Chamber and committees

Ground investigations for the slope stability works at A77 Glengall have been completed and initial design work to find a solution for slope stability have been undertaken. Further design work is now ongoing which is currently programmed to conclude in September 2023. Works on the slope will be programmed thereafter depending on the progression of the design adopted.

A new Detect Cancer Earlier campaign – Be The Early Bird – was launched on 6 th March 2023 and ran for four weeks, aiming to reduce fear of cancer and empower those with possible symptoms to act early. The campaign has been developed with primary and secondary care clinical input and will be independently evaluated. We have a dedicated page on our NHS inform website, which highlights the causes, symptoms and treatment for bladder cancer .

We know that the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat and even cure, which is why we continue to invest in our Detect Cancer Early (DCE) Programme. Since DCE launched, positive shifts have been noted. Our new earlier cancer diagnosis vision in Scotland is due to be published shortly as part of our ambitious new 10-year cancer strategy, which will outline the future of the DCE Programme.

The Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan, backed by £70 million investment, was published on 30 November 2021. The Plan focuses on key areas such as clinical pathways, workforce training and development and innovation.

In partnership with the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), we are committed to developing and implementing clinical pathways that optimise the value of endoscopy and urology diagnostics in each patient’s care. This includes refreshing ‘Once for Scotland’ clinical pathways to prioritise demand for cystoscopy, including where bladder cancer is suspected.

The Scottish Government has invested £5,793,617 on the management and maintenance of the A77 since January 2023. This figure includes all aspects of maintenance including major resurfacing, drainage improvements and routine maintenance activities such as vegetation clearance and grass cutting. It also includes targeted road safety measures, maintenance of bridges and structures and winter service.

Between January 2007 and December 2022, the Scottish Government has invested £64 million in five separate major capital schemes on the A77. These schemes are:

A77 Haggstone Climbing Lane & A77 Glen App Improvements - £18.7m

A77 Park End to Bennane - £5.5m

A77 Symington to Bogend Toll - £10.6m

A77 Maybole Bypass - £29m

There has been no expenditure on these schemes in 2023.

We expect all grant recipients to comply with grant conditions. A grant offer letter is a contract, therefore non-compliance is a breach of this, and should be dealt with in line with existing guidance. The Scottish Public Finance Manual sets out the process for applying a clawback condition on funds, if reasonable and appropriate to do so.

We have published updated Fair Work First guidance to support grant recipients and fund administrators to apply the conditions effectively.

The Scottish Government expects all NHS healthcare workers in Scotland to follow best practice when providing care for people with UTIs, including recurring UTIs. In support of this, guidelines on management of suspected UTIs were developed by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) in 2020 and remain current. These support clinicians to provide advice to patients and carers on appropriate treatment, risks and lifestyle and behaviour issues which can support management and prevention of UTIs.

As part of our £70m Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal plan, national urology referral and management pathways for UTIs in adults, which includes recurrent UTIs, were published in August 2021 supporting clinicians to make the appropriate referrals for UTIs at the right time.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18200 on 1 June 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 Hydrogen Innovation Scheme received a total of 74 applications with 32 successful projects offered grant funding.

Unsuccessful applicants to the scheme were directed to potential alternative sources of assistance, including available business grants and other funding calls and the SME Loan and Cashback Scheme which provides interest free loans (from £1,000 up to £100,000) to small and medium sized Scotland based businesses.

Rainforest expansion and restoration is a key Scottish Government priority. Scottish Forestry manages the Woodland Carbon Code which offers opportunities to expand and restore Scotland’s rainforests in line the Scottish Government’s Interim Principles for Responsible Investment in Natural Capital, which can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/interim-principles-for-responsible-investment-in-natural-capital/ .

Whilst there are no imminent plans to commission a report similar to the one for peatland, Scottish Forestry have also just appointed a new Rainforest Action Co-ordinator and one of the tasks is to develop a framework of potential funding sources. Part of that work will be to further encourage private investment where possible, working closely with partners and stakeholders such as the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest, and commission work as required.

The Managed Service Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MSN CYPC), has not received any additional funding from Scottish Government to carry out a robust workforce review and mapping exercise of posts across the network. The exercise is being completed with support from the Scottish Cancer Network, using existing resources.

Application guidance was made available to all applicants to the Hydrogen Innovation Scheme via the Scottish Government’s Website. In partnership with Energy Technology Partnership and the Enterprise Agencies, the Scottish Government hosted a webinar on 5 July 2022 to provide further guidance to prospective applicants and to direct them to additional sources of support. All applicants to the scheme were able to seek additional support from Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise and/or the Energy Technology Partnership.