- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 October 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend the COVID-19 vaccine certification (COVID passport) scheme to other businesses such as hospitality settings and smaller indoor events.
Answer
We will keep the scope of our certification scheme under review to ensure it remains necessary, proportionate, and targeted in order to continue helping to drive vaccination rates up as high as possible; and providing an additional layer of protection over the winter months as we seek to achieve the difficult task of keeping COVID under control while keeping our economy fully open.
Our decisions are taken, and reviewed on the latest data and clinical evidence. Our review process includes consideration of the impact assessments, such as the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment .
Our certification scheme is limited to activities that are a higher risk and is an alternative to the potential closure of higher risk venues. We have made clear that certification will never be a requirement for access to public services.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 19 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many body-worn cameras are currently being used by Police Scotland officers; how much funding it has allocated to Police Scotland to procure or introduce such devices, and what plans are in place to increase (a) funding for and (b) the quantity of such devices.
Answer
Police Scotland have advised there are currently over 250 body worn cameras in use within North East Division. In addition, Police Scotland also equipped all armed police officers across Scotland who were deployed at COP26. A consultation on a wider roll-out of body worn cameras to all front line operational officers and staff closed in September and work is ongoing to consider a national introduction.
For 2021-22, the Scottish Government increased the policing budget by £75.5m to over £1.3bn and provided one off funding of £0.5m in 2021-22 to the SPA, to support the use of body-worn cameras. The allocation of resources is a matter for the SPA and the Chief Constable.
Funding for the policing budget for 2022-23 will be set out at the Scottish budget on 9 December.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government when Scottish Water last undertook an assessment and upgrade of the drainage in Newcastleton.
Answer
Monitoring has found previous flooding incidents in Newcastleton to be due to recurring blockages in the network which Scottish Water’s Sewer Response Team duly attended and cleared. Scottish Water is also aware that more recent incidents have arisen from severe wet weather events leading to surface and river flooding.
The primary flooding issue in Newcastleton is associated with the Liddell Water breaking its banks and I refer the member to the answer to S6W-04149 on 17 November 2021 for further information.
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
- Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 October 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the reported survivability bias in the Cancer Patient Experience Survey to ensure that the experiences of patients with a less survivable cancer are captured.
Answer
The care experience survey programme, of which the Cancer Patient Experience Survey is part of, is due to be under review shortly to allow for the context of COVID-19.
The Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey is run in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support and is designed to be comparable with Cancer Patient Experience Surveys run in England and Wales. A change in methodology, such as altering the sampling frame, surveying people at different stages of treatment or surveying the relatives of those who have passed away, would result in survey results that are not comparable to the English & Welsh survey results. Such a change would require extensive consultation with stakeholders.
In order to capture the experience of patients with a less survivable cancer we are using tools such as Care Opinion and working with our third sector partners to collate best available evidence.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the (a) Less Favoured Area Support Scheme and (b) Agri-Environment Climate Scheme there have been in each year since 2015, and how many (i) were approved and (ii) are awaiting a decision.
Answer
The following table summarises how many applications to the (a) Less Favoured Area Support Scheme there have been in each year since 2015, and how many (i) were approved and (ii) are awaiting a decision.
Please note the LFASS claims received in 2021 are still being assessed for approval.
Year | Total LFASS Claim Population Received | Eligible Population (Approved) | Awaiting Decision |
2015 | 12,198 | 11,406 | 0 |
2016 | 12,092 | 11,334 | 0 |
2017 | 11,916 | 11,186 | 0 |
2018 | 11,790 | 11,058 | <3 |
2019 | 11,644 | 10,920 | 5 |
2020 | 11,602 | 10,877 | 23 |
The following table summarises how many applications to the (b) Agri-Environment Climate Scheme there have been in each year since 2015, and how many (i) were approved and (ii) are awaiting a decision. The figures below exclude those applications that were submitted then subsequently withdrawn by the businesses concerned.
Please note the 2020 Round was not open to new applications, rather a one year’s extension was offered to all Management options that were due to end in 2020. Not all businesses accepted the offer.
Regards the 2021 Round, no approval decisions have been made as yet. However 72 applications have, so far, been deemed ineligible for approval.
Year | Received AECS Applications | Approved AECS Applications | Awaiting Decision |
2015 | 927 | 594 | 0 |
2016 | 1,251 | 979 | 0 |
2017 | 989 | 807 | 0 |
2018 | 900 | 604 | 0 |
2019 | 709 | 506 | 0 |
2021 | 753 | 0 | 681 |
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the (a) Less Favoured Area Support Scheme and (b) Agri-Environment Climate Scheme in each year since 2015 that were not approved have been appealed, and how many appeals (i) have been upheld and (ii) are awaiting a decision.
Answer
The following table summarises how many applications to the (a) Less Favoured Area Support Scheme in each year since 2015 that were not approved have been appealed, and how many appeals (i) have been upheld and (ii) are awaiting a decision.
Please note the LFASS claims received in 2021 are still being assessed for approval.
Year | Number of Appeals | Upheld (in favour of the applicant) | Awaiting Decision |
2015 | <3 | <3 | 0 |
2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2017 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2018 | <3 | 0 | 0 |
2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The following table summarises how many applications to the (b) Agri-Environment Climate Scheme in each year since 2015 that were not approved have been appealed, and how many appeals (i) have been upheld and (ii) are awaiting a decision.
Please note the 2020 Round was not open to new applications, rather a one year’s extension was offered to all Management options that were due to end in 2020. Not all businesses accepted the offer.
Regards the 2021 Round, no approval decisions have been made as yet.
Year | AECS Applications Reviewed | Review Upheld (in favour of the applicant) | Awaiting Decision |
2015 | 66 | 13 | 0 |
2016 | 93 | 18 | 0 |
2017 | 54 | 14 | 0 |
2018 | 76 | 27 | 0 |
2019 | 63 | 17 | 0 |
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to announce the composition of the Green Heat Finance Taskforce.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy, published in October 2021, committed to establishing a Green Heat Finance Taskforce by the end of 2021. The purpose of the Taskforce is to develop a portfolio of innovative financial solutions involving the private, public and third sectors for building owners in Scotland to ensure that by 2045, our homes and buildings no longer contribute to climate change, as part of the wider just transition to net zero.
The Taskforce will forge a new partnership approach between the Scottish public sector, heat decarbonisation experts and the financial sector to explore potential new and value for money innovative financing mechanisms for individual and community level investment in zero emissions heat. The Taskforce has a crucial role in shaping how the transition to zero emissions heat in Scotland’s buildings is financed, therefore the membership of the Taskforce will be drawn from expertise including green finance, the heat and energy efficiency sector and consumer groups. Further details of the composition of the Taskforce will be provided by the end of 2021.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it intends to require the installation of evacuation alert systems in new buildings that are between 11 and 18 metres in height.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a requirement for evacuation alert systems to be installed in new buildings between 11 and 18 metres in height. See answer to S6W-04133 on 19 November 2021.
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 .
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Current Status:
Withdrawn
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 18 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce an £86,000 cap on care costs, in light of reported plans for such a cap to be introduced in England from 2023.
Answer
It is understood the proposed lifetime cap on care costs to be introduced in England will apply only to personal care costs. Free personal care has been available in Scotland for adults aged 65 or over since 2002. From 1 April 2019 this was extended to adults of any age, no matter their condition, capital or income, who are assessed by their local authority as needing this service.
