Chamber and committees

Further to question S6W-01240 submitted by Monica Lennon answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 August 2021. The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Information on deaths by cause are held by National Records of Scotland (NRS). Data is available at: List of Data Tables | National Records of Scotland (nrscotland.gov.uk) . Detail on how to request further information from NRS can be found at Requesting Information | National Records of Scotland (nrscotland.gov.uk) .

The Scottish Government has continued the commitment to support SFRS service delivery and reform with a further uplift of £10m resource for 2023-24. In recognition of the pay and inflationary pressures faced by SFRS, we have provided SFRS with additional budget cover of up to £4.4m on top of the allocation set in the 2023-24 budget announcement.

The Scottish Government’s Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland 2022 sets out that SFRS should ensure that the capability of its assets and staff, combined with technological improvements, enable it to respond to incidents with the right resources at the right time across communities in Scotland. The deployment of the appropriate level of resources to deal with an incident is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

The Scottish Government moved swiftly to meet with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) after the Members debate on the FBU DECON Campaign on 19 January 2023. In addition to regular discussions with the SFRS Chair and Chief Officer, the former Minister for Community Safety met with the SFRS at their Headquarters on 21 February 2023 to discuss current actions that the SFRS are taking and also future plans to further protect firefighters from contaminants. Officials are also in close contact with the SFRS on an ongoing basis on these issues.

Public Health Scotland publish figures on how many 2C, 17C and 17J practices there are in each Health Board. The following information has been gathered from the GP Workforce and Practice List Sizes publication available at: General Practice - GP Workforce and practice list sizes 2012 - 2022 - General Practice - GP workforce and practice list sizes - Publications - Public Health Scotland .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16208 on 27 March 2023, which provided an update on Winter Heating Payment. 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 .

There are currently no plans to vary the rate of Scottish Child Payment for parents under the age of 25. We are aware that the UK Government's Universal Credit system pays a lower rate to younger parents, and we have called on them to reverse this unfairness.

The SPCB, as the employer of its staff, is committed to reviewing its policy arrangements to ensure that it supports staff who experience baby loss, including pregnancy-related leave. Officials have been looking at developing the SPCB’s current approach, in line with the guidance within the Pledge, to support those colleagues who may experience loss through their pregnancy.   The SPCB is currently able to offer support in the form of paid special leave, through the Positive about Mental Health and Wellbeing policy, the Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health.  Any arrangements that are adopted for Scottish Parliament staff will also form part of the minimum terms and conditions for MSPs’ staff.  Finally, we’re currently working with an external provider to review the Parliament’s Diversity and Inclusion progress and priorities, and this will include our approach to partnerships and accreditations. 

The Scottish Government will consider the final revised EU environmental crime directive, once it is agreed, against our policy as stated in the Policy Statement issued under section 6 of the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 to maintain alignment where appropriate with EU law, taking account of our existing actions to strengthen the legal protection of nature.

The Scottish Government believes that windfall taxes should be levied on unearned, excess profits to fund support for struggling households and businesses. However, windfall profits are not permanent by definition. A permanent, additional tax on energy companies predominantly based in Scotland would therefore not be appropriate, and may serve to undermine businesses’ confidence and investment in an important sector of Scotland’s economy.

The First Minister and the Prime Minister spoke on the telephone on 28 March 2023 and have exchanged letters. The First Minister looks forward to meeting the Prime Minister in person in due course.