Chamber and committees

Please find the requested information set out in the following table.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01559 on
‎ 24 August 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

The Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme replaced the UK Nursery Milk Scheme (UK NMS) in Scotland from 1 August 2021 following further devolution.

3,079 Scottish settings were registered to the UK NMS and claimed from that scheme in the 12 months to 1 August 2021. Initial data shows that 3,101 childcare settings and 116,293 eligible children are registered to the Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme (out of around 8,395 total childcare settings in Scotland).

The Scottish Government continues to work in partnership with local government and eligible childcare settings to increase registrations to the new scheme during the course of its first year.

Our ambition is that as many children as possible attending eligible childcare settings can access the milk and healthy snack offer via the Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme, embedding the habit of regular consumption of high-quality dairy produce and fruit and vegetables from an early age.

The new Scheme draws on a considerable period of inquiry and development, beginning with the Welfare Foods Consultation of 2018. Under the previous UK Nursery Milk Scheme claims were made in arrears, however the Scottish Scheme moves to an upfront payment system that covers the cost of milk and healthy snack, which was the preference of the majority of respondents to the consultation, and an approach aimed at reducing administrative burden on settings.

The Scottish Government has sought to ensure that the approach we have set out will allow for milk or a specified alternative to be sourced sustainably and at a fair rate, based on local government procurement data and historic claims to the previous UK scheme. Upfront funding via local authorities is available to eligible childcare settings who can choose how to best procure milk, milk alternatives, fruit and vegetables in accordance with local circumstances.

The Scottish Government will use Year 1 to gather and review evidence, including via an implementation group consisting of key partners, to ensure the Scheme is meeting policy objectives. In the light of this work and other evidence we will consider whether action is required as we look ahead to Year 2 and beyond.

The Scottish Government utilised a variety of data sources to derive Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme Local Serving Rates (LSR) using a formula agreed with COSLA Leaders in line with standard practice for allocation of funds by the Scottish Government to local government. The basis of our analysis suggests the LSR is sufficient to allow settings to purchase milk and healthy snacks in Year 1 of the Scheme sustainably and at a fair price.

While the new Scheme permits local authorities to determine payments, the local authorities have through COSLA agreed to pay settings at the Local Serving Rates for Year 1 and these LSR are now set out in the Regulations governing the Scheme. The Scottish Government recognises that this is a transitional year. We will gather the evidence from Year 1, including via an implementation group consisting of key partners, to ensure that LSR are sufficient for Year 2 and beyond. This may still be subject to timescales to be agreed with COSLA however, using learning from Year 1, we will continue to work with local government and key stakeholders to ensure that more children will have access to milk and healthy snacks as a consequence of this policy.

When developing the LSR, we included data from Scotland Excel (Scotland’s local authority procurement body) on the local variations in milk supply contracts currently in place across all 32 local authorities and assessed claims to the UK Nursery Milk Scheme, which provided historical data on the value of claims from different types of childcare setting and providers. The data collected on milk costs, combined with data on the size of the eligible population and number of children registered in childcare settings, enabled the Scottish Government to calculate the anticipated maximum quantum required for the Scheme.

In addition to making use of the best available data, an uplift was applied to the funding quantum to take account of uncertainties relating to the change in operation of the scheme, e.g. potential price increases, additional costs that might be incurred by the inclusion of non-dairy alternatives to milk, and potential changes in population.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6T-00019 on
‎ 26 May 2021. The answer is available on the Parliament's website at: Official Report - Parliamentary Business : Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Government remains committed both to a public inquiry to be set up this year to consider matters in relation to Scotland’s handling of the pandemic, and to placing bereaved families at the heart of our work to establish an inquiry including in the development of Terms of Reference.

During the first 100 Days of the new administration, the Government has held discussions with the UK Government on its plans for a public inquiry, as well as with stakeholders including representatives of bereaved families. To ensure that lessons are learned, we will now proceed to establish a Scottish public inquiry. The inquiry will be established by the end of this year.

As the beginning of a process of engagement with stakeholders and others with an interest, and to inform development of the Terms of Reference, the Scottish Government has today published a set of draft aims and principles for an independent COVID-19 public inquiry in Scotland under the Inquiries Act 2005: www.gov.scot/publications/covid-19-inquiry-establishment. This document will form the basis of a process which will allow us to listen to the views of those affected by COVID-19, including the bereaved families, on what they wish for a public inquiry to focus on, and marks an important step in the progress of its establishment. Discussions are underway with the Lord President to identify and appoint a chair for the Scottish Covid inquiry, in line with our previous commitment that we would wish it to be led by a judge.

In considering the Terms of Reference for the inquiry, and to ensure that all the areas that need to be considered are covered in a way that gives confidence to bereaved families and others, the Scottish Government will continue discussions with the UK Government on the planned UK inquiry.

The Scottish Government remains committed both to a public inquiry to be set up this year to consider matters in relation to Scotland’s handling of the pandemic, and to placing bereaved families at the heart of our work to establish an inquiry including in the development of Terms of Reference.

During the first 100 Days of the new administration, the Government has held discussions with the UK Government on its plans for a public inquiry, as well as with stakeholders including representatives of bereaved families. To ensure that lessons are learned, we will now proceed to establish a Scottish public inquiry. The inquiry will be established by the end of this year.

As the beginning of a process of engagement with stakeholders and others with an interest, and to inform development of the Terms of Reference, the Scottish Government has today published a set of draft aims and principles for an independent COVID-19 public inquiry in Scotland under the Inquiries Act 2005: www.gov.scot/publications/covid-19-inquiry-establishment. This document will form the basis of a process which will allow us to listen to the views of those affected by COVID-19, including the bereaved families, on what they wish for a public inquiry to focus on, and marks an important step in the progress of its establishment. Discussions are underway with the Lord President to identify and appoint a chair for the Scottish Covid inquiry, in line with our previous commitment that we would wish it to be led by a judge.

In considering the Terms of Reference for the inquiry, and to ensure that all the areas that need to be considered are covered in a way that gives confidence to bereaved families and others, the Scottish Government will continue discussions with the UK Government on the planned UK inquiry.

Transport Scotland continues to progress detailed proposals to deliver the Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan which was published in July 2020. rail-services-decarbonisation-action-plan.pdf (transport.gov.scot)

This includes developing the potential options to serve the West Highland Line by hydrogen or battery trains as well as considering partial or full electrification of the Highland Main Line. As set out in the action plan, these are longer term projects that will contribute to our commitment to decarbonise passenger services by 2035. A full update on progress with the action plan will be provided in 2023.

Our strategy is for all health records to be held electronically. The majority of people’s medical records are already digitised, following significant investment in GP IT systems in primary care and full implementation of the TrakCare patient management system in secondary care. We recognise, however, that paper-based records still exist within the service, particularly within individual clinical specialties, and that there remain a number of older records that have not been fully scanned or digitised. Health Boards continue to work through these challenges. Our forthcoming refreshed Digital Health & Care Strategy will set out further ambitions for greater patient access to their medical information.