Chamber and committees

NHS Lanarkshire confirm that for the month of November (no validated data is available as yet for December) 42 patients have been sent to Wishaw and Hairmyres Hospitals as a result of the interim measures. The Health Board had predicted that an average of 117 patients a month would be transferred under the interim measures; they will continue to carefully monitor activity.

The following number of practices by constituency in the Central Scotland parliamentary region have closed their patient lists under the GMS contract since the beginning of 2016. Patient lists are closed as an interim measure to allow Boards to working closely with the practices concerned to find solutions to maintain the delivery of high quality primary medial services in those communities.

Circumstances will arise where a practice experiences capacity issues and is unable to routinely accept new patients onto its list. We expect Health Boards to work with practices as constructively and as flexibly as is appropriate to help manage the situation and ensure that all patients have access to GP services.

* Now open

** One now open

NHS Lanarkshire advise that for the month of November (no validated data available for December as yet) there were no such diverts.

I refer the member to Schedule 10.2 of the ScotRail franchise agreement.

http://www.transport.gov.scot/rail/scotrail-franchise/public-register

The final process for agreeing and implementing the EU Fourth Railway Package has not yet been concluded. Understanding the implications of EU exit is a work in progress, and we currently continue to have all of the rights and obligations that membership brings. The Scottish Government is exploring all options to protect Scotland from a hard Brexit that economists say will cost 80,000 Scottish jobs. Our five key interests are democracy, economic prosperity, social protection, solidarity, and influence.

The circumstances which would give rise to consideration of Breach can be found in Schedule 7.1 of the Franchise Agreement There is and has been no Breach of the franchise by Abellio ScotRail.

http://www.transport.gov.scot/rail/scotrail-franchise/public-register

Network Rail is required to comply with a number of existing statutory, contractual and regulatory obligations, both domestically and in terms of requirements from European legislation. The Scotland Act 2016 removes the restriction on public sector operators from being franchisees, but these broader statutory, contractual and regulatory obligations – either current or planned - would still apply and Network Rail would therefore need to satisfy themselves that they could comply with all relevant domestic and EU law before a bid could be made.

In the meantime the Scottish Government is taking forward the manifesto commitment to facilitate a public sector bid for future ScotRail franchise contracts, engaging appropriate stakeholders such as Network Rail in this process.

The Scottish Government has put in place measures to ensure we are fulfilling our Railways Act obligation of securing on-going rail functions, as the operator of last resort, should a franchise terminate early, for any reason, and not be replaced.

It is worth noting that this matter is entirely separate from establishing a public sector body that would be able to bid for future franchises.

The Scottish Ministers are currently considering all available options to promote fair work practices, including collective bargaining and payment of the National Minimum Wage and, where possible, the Scottish Living Wage in their contracts.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-04436 on 16 November 2016. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx