Chamber and committees

The ScotRail Passenger Assist Service is available at all stations in Scotland, whether stations are staffed or unstaffed for all or part of the day. The ScotRail website provides details on how Passenger Assist can be requested and obtained.

Details can be found via the following link:- Accessible travel | ScotRail .

Network Rail advise that of the 359 operational railway stations, 214 currently have platform edge tactiles installed. As the second phase of the installation programme is underway some stations where work has been completed may not yet have been captured in this data.

The list of stations is as follows:-

Network Rail advise that the list of 18 high priority stations to have tactile paving installed is as follows:

Our New Build Heat Standard will apply to all new buildings seeking building warrant approval from 1 April 2024, as well as major conversions of existing buildings where certain criteria are met. The criteria will be outlined in due course, drawing from the consultations we have hosted on the New Build Heat Standard.

The Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland (HES) grants offers funding for homeowners and self-builders across Scotland to invest in energy efficiency improvements, zero emissions heating, micro-renewables and battery storage.

The Scottish Government currently provides significant support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through Business Energy Scotland (BES). BES can provide advice on installation of energy efficient and low carbon technologies including zero-direct emissions heating systems for businesses who are off the gas grid.

BES is also responsible for signposting businesses to the SME Loan and Cashback Scheme and for producing the assessment reports that are a prerequisite for application.

The successor to the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme will launch on 3 July 2023 and will last for a minimum of 5 years. It will provide eligible homeowners with access to a fully supported scheme from survey to installation to service visit, it will follow the PAS 2035 process and deliver whole house retrofit of heating and energy efficiency measures. Some design elements of the scheme are still being agreed, however it will take a zero emissions heating first approach to the measures offered to households.

Off-gas-grid homeowners and businesses may also be suitable for heat networks or communal heating systems. The £300 million Scotland’s Heat Network Fund offers capital grant funding for the rollout of new zero emission heat networks and communal heating systems, as well as the expansion and decarbonisation of existing heat networks across Scotland. The Fund will support both networks suited to urban environments as well as small, rural and community-led projects.

This September we launched the Heat Network Support Unit. Working primarily with public sector organisations, the Unit offers advice and grant funding for pre-capital stages of heat network projects.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-11865 on 17 November 2022. Our New Build Heat Standard will apply to all new buildings seeking building warrant approval from 1 April 2024, as well as conversions of existing buildings – however, only where certain criteria are met. Installing new zero direct emissions heating systems will reduce the exposure of consumers to the costs associated with volatile fossil fuel prices.

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 Heat in Building Strategy shows that including fabric upgrades the estimated average building-level cost of installing a zero emission system, such as an air source heat pump, is just over £12,000. The cost for an individual dwelling can vary depending on the building type, materials, existing levels of energy efficiency and type of heating systems being replaced; and we recognise that retrofit costs for hard-to-treat properties are likely to be higher than the average.

Further analysis of the estimated capital and running costs of zero emissions heating systems has been undertaken as part of the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Heat in Buildings Strategy, which can be accessed at: Heat in buildings strategy: business and regulatory impact assessment - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

We continue to develop the evidence base on the costs of different low and zero emissions heat options suitable to different properties across the Scottish building stock. For example, we are undertaking research to better inform our understanding of the cost of installing energy efficiency measures and replacing direct emissions heating systems in homes. While there is no fixed definition of a HTT home, this research includes traditional tenements and homes off the gas grid. This research is due to complete early next year.

As set out in the answer to S6W-12343 on 5 December there is a range of support available to all properties including for older and hard-to-treat off-gas-grid properties.

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

NHS Scotland Health Boards determine consultant requirements locally, based on their service provision responsibilities and service configuration needs. Scottish Government workforce planning guidance requires Boards to take a demand-led approach by determining future staffing requirements in line with healthcare needs within their locality.

Under this Government, however, the number of Consultant Haematologists working in NHS Scotland has increased by 18.9% or by 15.5 WTE, from 82.1 WTE as at September 2006 to 97.6 WTE as at June 2022.

Future medical workforce needs are considered annually by the Scottish Shape of Training Transition Group (SSoTTG) wherein existing training numbers are reviewed and additional ‘expansion’ posts can be added where there is evidence of increasing future demand for specialist services within a particular discipline. Ministers have created 725 additional training places since 2014 following recommendations made by the SSoTTG, 152 of which were agreed to through the most recent consultation. This represents the largest annual expansion to date. The SSoTTG will review the number of training places in haematology within the upcoming consultation which will take place in 2023.

Furthermore, we are developing a new 10 year Cancer Strategy to launch in Spring 2023 which will take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care. This will be supported by a 3-year action plan.

Digital pathology services have traditionally been the responsibility of individual Health Boards. Recognising the potential for a national approach, a Digital Diagnostics Group was established in April 2022 by the Scottish Government. This group is providing strategic oversight for a number of diagnostic services, including pathology services.

The first phase of this national approach has seen investment of £777,000 during 2022-23 provided to NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Highland. These three Board's are currently at the implementation stage and the learning from this work will shape plans for a national rollout across all boards in Scotland from 2023-24 onwards.

We are developing a new 10 year cancer strategy to launch in Spring 2023, which will take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care.

Blood cancer charities have been engaged throughout the development of the cancer strategy including responding to the public consultation (to which there were a total of over 250 responses) and in further meetings with the Third Sector.