Chamber and committees

This information is not held centrally. Public Health Scotland do not hold the information that would allow us to identify the amount of delayed breast reconstruction operations that have been carried out in 2022, broken down by month and NHS Board.

There are different forms of active management of vegetation on deep peat including muirburn, cutting and grazing.

As far as muirburn is concerned, NatureScot published research earlier this year which reviewed the evidence on the impacts of muirburn on wildfire prevention, carbon storage and biodiversity: NatureScot Research Report 1302 - Reviewing, assessing and critiquing the evidence base on the impacts of muirburn on wildfire prevention, carbon storage and biodiversity | NatureScot

Following on from the research, the NatureScot Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) have been asked to provide advice on the circumstances under which muirburn, including muirburn on peat could be permitted under licence, and where it would not be appropriate.

The Scottish Government will take in to account evidence from the NatureScot research and the SAC advice alongside information provided by stakeholders.

Further information on impacts of grazing and cutting are available in NatureScot guidance:

https://www.nature.scot/doc/peatland-action-peatland-management-guidance-grazing-and-muirburn

https://www.nature.scot/doc/guidance-muirburn-code#Cutting

The financial costs of implementing standards in each local area are being assessed locally as plans are developed and implemented and so the Scottish Government has not centrally modelled the financial costs of implementing Medication Assisted Treatment standards.

This year’s safety performance of the A9 has been a concern for everyone and our thoughts remain with those affected by these tragic accidents.

I can advise today that this Government is taking forward a package of safety measures, valued at £5M, to help address the trends identified recently.

As well as the three safety schemes which are already scheduled for delivery, an additional £600,000 of works and campaigns will also be delivered by April, focussed on the A9 between Perth and Inverness.

This will include enhanced road markings with acoustic properties, illuminated road studs plus signage and improvements to highlight single carriageways and the transitions at dualled sections. Variable message signs will also be deployed along this part of the route.

For 2023-24 and 2024-25, the scope and extent of these works will be expanded between Perth and Inverness, delivering significant and important investment to improve roads safety.

I will also be working with the car hire sector and key local and regional partners to examine how tourists and foreign drivers can be better educated on Scotland’s roads. This will aid our wider campaign work on “Drive on the Left” and will also highlight the necessity for taking regular breaks, tackling driver fatigue.

Having met with MSPs from across the chamber following the debate on A9 road safety last month, I will convene a meeting with members, Transport Scotland, Bear Scotland and Police Scotland in the New Year to talk to these vital improvements and address any questions members will have. The next A9 Safety Group will convene in February 2023.

The Scottish Government has drawn upon a range of evidence and analysis, including the The Carbon Capture Crux: Lessons Learned report, during the development of the draft version of the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.

The UK Government’s decision to not award the Scottish Cluster Track-1 status in their CCUS cluster sequencing process has generated significant uncertainty on the timely deployment of CCUS in Scotland and, therefore, our ability to achieve our emissions reduction targets and economic ambitions as part of a just transition.

Delays in the deployment of CCUS infrastructure in Scotland will require contingency planning (Plan B) to identify the additional emissions reduction effort that may be needed from other sectors to meet Scotland’s net zero commitments. This will be explored in the 2023 Climate Change Plan.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13019 on 16 December 2022. 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 acknowledges the report, one of numerous recent ones on carbon capture utilisation and storage. As the report highlights, CCUS is an aggregate of technology applications that have been applied across varying sectors. As Scotland develops our ambitions for carbon capture and storage it’s crucial that we continue to expand the evidence base and build upon the lessons that have been learned over decades of CCS technology and projects.

A breakdown of the £191 million was provided in the Guide to the Autumn Budget Revision which is available on the Finance and Public Administration’s website here https://www.parliament.scot/~/media/committ/4489

This guide document will also be published on the Scottish Government’s website following the consideration of the Autumn Budget Revision by the committee.

We don’t hold the data that provides the total number of all events of near-fatal overdoses across Scotland.

The need for improved data sharing has been identified as key for the improvement of near-fatal overdose follow-up pathways. Through the Directors of Public Health National Drug Deaths Incident Management Team (NDDIMT), the need for improved data sharing is being taken forward as matter of priority in relation to MAT standard 3 - that all people at high risk of drug related harm are proactively identified and offered support to access treatment or care and support.

I am actively pursuing options for clarifying the position on information-sharing and discussions are ongoing with the Data Protection Officer around potential action they can take to assist with the sharing of essential information.

The annual Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey is arranged by Scottish Local Authorities and not by the Scottish Government. The 2022 survey was completed in September and the next survey will commence during March 2023 subject to favourable weather conditions at that time.