Chamber and committees

Dental services have not been stopped during the pandemic period. Dental practices were initially closed with urgent and emergency dental care provided through urgent dental care centres. Dental practices reopened following a phased remobilisation programme which culminated on 1 November with dental teams able to provide the full range of NHS care and treatment to patients. While it is the case patient numbers continue to be less than pre-pandemic - as dental teams are required to operate within strict infection, prevention and control guidance - pregnant women and nursing mothers who required urgent or emergency dental care would still be seen during the pandemic period.

The information requested is not held centrally. Statistics on patients waiting for pulmonary rehabilitation are not held by Public Health Scotland (PHS). Waiting times statistics relating to specific conditions a patient is waiting to be seen for are not held centrally.

Statistics relating to the waits patients experience for new outpatient appointments and inpatient or day case admission at specialty level are published up to 30 June 2021 using the link https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-stage-of-treatment/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times-inpatients-day-cases-and-new-outpatients-31-august-2021/ .

The Scottish Household Survey 2017 shows that there has been a steady increase in the number of people using food waste recycling caddies, rather than throwing food out with general waste. Less than half (48%) of households now dispose of food waste with their general rubbish. The proportion of households making use of local authority-provided food caddies was 55 % in 2017

In response to (b), the duty to segregate food waste in the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 covers approximately 80% of Scotland’s population. The latest figures are from September 2015 and can be found in Zero Waste Scotland’s report: How Much Food Waste Is There in Scotland? , published in 2016, showing that over 1.5 million Scottish households had access to food waste collection.

The upcoming review of the Food Waste Reduction Action Plan in addition to the development of a Routemap to deliver our ambitious 2025 waste and recycling targets will consider improvements to the data collection and monitoring relating to food waste.

General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) do not have a contract with the Scottish Government to provide General Dental Services (GDS). They are independent contractors who make arrangements directly with the NHS Board to provide GDS in their area.

The Scottish Government believe that transport plays a crucial role in supporting a green and fair recovery and that in the face of the climate emergency we need to shift away from new road projects that encourage more people to drive, and instead focus on maintaining roads, improving safety and providing a realistic and affordable alternative through investing in public transport and active travel. This is set out in the shared policy programme element of the agreement with the Scottish Green Party.

Future investment in our transport network will be set out in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review and will align with the sustainable mode and investment hierarchies. In the shared policy element of the agreement we state that during this parliamentary session, new roads projects will normally only be taken forward where they reduce the maintenance backlog; address road safety concerns or adapt the network to deal with the impacts of climate change or benefit communities such as bypassing settlements. We will not build road infrastructure to cater for forecast unconstrained increases in traffic volumes.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role the A1 plays in providing access to key markets, jobs and services between the south east of Scotland and north east England, and beyond. The Borders Transport Corridors Study, published in March 2019, identified intervention on the A1 within its 21 recommendations and further appraisal work is being down through STPR2.

The appraisal process for STPR2 is considering the performance of all options against the transport outcomes we are seeking, and against the Transport Planning Objectives, which are aligned to our National Transport Strategy priorities and outcomes. Therefore, we need to consider the social and economic benefits and impacts based on performance against these objectives, and against the five Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria, to determine overall Value for Money. Also underpinning STPR2 is the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy where we will aim first to reduce the need to travel unsustainably, make better use of and enhance existing infrastructure, before investing in new capacity. This hierarchy is also central to the Infrastructure Investment Plan. STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

Until the appraisal process is completed, it is not possible to make individual decisions on options being considered including improvements to, or dualling of, the A1 south of Dunbar.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02280 on 7 September 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02280 on 7 September 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02280 on 7 September 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02280 on‎ 7 September 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

There are no specific delays recorded affecting the updating of online vaccination status on or after 22 July 2021.

Currently there is an interim solution to provide access to vaccination status for those who need it for international travel. It is only designed to be in place for a short period of time and we are focussing all our efforts on developing a digital Covid Status Certificates App ready for the end of September this year. This long-term solution will have accessible options for those who need them.

We have made vaccination records available to Scottish citizens who have been vaccinated in Scotland should they be required for entry into another country. It is possible for an individual vaccinated in England and Scotland to obtain a letter from each.

We currently advise people to check the requirements of entry into another country, which can be found on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) website: Foreign travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) . If individuals are in any doubt as to what will be accepted, we recommend checking with the country they are travelling to.

For further details, anyone can call the National Helpline on 0800 030 8013.