Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-01809

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it will be doing in the coming year to help farmers mitigate any impacts of rising costs in the sector.

Question reference: S6W-13048

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 5 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the longest wait for a reply to written correspondence to the Scottish Government by an MSP has been in the last year, and whether it will provide details of the correspondence and reasons for the length of wait.

The Scottish Government aims to answer all ministerial correspondence within 20 working days and regularly reviews and monitors its performance against this target.

Within the last year (December 2021 to December 2022), the longest response time was 272 days. This correspondence related to the donation of baby boxes to refugees from Ukraine and the delay was due to a processing error caused by a high volume of correspondence on refugees from Ukraine.

Question reference: S6W-13049

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by George Adam on 5 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of responses to written correspondence from MSPs to the Scottish Government were issued within the stated timeframe of 20 working days.

The Scottish Government aims to answer all ministerial correspondence within 20 working days and regularly reviews and monitors its performance against this target.

Correspondence from MSPs; councillors; third sector organisations and other key stakeholders; or the wider public is not categorised separately, therefore, calculating the percentage of responses sent within 20 working days to MSPs specifically could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. Between December 2021 and December 2022, the response rate for all ministerial correspondence was approximately 77% (of 43,091 items of ministerial correspondence, 33,173 were responded to within 20 working days).

Question reference: S6W-13018

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12330 by John Swinney on 5 December 2022, whether it will provide a list of (a) members and (b) leaders of each of the groups and sub-groups named.

In response to the request for members and leaders of each of the groups and sub-groups named in the answer to question S6W-12330, the non-Scottish Government representation on, and leadership of, the groups named are set out in the following table.

In line with Scottish Government guidance, only the names of senior civil servants have been provided in the Group Leader/Chair column.

Group Name	Organisations Represented	Group Leader/Chair
Apprenticeship Approval Group (AAG)	Membership details are available here: https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/46692/aag-membership-sep-2020.docx	Ruth Jennings, Sainsburys
Business Support Partnership	Scottish Enterprise Business Support Partnership BG National COSLA Creative Scotland South of Scotland Enterprise Highlands and Islands Enterprise Scottish Local Authorities Economic Development Skills Development Scotland VisitScotland	Rhona Allison, MD Business Growth, Scottish Enterprise
Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan - Implementation Steering Group	Skills Development Scotland Construction Scotland Innovation Centre Scottish Enterprise Highlands and Islands Enterprise South of Scotland Enterprise Transport Scotland Energy Skills Partnership, Colleges Scotland Equate Scotland NatureScot NFU Scotland Scottish Engineering Scottish Cities Alliance Scottish Local Authorities Economic Development IBioIC ‎ Scottish Renewables Scottish Training Federation University of Strathclyde Zero Waste Scotland Keep Scotland Beautiful University of Edinburgh Scottish Funding Council	Professor Dave Reay, University of Edinburgh
Clyde Mission Strategy Group	Glasgow City Region GCR/Clyde Mission Strategic Advisor Scottish Enterprise Scottish Futures Trust Skills Development Scotland Scottish Environmental Protection Agency University of Glasgow University of Strathclyde Clyde Gateway Scottish Land Commission Glasgow City Region Council Argyll & Bute Council	Colin Cook, Scottish Government
Community Wealth Building (CWB) Bill Steering Group	Community Enterprise in Scotland Federation of Small Businesses Clackmannanshire Council Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Supplier Development Scotland Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface (CTSI) Community Wealth Building at South of Scotland Enterprise Scottish Funding Council Business Services Association Scottish TUC Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) Scotland’s Regeneration Forum (SURF) Clyde Gateway NHS Lothian Sustainable Procurement North Ayrshire Council COSLA (Scotland) Glasgow City Council Highlands and Island Enterprise Fife Council Business Services Association Social Enterprise Scotland Scottish Renewables Balfour Beatty Scottish Enterprise University of Glasgow	Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth
Creative Industries Leadership Group	Full membership of the group can be found at: Creative Industries Leadership Group - gov.scot ( www.gov.scot )	Minister for Culture, Europe & International Development Brian Coane, The Leith Agency/Institute of Advertising Practitioners Scotland
Developing the Young Workforce Employers Forum	Katoni Engineering Ltd Chivas Brothers QTS Group Purvis Group The Vardy Foundation Mitsubishi ACE Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Mage Control Systems National Manufacturing Institute Scotland Cothrom Ltd Ortak Salmon Scotland Cairngorm Group Sinclair Bay Subsea Ltd Sonas Hospitality (Skeabost) Ltd MacLeod Construction Ltd Ceteris Aviva NHS / Crichton Board & Business Consultant Border Safeguards	Sandy Begbie, Scottish Financial Enterprise
Digital Collaborative Governance Group	Skills Development Scotland Founders4Schools eSgoil Gateway Education Scotland STEM Network COSLA Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES)	Michelle Fenwick, Developing the Young Workforce James Russell, Skills Development Scotland
Economic Leadership Group	First Minister Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for COVID Recovery Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government COSLA	First Minister
European Structural and Investment Funds Programme Board	Internal Scottish Government group	Fiona Ross, Scottish Government (Non-Executive Director)
European Structural and Investment Programme Monitoring Committee	Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar Orkney Islands Council Skills Development Scotland Scottish Local Authorities Economic Development (SLAED) Scottish Enterprise Highlands and Islands Enterprise Highland Council Scottish Funding Council Big Lottery DG Regio DG Emploi	Hilary Pearce, Scottish Government
European Structural and Investment Programme Monitoring Committee Working Group	This sub-group of the European Structural and Investment Programme Monitoring Committee has now been disbanded.
European Structural Funds Information Technology Board	Internal Scottish Government Group	Scottish Government official
Financial Services Growth and Development Board	Scottish Financial Enterprise Abrdn EY Financial Conduct Authority FinTech Scotland Tesco Bank Phoenix Standard Life Royal London Noble Group Barclays Morgan Stanley Shepperd & Wedderburn PWC Royal Bank of Scotland KPMG Scottish National Investment Bank Association of British Insurers	First Minister John McGuigan, Scottish Financial Enterprise
Flexible Workforce Development Fund Senior Strategic Group	Scottish Funding Council Skills Development Scotland	Scottish Government official
Foundation Apprenticeship Enhancement Group	Skills Development Scotland Scottish Funding Council Education Scotland Colleges Scotland College Principals Scottish Qualifications Authority Association of Directors of Education in Scotland COSLA Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board Scottish Training Federation Balfour Beatty	Scottish Government official
Green Freeports Programme Board	Transport Scotland Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Scotland Office Home Office HM Treasury HMRC Department for International Trade	Louise Macdonald, Scottish Government Sue Gray, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Industry Leadership Chairs Group	Sector representatives for: Life Sciences Construction Tourism Food & Drink Creative Industries Financial Services Scottish Textiles Forest and Timber Aquaculture Energy (Scottish Energy Advisory Board) Employee Ownership ILG Aerospace & Defence Retail Space	Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism & Enterprise Nora Senior, Non-Exec Chair, Scottish Government Strategic Board
Innovation Strategy Steering Group	University of Strathclyde Spirit Aerosystems Par Equity Edinburgh University Intelligent Growth Solutions IAND Entrepreneur and innovation expert representative Scottish Enterprise FinTech Scotland M Squared Lasers NovaBiotics Scottish Funding Council	Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise Prof Sir Jim McDonald, University of Strathclyde
Input-Output Expert Users Group (IOEUG)	City of Edinburgh Council Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency University of Sheffield James Hutton Institute and University of Aberdeen Central Statistics Office, Ireland Office for National Statistics Independent Consultant GRID Economics Fraser of Allander Institute SAFER / University of Glasgow Scottish Enterprise Viewforth Consulting / Strathclyde University The Centre For Energy Policy Zero Waste Scotland Scottish Parliament Information Centre Visit Scotland Durham University 4-Consulting Historic Scotland Welsh Government University of Strathclyde Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency	Scottish Government official
Lifetime Skills Offer Steering Group	Scottish Funding Council Skills Development Scotland	Scottish Government official
Life Sciences Scotland Group	Life Sciences Scotland Industry Leadership Group LSMD Symbiosis Reprocell Europe ODx MSD GSK Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre Association of British HealthTech Industries Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry One We are Pioneer Group NRS/Glasgow Universities Scotland SULSA Scottish Enterprise Highlands & Islands Enterprise Skills Development Scotland	Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport
Ministerial Trade Board	ABC Bank Proserv Scottish Business Network University of Strathclyde Nova Innovation Verlume Fios Genomics Pickering’s Gin Scottish Engineering IQVIA Food & Drink Trade Adviser DirectID	Richard Rollison, Scottish Government
National Strategy for Economic Transformation Delivery Board	Cyrenians The Net Zero Technology Centre Edinburgh College University of Strathclyde Scottish Trade Union Congress University of Glasgow BAE Systems Naval Ships Essence of Harris Scottish Water Former Executive Group Chair of Weber Shandwick and past Chair of the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board Former Chief Executive of DC Thomson Media Group	Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy Barry White (former Chief exec of Scottish Futures Trust)
National Strategy for Economic Transformation Portfolio Board	Scottish Government Non-Executive Directors Enterprise & Skills Agency SOLACE	Louise Macdonald, Scottish Government
National Strategy for Economic Transformation Skilled Workforce Programme Board	Scottish Funding Council Skills Development Scotland Workers Educational Association Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan Implementation Steering Group Edinburgh Climate Change Institute Scottish Council for Development and Industry Scottish Financial Enterprise Young Person’s Guarantee Non-Board Members: Edinburgh College BAE Systems	Stephen Pathirana, Scottish Government
Public Sector Network Steering Group	Skills Development Scotland NHS Lothian Scottish Water NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde NatureScot Highland Council The Improvement Service Historic Environment Scotland Scottish Enterprise South Lanarkshire Council Visit Scotland North Lanarkshire Council Police Scotland	John Lindsay, Skills Development Scotland
Regional Economic Policy Advisory Group	Full membership of the group can be found at: Regional Economic Policy Advisory Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)	Professor David Bell, University of Stirling Professor John Bachtler, University of Strathclyde
Retail Industry Leadership Group	Locavore Scottish Grocers’ Federation Eastgate Shopping Centre GMB Usdaw Booksellers Association of the UK & Ireland Ltd Dobbies CJ Lang & Son Asda Scottish Retail Consortium Tesco Federation of Small Businesses John Lewis Partnership and ILG co-Chair National Federation of Independent Retailers Scottish Wholesale Association Tiso Ltd.	Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Group Board	Scottish Water Scottish Power Energy Networks Glasgow City Council Microsoft Ltd. Mactaggart & Mickel Group Ltd Balfour Beatty Barnardos Scotland Clyde Blowers Strathclyde University Openreach Lantra Leonardo BAE Systems Robertson Construction Group Career Review Programme Board Weber Shandwick The Torridon Balfour Beatty Group Scottish Funding Council	Peter Farrer, Scottish Water Frank Mitchell, Scottish Power Energy Networks
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Standards And Frameworks Group	Balfour Beatty Leonardo MW Ltd Scottish Power Doosan Babcock Edinburgh University Scottish Lifesciences Association SQA Accreditation Institute of Civil Engineering CBI Mactaggart & Mickel Homes limited Codeclan Scottish Building Federation BAE Systems Sainsburys Scottish Training Federation Colleges Scotland Universities Scotland BAE Systems	Stevie Petrie, Balfour Beatty
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Employer Engagement Group	Scottish Water Federation of Small Businesses (Scotland) Scottish Chambers of Commerce Highlands and Islands Scottish Union Learning – Scottish Trades Union Congress Scottish Qualifications Authority Balfour Beatty WGM Engineering CeeD Johnstons of Elgin Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Scottish Power Networks Sky NatWest Group NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Scottish Engineering Enterprise and Skills West College Scotland BT Angus Council (COSLA) Cornerstone Robertson Group CBI Scotland	Paul Campbell, Scottish Water
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Employer Equalities Group	Microsoft Dundee City Council Building Equality Scotland This is Milk Scottish Water Wood Plc Scottish Union Learning – Scottish Trades Union Congress Scottish Power Energy Networks Forster Group Weber Shandwick Zen Consultants (Sco) Ltd Sky Action for Children Lookers Diageo	Stevie Grier, Microsoft
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Apprentice Engagement Group	NatWest Group Scottish Water Sky Aviva Balfour Beatty Glasgow City Council Scottish Qualifications Authority Skills Development Scotland AECOM JP Morgan Chase Scottish Government JP Morgan Chase Leonardo SP Energy Networks Coca Cola Europacific Partner Scottish Government Skills Development Scotland Scottish Funding Council	Ciaran Pugh, NatWest Group Mark Gullan, Scottish Water
Scottish Business Growth Group	Confederation of British Industry Federation of Small Businesses Institute of Directors Scottish Chambers of Commerce Scottish Council for Development and Industry Scottish Financial Enterprise	Deputy First Minister Secretary of State for Scotland
Scottish Cities Alliance Chief Executive Officers Group	City of Edinburgh Council Aberdeen City Council Glasgow City Council Stirling Council Highland Council Dundee Council Fife Council Perth and Kinross Council Scottish Government	Greg Colgan, Dundee Council
Scottish Cities Alliance Delivery Group	Scottish Cities Alliance Perth and Kinross Council Highland Council Dundee City Council City of Edinburgh Council Aberdeen City Council Highland Council Stirling Council Glasgow City Council Edinburgh Council	Cllr John Alexander, Dundee Council
Scottish Cities Alliance Leadership Group	City of Edinburgh Council Stirling Council Perth and Kinross Council Dundee Council Fife Council Highland Council Glasgow City Council Aberdeen City Council	Cllr John Alexander, Dundee Council
Scottish City Region and Growth Deal Delivery Board	Scotland Office UK Government – Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities HM Treasury	Scottish Government officials Kris Krasnowski, Scotland Office
Scottish Economic Statistics Consultation Group	Highlands and Islands Enterprise South Lanarkshire Council University of Strathclyde Oxford Economics Lloyds Banking Group - Scotland Cogent Strategies Bank of England Scottish Enterprise Scottish Trades Union Congress Scottish Parliament Information Centre Fraser of Allander Institute Centre for Public Policy Research University of Dundee University of Edinburgh Independent consultants	Scottish Government officials
Scottish Government and Business Organisations Meeting	Confederation of British Industry Federation of Small Businesses Institute of Directors Scottish Chambers of Commerce Scottish Council for Development and Industry Scottish Financial Enterprise Scottish Recovery Consortium Scottish Tourism Alliance Scotland Food and Drink	Liz Cameron, SCC
Scottish Government Labour Market Evidence Programme	Herriot-Watt University Economics Observatory University of Warwick University of Essex Strathclyde University Edinburgh Business School University of Stirling University of Glasgow Fraser of Allander Institute Joseph Rowntree Foundation Skills Development Scotland Public Health Scotland Close the Gap	Scottish Government official
Scottish Taskforce for Green and Sustainable Financial Services	Abrdn Aegon Asset Management Baillie Gifford British Venture Cambridge University Chartered Financial Analyst UK Chartered Banker Inst City of London Edinburgh University FinTech Scotland The Global Ethical Finance Initiative Leapfrog Investments LINC NatWest Phoenix Prudential PwC Royal London S&P Scottish Financial Enterprise Franklin Templeton Future worth living Scottish National Investment Bank	David Pitt, Watson Taskforce
Skills Ministerial Group	Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work Minister for Environment and Land Reform	Minister for Higher Education and Further Education, Youth Employment and Training
Strategic Leadership Group for Manufacturing	University of Strathclyde Boeing Donaldson Group National Robotarium Chromacity Aggreko Mitsubishi Electric The Startup Brewing Company Scotland Food and Drink TC Biopharm Malin Group Alpha Solway Castle Precision Space Scotland NTG Holdings Bute Fabrics Highlands & Islands Enterprise South of Scotland Enterprise Scottish Enterprise Skills Development Scotland National Manufacturing Institute Scotland Renfrewshire Council	Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise Dr Hamid Mughal, University of Strathclyde
Sub-Scotland Economic Statistics Group	South Lanarkshire Council South Ayrshire Council Revenue Scotland Glasgow Centre for Population Health Improvement Service Highlands and Islands Enterprise Skills Development Scotland Clyde Gateway Aberdeen City Council Scottish Enterprise Skills Development Scotland Biggar Economics Office for National Statistics Fife Council	Scottish Government official
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Leadership Group	Full membership of the group can be found at: Tourism and Hospitality Industry Leadership Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)	Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise Marc Crothall, Scottish Tourism Alliance
Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo)	Welsh Government New Zealand Government Government of Iceland Government of Finland (Government of Canada participates but is not formally a member. OECD officials also attend some events)	Gary Gillespie, Scottish Government
Young Persons Guarantee Equalities Subgroup	Close the Gap Glasgow Disability Alliance One Parent Families Scotland Intercultural Youth Scotland Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum LGBT Youth	Scottish Government official
Young Persons Guarantee Employer Advisory Group	NHS Lothian Perth Autism Support Historic Environment Scotland Ayrshire Chamber Scottish Power Scottish Government Morrison Construction Gleneagles Sky Capgemini Scottish Power Young Enterprise Scotland Scottish Water Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Scotrail SSE Lookers	Melanie Hill, Scottish Power
Young Person’s Guarantee Implementation Group	South Lanarkshire College Scottish Financial Enterprise Skills Development Scotland Scottish Funding Council University of Edinburgh Department of Work and Pensions Universities-SCOTLAND Colleges Scotland Aberdeen Foyer Scottish Trades Union Federation of Small Businesses Confederation of British Industry Young Scot Princes Trust Close the Gap Intercultural Youth Scotland Glasgow Disability Alliance STV Project Scotland Street League Ayrshire Council Glasgow Kelvin College Dumfries and Galloway Council Intercultural Youth Scotland South Lanarkshire College Venture Trust COSLA Volunteering Matters Venture Trust DYW National Team Improvement Service Renfrewshire Council	Sandy Begbie, Scottish Financial Enterprise

Since the initial response to PQ S6W-12330 was provided, the following further groups have been identified, and membership details are included in the following table.

Group Name

Organisations Represented

Group Leader/Chair

Access to Work Stakeholder Forum

British Association of Supported Employment Scotland

Deaf Action

Department for Work and Pensions

Dyslexia Scotland

ENABLE Scotland

Falkirk Council

Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living

Glasgow City Council

Glasgow Disability Alliance

Inclusion Scotland

National Autistic Society

Royal National Institute of Blind People Scotland

Scottish Association for Mental Health

Scottish Commission for Learning Disabilities

Scottish Union of Supported Employment

Skills Development Scotland

Start Scotland (FSS provider)

Versus Arthritis

Kevin Drugan, Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living

Fair Work in Hospitality Inquiry Group

Unite Hospitality

Hospitality worker representative

Heriot-Watt University

University of Strathclyde

Contini Edinburgh

Scottish Tourism Alliance

Skills Development Scotland

Living Wage Scotland

Stand Comedy Club

Grassmarket Community Project

Mitchells & Butlers

Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union

Unite Scotland

Inclusion Scotland

UKHospitality Scotland

Scottish Beer and Pub Association

Sodexo Live!

Crerar Hotels

Better Than Zero

Linda Johnston, Auchrannie Resort

Satnam Ner, Prospect and Fair Work Convention

Fair Work Convention

Anderson Strathern

Scottish Trades Union Congress

Unite the Union

Scottish Centre for Employment Research

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

Unison

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSE)

Babcock International Group

Aberdeenshire Council

BAE Systems

Professor Patricia Findlay, Scottish Centre for Employment Research

Mary Alexander, Unite the Union

Industry Advisory Group for rest of UK Talent Attraction

Q2 Solutions

Hays

Space Scotland

Scottish Leather Group

Diodes

Microsoft (UK)

Scottish Financial Enterprise
‎ Skills Development Scotland

ScotlandIS

Valneva

TalentScotland

Digital Technology Steering Group

Scottish Renewables

Nile HQ

Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise

Question reference: S6W-13016

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 22 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12330 by John Swinney on 5 December 2022, whether it will provide the current budget allocations for the groups and sub-groups named.

The groups and sub-groups named in response to S6W-12330 that have an allocated budget are:

Scottish Cities Alliance Leadership Group - £196,000 per annum (this is the Scottish Government’s portion of the funding for the Scottish Cities Alliance)
Scottish City Region and Growth Deal Delivery Board - £261m for 2022-23
Scottish Taskforce for Green and Sustainable Financial Services - £300,000 per annum for three years (2021-24)

Further to this, as indicated in the response to S6W-13018 on 22 December 2022, some further groups have been identified following the response to S6W-12330. Of these additional groups, one has an allocated budget:

Fair Work Convention - £500,000 per annum (the Fair Work Convention are independent, but secretariat support is provided by the Scottish Government)

The other groups and sub-groups named in the previous response do not have allocated budgets. Any incidental costs associated with the running of these groups are covered by the relevant departments’ budgets.

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 .

Question reference: S6O-01761

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that schools are inspected regularly.

Question reference: S6W-12803

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 20 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on heating the swimming pool at its Victoria Quay building in each of the last five years.

The gas and electric used for the swimming pool at Victoria Quay is not sub-metered. The figures in the following table are estimates based on assumed operating times.

The costs reflect that the heating was turned off to the pool in April 2020 and has remained off since . Pumps have remained operational to maintain water quality, and the structural integrity of the pool . The operating times for the ventilation to the pool space have been reduced, this is reflected in the reduced electrical load.

The costs in 2019-20 are lower as a result of the pool being closed for refurbishment between June and August 2019.

	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23 YTD (Apr- Nov)
Annual Electricity Cost	£8,126	£7,115	£8,310	£8,096	£6,125

Annual Gas Cost	£11,348	£10,471	£0	£0	£0

TOTAL UTILITIES COST	£19,474	£17,586	£8,310	£8,096	£6,125

Question reference: S6W-13017

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12330 by John Swinney on 5 December 2022, when each of the groups and sub-groups named last met.

Further to the list of active groups and sub-groups within the Finance and Economy portfolio provided in answer to question S6W-12330, the last meeting dates for these are set out in the following table:

Groups	Date of Last Meeting
Apprenticeship Approval Group (AAG)	01 December 2022
Business Support Partnership	18 November 2022
Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan - Implementation Steering Group	22 October 2022
Clyde Mission Strategy Group	24 November 2022
Community Wealth Building (CWB) Bill steering Group	22 June 2022
Creative Industries Leadership Group	08 June 2022
Developing the Young Workforce Employers Forum	24 November 2022
Digital Collaborative Governance Group	14 March 2022
Economic Leadership Group	First date being established, commitment in NSET
European Structural and Investment Funds Programme Board	31 August 2022
European Structural and Investment Programme Monitoring Committee	26 October 2022
European Structural and Investment Programme Monitoring Committee Working Group	19 July 2022
European Structural and Information Technology Board	03 November 2022
Financial Services Growth and Development Board	30 August 2022
Flexible Workforce Development Fund Senior Strategic Group	10 November 2022
Foundation Apprenticeship Enhancement Group	25 October 2022
Green Freeports Programme Board	15 August 2022
Industry Leadership Chairs Group	11 October 2022
Innovation Strategy Steering Group	04 November 2022
Input-Output Expert Users Group (IOEUG)	20 December 2018
Lifetime Skills Offer Steering Group	29 November 2022
Life Sciences Scotland Group	02 November 2022
Ministerial Trade Board	14 November 2022
National Strategy for Economic Transformation Delivery Board	30 November 2022
National Strategy for Economic Transformation Portfolio Board	07 November 2022
National Strategy for Economic Transformation Skilled Workforce Programme Board	12 October 2022
Public Sector Network Steering Group	01 November 2022
Regional Economic Policy Advisory Group	28 September 2022
Retail Industry Leadership Group	08 November 2022
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Group Board	05 October 2022
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Standards And Frameworks Group	10 November 2022
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Employer Engagement Group	09 November 2022
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Employer Equalities Group	04 November 2022
Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB) Apprentice Engagement Group	24 November 2022
Scottish Business Growth Group	21 April 2022
Scottish Cities Alliance Chief Executive Officers Group	17 November 2022
Scottish Cities Alliance Delivery Group	17 August 2022
Scottish Cities Alliance Leadership Group	23 November 2022
Scottish City Region and Growth Deal Delivery Board	01 November 2022
Scottish Economic Statistics Consultation Group	18 March 2018*
Scottish Government and Business Organisations Meeting	20 November 2022
Scottish Government Labour Market Evidence Programme	18 November 2022
Scottish Taskforce for Green and Sustainable Financial Services	7 September 2022
Skills Ministerial Group	01 December 2022
Strategic Leadership Group for Advanced Manufacturing	06 December 2021
Sub-Scotland Economic Statistics Group	22 November 2019*
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Leadership Group	23 November 2022
Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo)	21 November 2022
Young Persons Guarantee Equalities Subgroup	10 August 2022
Young Persons Guarantee Employer Advisory Group	24 August 2022
Young Persons Guarantee Implementation Planning Group	30 March 2022

*Throughout lockdown the Scottish Government continued to consult and liaise with key stakeholders out with the formal setting of a physical meeting.

Question reference: S6W-13020

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to support the implementation of the recommendations in the British Academy of Audiology Independent Review into the Paediatric Audiology Service at NHS Lothian, which was published in December 2021.

Question reference: S6W-13019

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether the (a) urgent, (b) high and (c) medium-term recommendations in the British Academy of Audiology Independent Review into the Paediatric Audiology Service at NHS Lothian, which was published in December 2021, have been implemented.

The Scottish Government meets regularly with NHS Lothian in relation to their current status on the NHS board performance escalation framework, this involves the Board working through and reporting progress against a formal Recovery Plan that covers all the BAA recommended actions.

Of the 36 BAA recommendations that NHS Lothian are progressing 81% have been completed. The remaining recommendations are well in progress with NHS Lothian ensuring that these are fully embedded with the evidence to support that prior to considering them as completed. All of the urgent recommendations are complete, over 70% of the high status recommendations are complete and almost 80% of the medium status recommendations are complete.

The Scottish Government continue to work to support and monitor the progress towards the completion of the remaining recommendations.

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