- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 28 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the estimated value of romance and companionship fraud in each year since 2011.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Sue Webber, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 28 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how many cases of breast cancer may not have been diagnosed as a result of women over 70 not being able to self-refer for routine breast cancer screening.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold data on the number of cases of breast cancer that may not have been diagnosed as a result of women over 70 not being able to self-refer for routine breast cancer screening. However, in the 3 year period 2016-17 to 2018-19, 32,492 women aged 71 years and over used the option to self-refer for breast screening and 1.43% of these screens detected cancer.
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Current Status:
Withdrawn
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what work has been done to increase standardisation of ferries, since the publication of its Infrastructure Investment Plan for Scotland 2021-22 to 2025-26.
Answer
Work to increase standardisation since the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan for Scotland 2021-22 to 2025-26 was published, can be seen in the announced Invitation to Tender (17 December 2021) for two new ferries for Islay and the continuing work as part of the Small Vessel Replacement Programme (SVRP) that will see up to 7 vessels replaced on the west coast as part of Phase 1 of the programme.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) are taking forward the SVRP and are currently working with the appointed naval architects (Navalue) who are providing consultancy services for the concept design stage as well as investigating and evaluating the feasibility of designing low emission ferries to be in line with the Scottish Government climate change and standardisation commitments.
We also continue to support the vessel resilience funding that can be spent on replacing obsolete equipment on existing vessels.
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Cal Mac Ferries regarding the Arran ferry timetable.
Answer
We continue to engage extensively with CalMac Ferries Ltd on a regular basis concerning timetables, and through the twice yearly timetable consultation process.
As part of the Ardrossan project; Transport Scotland continues to meet with and provide support to CalMac Ferries Ltd in the development of service continuity plans for the Arran ferry service when it temporarily relocates to Troon.
- Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what ScotRail contracts with Abellio will continue once its franchise has concluded.
Answer
A small number of contracts between ScotRail Trains Ltd. and Abellio is expected to be in place from 1 April to ensure the continuity of rail services in Scotland from 1 April 2022.
In particular, a contract for the continued use of the Abellio Shared Services Centre will maintain employment for staff in its Glasgow office.
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 25 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what recent consultations it has held with stakeholders regarding the Arran ferry timetable.
Answer
We continue to engage extensively with the Arran Ferry Committee on timetable matters through the twice yearly timetable consultation process, which has recently concluded with regard to the Winter 2022 timetable, and additionally through the Ardrossan Task Force which met most recently on 23 February 2022.
In the coming months CalMac Ferries Ltd will undertake a public consultation regarding service continuity plans for Arran ferry services when they temporarily relocate to Troon.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 25 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05488 by Ben Macpherson on 28 January 2022, whether it will provide the information requested regarding how many of these reports have been solved and how many remain unresolved, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer.
Answer
All reports received via the mygov.scot portal between 24 August 2020 and 30 November 2021 have been analysed, with appropriate actions identified and initiated. Social Security Scotland therefore consider that these information reports are resolved.
Information on fraud is regularly published in our Annual Report and Accounts. Social Security Scotland carefully considers the information on counter fraud activity that can be placed into the public domain to ensure that any information release does not undermine the ability of Social Security Scotland to prevent and detect crime.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05611 by Michael Matheson on 17 January 2022, whether Scottish Water expects to have undertaken all the residual work from the 2015-21 regulatory period by the end of the 2022-23 financial year, as indicated in its 2020-21 annual report.
Answer
As set out in Scottish Water’s 2020-21 Annual Report, while thousands of projects were delivered in the 2015- 21 period there were 86 projects due by but not delivering benefits to customers at 31 March 2021. Scottish Water expects customers to be receiving the benefits of 57 of these projects by the end of the 2022-23 financial year, leaving 29 still to be completed.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 25 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether provision has been made in the new devolved disability benefits system to allow disabled people to relocate between nations of the UK and maintain their benefit eligibility.
Answer
The Scottish Government has been working with counterparts at both the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland to ensure any person moving to or from Scotland who is in receipt of disability benefits can do so without disruption to their benefits.
The Disability Assistance for Children and Young People (Scotland) Regulations 2021 allow a person moving from Scotland to the rest of the UK to retain their benefit entitlement for up to 13 weeks. This is to allow time for the person moving to establish a new entitlement in the country they are settling in. We understand that the intention of other UK administrations is to mirror this arrangement.
The Scottish Government is also working with DWP to ensure anyone coming to Scotland from the rest of the UK will have the Scottish equivalent of their existing benefit awarded automatically, without a need to apply. However, it is our understanding that the DWP and the Department for Communities will require anyone moving from Scotland to these administrations to submit a new application before they can be considered for award of the equivalent disability benefit in the rest of the UK.