- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 September 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 29 October 2018
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will carry out a review of the recently reported issues that affected the breast screening programme in order to identify the (a) full extent and scale of any problems and (b) impact that delays have had on the women affected, and what assurances it can provide that such issues will not reoccur.
Answer
We have already taken three types of action to review the cause of the incident and put in place remedial measures.
Firstly, the Scottish Clinical Taskforce, established in June 2018, undertook additional rigorous checks on how the programme was operating, which identified the problem. Secondly, management of this incident has followed a systematic Adverse Events Management protocol in line with recommendations by HealthCare Improvement Scotland. Thirdly, we are currently working on improvements to the system for inviting women for breast screening. Whilst these are being finalised, we have put in place additional manual checks within local breast screening centres to ensure no women are missed in the period until the system improvement is completed. These checks will continue until I am assured that the current issue is resolved.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 October 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 29 October 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Ministerial Statement (Health and Care Update) by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport on 4 October 2018, how much outstanding brokerage will be cancelled, broken down by NHS board in each of the last five years.
Answer
In 2018-19, it is anticipated that four Boards will require additional funding and that this will amount to £68 million. This will take the overall cumulative balance for Territorial Boards to approx. £150 million, which is broken down as follows:
| | Opening balance | 2014-15 net brokerage | 2015-16 net brokerage | 2016-17 net brokerage | 2017-18 net brokerage | 2018-19 anticipated brokerage | Cumulative total |
| | £m | £m | £m | £m | £m | £m | £m |
NHS Ayrshire & Arran | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 23.00 | 20.00 | 43.00 |
NHS Borders | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 |
NHS Highland | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 15.00 | 19.00 | 34.00 |
NHS Tayside | 4.85 | 10.95 | 4.20 | 13.20 | 12.70 | 18.70 | 64.60 |
Total | 151.60 |
The announcement on 4 October recognises that this additional funding has been spent on patient care and provides a clean slate for the four Territorial Boards with outstanding brokerage to take forward the measures set out in the health and social care delivery plan, ensuring that patient care remains the priority.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 September 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 October 2018
To ask the Scottish Government how many paramedics were working for the Scottish Ambulance Service at the start of each financial year since 2015-16, and, in each of these years, how many (a) have resigned or retired and (b) newly trained paramedics have entered the service.
Answer
Information regarding numbers of paramedics per financial year basis is not centrally held. ISD collect and publish NHSScotland workforce data on a quarterly basis. Information regarding paramedics, including joiners, leavers and age profiles can be found by following the link.
http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2018-09-04/AHP.asp
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 September 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it takes to ensure that new afforestation proposals do not adversely affect curlews.
Answer
Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) is the Scottish Government’s forestry advisor and regulator and as such provides advice and guidance to land managers seeking to establish new forestry.
FCS recognises the importance of protecting the nesting habitat of curlew and the potential impact that new forestry may have, and has raised the profile of this species with all the FCS regional offices.
There is no curlew-specific advice or guidance currently provided by FCS. However FCS provides more generic guidance on safeguarding protected bird species, and applies this guidance to nesting curlew. FCS then works with the applicant on the assessment, interpretation and how the planting design could be developed so that the impact on birds and other aspects of the environment are acceptable.
The majority of woodland creation projects apply for financial support under the Forestry Grant Scheme. The scheme’s application process requires surveys and environmental information to be submitted where vulnerable species such as curlew are present or may be affected. In these cases FCS advise the land owner to seek advice from SNH and RSPB and to modify the planting scheme as appropriate, for example by reducing the scope for planting.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 September 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 26 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that all curlew breeding sites of international importance are classified as special protection areas.
Answer
Criteria for the selection of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are set out in the UK SPA Selection Guidelines which are published by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and available via the following web link http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-1405 . Following the third UK Special Protection Area Network Review and the completion of data collection, the UK SPA Selection Guidelines will be applied to identify any potential new special protection areas in Scotland for breeding curlew.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the £118 million announced by November 2001 for the Scottish Bus Group pension fund, whether any further payments have been made to former bus workers; how much remains in the fund, and how any funds not paid to workers have been spent.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-04592 on 5 October 2007. 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 .
The Scottish Government continues to make ex-gratia payments to eligible former members of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes as claims are made. The response to Parliamentary Question S3W-04592 on 5 October 2007 explained that, at that time, £135,000 remained to be distributed. Since October 2007, a further 13 payments totalling £50,618.58 have been made leaving £84,381.42. The remaining funds have been reserved for distribution to identified eligible former pension scheme members.
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 .
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 September 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 24 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government whether the application round for the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) will be opened in 2019 and 2020 in order to secure funding that will benefit vulnerable farmland species, such as the curlew.
Answer
No decision has yet been taken, partly due to a lack of complete clarity from the UK Government in terms of longer term funding guarantees following Brexit. However, I fully recognise that land managers want to know as soon as possible whether a further AECS round will take place so that they can prepare applications in good time. I am therefore reviewing options in light of the latest information on HM Treasury funding guarantees, and will make an announcement as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 20 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government whether it supports the use of rock armour to prevent erosion of beaches, and when and for what reason it took this position.
Answer
The Scottish Government supports the use of rock armour in appropriate locations as one of a range of techniques to manage coastal erosion.
This is a longstanding position, which accepts that in certain circumstances the protection of coastal assets is necessary and in the public and private interest. However, there are locations and times where the use of hard defences may not be in the long-term interest of sustainable coastal management.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2018
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the potential for developing steam train tourism on the east coast.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 September 2018
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 September 2018
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 19 September 2018
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to provide appropriate agri-environment measures to support farmers and land managers carrying out conservation action for the curlew.
Answer
The Scottish Government is working hard to meet the targets set out in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy through a range of actions including through the Biodiversity Challenge Fund and Scottish Natural Heritage.
Specific support for agri-environment is available through the Scottish Rural Development Programme 2014-20 (SRDP). The Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) is providing significant funding support across Scotland for the management of farmland birds and other species targeting in particular vulnerable species. In particular it provides support for habitat management for wader species, including curlew.
Since 2015, more than 2,220 contracts supporting habitat management for waders have been approved under the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS), with that number expected to increase once the 2018 round has been completed.
In addition, the Farm Advisory Service under the SRDP provides a range of assistance including one-to-one business support services including bespoke specialist advice on biodiversity and habitats.
