- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the autumn 2024 deadline not being met, when it expects to deliver the Fracture Liaison Service audit, and what steps it has taken to expediate this.
Answer
The Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) audit was commissioned by Scottish Government in July 2024. Whilst there was an initial delay regarding recruitment, this has now been completed, and progress now continues at pace.
Public Health Scotland are responsible for the delivery of the FLS audit and Scottish Government officials remain close to its development.
In line with all newly commissioned audits, we expect the audit to take several years to create high-quality, standardised data and consistency across NHS Boards in order to drive improvements and support clinical decision making.
I refer the member to the answer to questions S6W-35534 and S6W-35567 on 21 March 2025. 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: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will promote collaboration between the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council's Strategic Investment Model Stage 1 project on enabling (a) crew transfer and (b) service operation vessel fabrication with the analysis of future market opportunities for UK-built ships in offshore wind, which the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, in partnership with the National Shipbuilding Office and the Crown Estate, has appointed Cammell Laird to carry out.
Answer
Whilst all questions about Strategic Investment Model (SIM) proposals should be directed towards the SIM Project Management team in the first instance ([email protected]), the Scottish Government is happy to encourage collaboration between the SIM crew transfer and service operation projects and the analysis being taken forward by Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult and others.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to measure waiting times for follow-up appointments for chronic pain services, and whether it will publish any such data.
Answer
Waiting times for first clinician led chronic pain appointments are currently reported every quarter on the PHS website, Publications - Public Health Scotland. The Pain Management Service Delivery Framework Implementation Plan contains a specific action to work with PHS to improve how we capture and report national data on chronic pain. The current focus of which is to review and improve waiting times data for first appointments. We are considering the feasibility of collecting and reporting national data on waits for return appointments.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much will be spent on (a) the maintenance of and (b) staffing for the rural payments IT system in each of the next two years.
Answer
The expenditure of a) and b) in 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 is expected to be broadly similar to 2024-2025. In addition to rural payments systems this budget will be used to maintain and support a number of other IT systems such as the Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS), Estate Management Database (EMA), Drawing Office, Plant Health, Livestock Inspection System (LIS). These systems collectively assure eligibility for payments, support of inspections, responding to legislative requirements and supporting corporate systems.
ARE IT/Digital services support a range of other government departments, functions and agencies including NatureScot, Forestry, Estates Management, Plant Health and Livestock Inspections meaning our IT / Digital services support a wider range of stakeholders.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many young people have been recorded as moving into personal skills development, including employability, in each year for which data is available, also broken down by local authority.
Answer
The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each initial destination (three months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.1a in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations, No. 7: 2025 edition. The supplementary tables with data on initial destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-for-attainment-and-initial-leaver-destinations-no-7-2025-edition/documents/.
The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each follow-up destination (nine months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.2 in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary statistics for Follow-Up Leaver Destinations, No. 6: 2024 Edition. The supplementary tables with data on follow-up destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-follow-up-leaver-destinations-no-6-2024-edition/documents/.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government for each period since April 2022 how many ScotRail train services were (a) planned, (b) operated with at least one non-functioning toilet, (c) operated with no functioning toilet and (d) operated with no functioning accessible toilet.
Answer
This is an operational matter for ScotRail. The Member may wish to contact ScotRail directly.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many young people have been recorded as moving into further education as a positive destination in each year for which data is available, also broken down by local authority.
Answer
The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each initial destination (three months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.1a in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations, No. 7: 2025 edition. The supplementary tables with data on initial destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-for-attainment-and-initial-leaver-destinations-no-7-2025-edition/documents/.
The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each follow-up destination (nine months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.2 in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary statistics for Follow-Up Leaver Destinations, No. 6: 2024 Edition. The supplementary tables with data on follow-up destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-follow-up-leaver-destinations-no-6-2024-edition/documents/.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the concerns raised in the May 2020 Royal Society of Edinburgh paper, Developing Scotland’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy, how it will ensure that AI businesses are not subject to excessive regulatory complexity.
Answer
Since the publication of the 2020 report by the RSE Scotland's artificial intelligence strategy - Royal Society of Edinburgh : Royal Society of Edinburgh I have commissioned an independent review into the opportunities for AI which was published last year AI+Independent+Review+-+Call+for+Views+-+Initial+Report+-+Advancing+AI+for+Scotland+-+Reformatted+-+January+2024.pdf.
We have been continuously engaging with the UK Government to advocate that their approach to the regulation of AI considers the interests of the citizens and businesses of Scotland. We continue to provide AI support to business through our enterprise agencies and the AI Alliance, our delivery body for Scotland’s AI Strategy. They have recently relaunched the AI Playbook Guidance on AI Adoption Including Information on AI Policies — Scottish AI Playbook which is a one-stop shop for supporting businesses with AI adoption. The playbook also includes information on legal and regulatory provisions relating to the development and use of AI systems.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Allan on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its engagement with the UK Government on proposed reforms to electricity infrastructure consenting in Scotland, what its response is to reported criticisms that replacing automatic public inquiries with an “examination” process in cases where local authorities object may diminish local accountability in decision making.
Answer
Where a planning authority objects to an application made under the Electricity Act 1989 and that objection is not withdrawn, the Scottish Ministers must appoint a reporter to examine the application. Before determining whether to give consent, the Scottish Ministers must consider the objection and the reporter’s report.
The proposed reforms will instead introduce a more proportionate approach, tailored to individual development proposals and the circumstances relating to objections. This would align with established planning appeals processes in Scotland, and reduce the time taken to determine applications.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 1 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many young people have been recorded as moving into higher education as a positive destination in each year for which data is available, also broken down by local authority.
Answer
The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each initial destination (three months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.1a in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations, No. 7: 2025 edition. The supplementary tables with data on initial destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-for-attainment-and-initial-leaver-destinations-no-7-2025-edition/documents/.
The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each follow-up destination (nine months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.2 in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary statistics for Follow-Up Leaver Destinations, No. 6: 2024 Edition. The supplementary tables with data on follow-up destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-follow-up-leaver-destinations-no-6-2024-edition/documents/.
