Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is developing a national strategy for 20mph speed limits, which supports the 2021 Bute House Agreement and 2022 Programme for Government commitment.

We have supported local road authorities with £1.4 million in funding to undertake the necessary road assessments which will determine the number of roads affected and the financial implications of introducing the national strategy for 20mph speed limits. The findings from the road assessments will enable the multi-stakeholder 20mph task group to scope the next steps for implementation at their meeting in October, with full implementation on all appropriate roads by 2025.

As stated in my response to S6W-18105 on 5 June 2023, the Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards in Scotland to consider the recommendations in the Scottish Health Technologies Group report, published on 23 March 2023, and take steps to ensure that women who require access to placental growth factor (PlGF) based tests as part of their maternity care can do so.

The Scottish Government wrote to all NHS Boards on 20 July to request an update on progress towards implementation of PlGF testing. Officials have now received returns from all 14 territorial NHS Boards and are currently analysing the responses.

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

I met members of the Scottish Perinatal Network at the National Best Start Learning Event on 28 June, however have not had a formal meeting with the Scottish Perinatal Network since taking up office. My Officials regularly meet with the Network and sit on the Network Oversight Board, and Maternity and Neonatal Steering Groups.

As Oxfam’s report recognises, the regulation of fossil fuel industries and the majority of tax powers remain reserved to Westminster. We will keep pressing the UK Government to take the urgent action needed – especially after their recent backsliding on net-zero ambitions.

Here in Scotland we are committed to using what powers we have to meet our world-leading climate targets. We will continue with our progressive approach to tax and working to ensure we achieve a just transition – all of which will help achieve our climate goals, safeguard jobs and protect those on the lowest incomes.

The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee has asked for the Scottish Government’s views on public petition PE 2046. Working closely with National Records of Scotland, we are currently preparing a response to the Committee.

Ministers have not attended any meetings to specifically discuss pre-eclampsia in 2023.

The Women’s Health Champion Professor Anna Glasier has met with a variety of organisations and experts across various sectors to drive forward improvements in women’s health. This has involved discussions relating to the actions within the Women’s Health Plan on heart health including where relevant pre-eclampsia in the context of the reproductive life course.

More information about the work of the Women’s Health Champion can be found in the Women’s Health Champion quarterly blogs .

Scotland’s independent environmental regulator, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), monitors and investigates impacts on our water environment and takes steps to ensure it is protected on a daily basis.

Scottish Ministers introduced the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011, updating legislation first introduced in 2005, giving SEPA enforcement powers and a duty to control activities liable to cause pollution of the water environment.

On Monday 11th September, SEPA responded to reports it received of large dead fish along a section of the River Spey. SEPA has conducted a range of water quality and ecology monitoring of the River Spey along with investigating local regulated activities. However, no water quality issues have been identified and no impact on other aquatic species and smaller fish has been observed. This would not be expected from a chemical spill where all aquatic species and fish populations would be impacted.

A multi-agency group has met in response to the incident to consider all potential causes of the incident. SEPA is continuing to liaise with partners and assess all reports in an effort to identify any possible factors responsible for the fish mortalities and the outcome of this will determine next steps.

We take reports of this kind very seriously and encourage anyone who finds dead fish on or near any watercourse to contact SEPA via our Pollution Hotline 0800 80 70 60 or online at www.sepa.org.uk/report .

The Scottish Government recognises that it is essential that pre-eclampsia is diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. This is why the Scottish Government contributes funding towards the commissioning of the Maternal Newborn and Infant Clinical Outcome Review Programme run by Mothers and Babies, Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK). All maternity units in Scotland contribute data to this and reports focus on pre-eclampsia every 3 years, highlighting recommendations for healthcare professionals, Health Boards and Trusts, policy officials and other organisations to tackle this condition.

The Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards in Scotland to take note of the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) recommendations, published on 23 March 2023, and take steps to ensure that any woman who requires access to placental growth factor (PlGF) based tests as part of her maternity care can do so.

The Reach programme, one of the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) funded Access to High Demand Programmes (ADHP), was initially founded in 2010 to improve progression to higher education (HE) and targeted specific schools with lower rates of progression to HE.

In 2017 the targeting criteria for ADHP were expanded to ensure that certain disadvantaged pupils in all schools could benefit from the programme, not just pupils in schools with lower progression rates. This decision was informed by the Commission on Widening Access’ final report, A Blueprint for Fairness, and SFC-funded research looking at the attainment and socio-economic profiles of pupils in all schools in Scotland.

Targeting criteria for AHDP is set by SFC and AHDP partners. Since 2017, the eligibility criteria are:

• Live in an SIMD decile 1-4 (SIMD 20/40); or

• Are care experienced; or

• Are estranged from family and living without family support; or

• Have caring responsibilities; or

• Are seeking asylum in the UK; or

• Have refugee status.

Reach partners may also consider extenuating circumstances outwith the above at their discretion.

The management of meal debt is a matter for local authorities.