Chamber and committees

Thrombectomy services are run on a regional basis with North, East and West of Scotland hubs. Prior to making funding allocations to regions for the 2023-24 financial year, the Scottish Government has asked that each region provides detailed workforce resourcing plans and can demonstrate how these plans will increase the provision of thrombectomy procedures. This is in line with our aim of further expanding the national thrombectomy service and maximising the number of patients able to benefit from this treatment.

Applications for the 2022-23 School Libraries Improvement Fund were accepted from 29 August 2022 to 29 September 2022.

We are engaging with the Scottish Library and Information Council and will set out future plans in due course.

The Scottish Government’s Budget prioritises a just transition to a net zero, climate resilient and biodiverse Scotland, with over £2.2 billion of investment in 2023-24.

The Scottish Government’s public sector climate funding map , highlighting funding opportunities in a range of areas including transport, heat and waste, is available on the Sustainable Scotland Network Website.

On the specific question on Highland Council's Corran Ferry Infrastructure Improvement Scheme, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13974 on 31 January 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

Following the publication of the Health and Social Care Winter Resilience Overview I wrote to General Practices on 15 November to set my expectations regarding the need to ensure there is an appropriate mix of pre-booked, same day, face to face and remote appointments that suits individual practice populations.

I also announced the formation of the General Practice Access Group. The group aims to understand the challenges and issues affecting access to General Practice and will establish high level core principles to support and enhance patients’ experience of accessing ‘The Right Care, Right Time, Right Place’. The group has commenced its work and I understand will be looking to consult on a draft document in February.

On 21 December 2022 NHS Forth Valley and NHS Lanarkshire have been allocated £52.565 million and £109.967 million respectively to provide primary medical services.

Circularity Scotland issued the final RVM specification in November 2022. Separately some producers have highlighted that their containers have higher than usual variation in weight. Circularity Scotland have recently met with RVM vendors and drinks producers to discuss tolerance levels in dimensions, particularly with glass, to ensure that the settings in RVMs accommodate these variations. This is a standard approach for deposit return schemes and will mean that return points don’t need to deal with high levels of rejections.

On 28 September 2022 the Scottish Government published the report from our consultation on proposals to make regulations under sections 17 to 19 of the 2016 Act, which would introduce restrictions on the following:

• advertising
• brand-sharing in products and services
• free distribution and nominal pricing
• sponsorship of an activity, event or person

The responses, together with the analysis report will inform and shape the final vaping restrictions which we aim to bring forward in 2023.

If businesses have any concerns or questions regarding DRS, they should contact Circularity Scotland in the first instance. They can do this via their website or their dedicated helpline.

The works at each of the ports as part of the Skye Triangle Infrastructure programme (Tarbert, Lochmaddy & Uig) are aimed at replacing life expired infrastructure, improving resilience and increasing the range of vessels that can use the ports. The Lochmaddy project is estimated to cost £21million. Our response to the Freedom of Information Request 2022-00297832 published in July 2022 outlined that we have offered a capital funding contribution of up to £15,747million with the remaining contribution to be met by the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (CNES) as statutory harbour authority.

The Scottish Government is committed to investing in Changing Places Toilets over this parliamentary term, in order to increase the number of these facilities across the country and to support mobile Changing Places Toilets to allow people easier access to events and outdoor venues.

Our Scottish approach to delivering Changing Places Toilets will respond to local needs in communities across the country. Our Changing Places Toilets: Planning Guide makes clear that anywhere the public has access should be considering the requirement of installing a CPT.
We are committed to designing a funding programme that ensures that the Changing Places Toilets which are built are fit for purpose and are installed in appropriate locations to meet the needs of those that will use them.

This investment will be delivered in phases over the course of this parliamentary term.

The Scottish Government recognises the substantial challenges that Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost crisis have presented to self-employed people and freelancers in the creative industries, including the literature, languages and publishing sectors.

The Scottish Government’s vision is for Scotland to be a leading Fair Work Nation by 2025. We want fair work to be the norm for workers and employers in workplaces across Scotland – in all types and sizes of organisation and in all locations.

The Scottish Government will consider the report in parallel with the Culture Radar review of Fair Work within the sector, commissioned by Creative Scotland on behalf of Scottish Government. This review has now concluded and Scottish Government is currently considering the recommendations. We will also review the findings of the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre’s recently published ‘Good Work Review’, an independent review of working conditions in the creative sector.

Officials continue to meet regularly with the STUC and affiliate unions representatives of the cultural sector to discuss key issues impacting workers in the culture sector, including issues around freelancers and Fair Work.