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity)(Scotland) Act 2021 coming into effect and 31 August 2021, information relating to the Scottish Government's use or considered use of the section 1(1) power of the Act is in the public domain and can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/constitution-europe-external-affairs-and-culture-committee/correspondence/2022/eu-alignment--continuity-act--6-may.pdf

For the period 1 September 2021 - 31 August 2022 information is also in the public domain and can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/constitution-europe-external-affairs-and-culture-committee/eu-continuity-act--draft-annual-report-for-laying--final--27-oct-2022.pdf

The Scottish Government has used the section 1(1) power in respect of The Public Water Supplies (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022, relating to drinking water standards. These amended the Public Water Supplies (Scotland) Regulations 2014 to implement partially Directive (EU) 2020/2184 on the quality of water intended for human consumption. The section 1(1) power has not been used in relation to food and livestock updates or digital content and services.

For academic year 2021-2022, which is the most recent data we hold, 22,635 international students were residing in student accommodation (university halls and private purpose-built student accommodation) and 29,090 in other rented accommodation. We do not hold information specifically in relation to private rented or social rented accommodation.

International Enrolments at Scottish Universities by Accommodation Type, 2021-22

No meetings between Ministers and the Clyde Catamaran Group have taken place in that time period. However, a meeting with the CCG has been arranged and I look forward to hearing the Group’s proposals.

No office has failed to deliver towards any of the strategic objectives. The progress made towards, or challenges against, achieving strategic objectives are best understood as cumulative.

Scotland’s international network comprises a broader range of partners who support our efforts across trade, investment and diplomacy. Colleagues both in Scotland and in our international offices across Scottish Government and Scottish Development International contribute together towards trade and investment measures for international sales and jobs.

The Scottish Government’s international network of offices deliver benefits to Scotland across all five strategic objectives. This is reflected in the annual monitoring and evaluation report submitted each financial year.

Monitoring and evaluation reports outline the work undertaken by each office to progress against each strategic objective; and to contribute towards ensuring they provide value for money. As part of this, offices highlight challenges as well as outlining potential and/or planned areas for improvement. In recent years this has included factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the negative impact Brexit continues to have on our economy, jobs and trade.

We recognise that there are areas where improvements can be made. The Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee’s report into the Scottish Government’s international work, published last year, highlights the challenges in measuring the impact of diplomacy and soft power, as well as quantifying areas through metrics and performance indicators as direct and immediate benefits.

This is an area where we are committed to a continuous cycle of improvement alongside ensuring our international work is measurable, transparent and available to the public. From this year, we will publish an annual report explaining how our international offices work to promote our values, objectives and priorities across the globe.

Details of progress made against each strategic objective are as follows:

Reputation

• The recently published Nation Brands Index (NBI) 2022 survey, which scores and ranks countries against six dimensions (culture, tourism, governance, immigration and investment, exports, and people) demonstrated that Scotland has achieved its highest ever reported score, jumping to 65.3 out of 100, compared to a score of 62.6 out of 100 in 2020.
• The work of the international offices in maintaining and promoting Scotland’s image abroad via facilitating collaborations, developing networks, and hosting officials and events is a key contributor to Scotland’s overall international reputation.

Trade & Investment

• The most recent monitoring and evaluation report of the offices demonstrated that cumulatively the forecast international sales within each location country as a result of SDI support totalled approximately £972,000,000 in 2021/22.
• Another source of evidence was the EY 2022 Attractiveness Survey which demonstrated that Scotland was the most successful national or region within the UK, outside London, in attracting foreign direct investment.

Research & Innovation

• Scottish education has a worldwide reputation for excellence in teaching and research and each of the international offices undertakes work to help facilitate and develop further research and innovation opportunities abroad.
• Recent examples include funding which was secured in Germany to facilitate a bilateral research collaboration in the fields of hydrogen, life sciences and biotechnology, as well as capacity building work around the Horizon Europe programme.
• In Brussels we have also worked to ensure Scotland is able to retain a role in European organisations which facilitate research, development and innovation collaboration such our membership of the Vanguard Initiative - a network of some 30 European regions.

Scotland’s Interests in the EU and Beyond

• Protecting and promoting Scotland’s interests in the EU and beyond is a key focus of Scotland’s international network. Our network comprises offices from the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise (SE) through the latter’s international trade and investment delivery arm, Scottish Development International (SDI). Collectively this network supports activity by the Scottish Government, its agencies and public and private sector partners, in strategic locations outside Scotland.
• A key feature of the international offices’ activities in this domain includes the work of the GlobalScot network, a worldwide network of entrepreneurial and inspirational business leaders, dedicated to supporting Scotland’s most ambitious companies. Within the most recent measurement and evaluation report for the offices it was demonstrated that the network continues to grow.
• The GlobalScot network now comprises 1200 individuals globally, of whom 545 are in Europe (January 2023). GlobalScots can be found in 68 countries and represent all key sectors.
• Trade and investment envoys are also a central part of Scotland’s international business network. They are ministerial appointed to promote international trade and investment interests, strengthen local market knowledge in the countries and sectors they represent and provide strategic business insight and connections. There are eleven trade and investment envoys working in a non-political capacity across specific markets and/or sectors.

The Scottish Government delivers support for the historic environment through sponsorship of Historic Environment Scotland. We rely on Historic Environment Scotland as the experts to conserve and protect our important heritage assets for current and future generations to enjoy and benefit from. I am pleased that Historic Environment Scotland provided £500,000 for the Union Chain Bridge project to fund repair work. As the site visit that was carried out at the Union Chain Bridge is an operational matter for Historic Environment Scotland, I have asked it to write to the member with a more detailed answer to his question.