Chamber and committees

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) publish numbers of laboratory confirmed cases of Borrelia burgdorferi as part of the annual surveillance report on Zoonotic disease in Scotland. The most recent report can be accessed here: https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/resourcedocument.aspx?id=6891

These numbers are likely to underestimate the total number of cases of Lyme disease because current guidance recommends that health care professionals treat patients presenting with the erythema migrans rash immediately with antibiotics, without requiring laboratory testing.

It should be noted that the data in the report for 2017 is provisional. The total number of laboratory confirmed cases of Borrelia burgdorferi in 2017 is 167.

There are no general initiatives for larger charities specifically to take on the responsibility of obtaining funding for smaller, community-based ones. There are however various arrangements in place whereby larger charities administer certain Scottish Government funding streams available to smaller charities and provide support accordingly.

The funding arrangements for the AWPR element were agreed in 2003 following the decision by the then Scottish Executive to promote the AWPR/B-T project as a trunk road in partnership with Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils. Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils are funding 9.5% each of the Northern Leg and Southern Leg sections of the project. Under the terms of the contract both Local Authorities are currently paying the relevant contributions.

As is standard in Non Profit Distributing (NPD) contracts, the contractor will only receive payment for sections of the road when opened to traffic. Consequently, the contractor is receiving payments for the sections of road which have been opened to traffic at Balmedie to Tipperty, Parkhill to Goval and Craibstone Roundabout/Dyce Drive.

The costs of any remedial works and the ongoing costs of maintaining a construction workforce rests with Aberdeen Roads Limited and will not impact on the public purse.

An NPD contract by its nature means that the construction is privately funded. As such, a capital value of £530 million was borrowed by Aberdeen Roads Limited.

Transport Scotland’s technical advisors, Jacobs Engineering Group, produced the specimen design for the AWPR/B-T project, prior to the main contract tender. Due to the Design Build Finance and Operate procurement model for the AWPR/B-T project, it is the responsibility of the contractor to produce the final design. Any costs associated with the development of this design are met at the contractor’s own risk.

The contract was awarded to Aberdeen Roads Limited (ARL) in December 2014. As such, ARL is responsible for the funding, final design, construction and subsequent maintenance of the completed scheme for a period of 30 years on behalf of the Scottish Ministers.

The farmer received an independent appraisal by an industry professional of the market value of the cattle that were humanely destroyed as a result of this isolated BSE case. The farmer will receive compensation equal to this market valuation.

The Scottish Government does not have information on who revealed the location, name of the farm and the name of the farmer affected by the recent BSE case. Any processing of data that the Scottish Government has carried out in relation to that case was carried out in line with Scottish Government data protection policies.

We aim to complete the procurement process for the three R100 procurement lots in the first half of 2019.

The Directors of Planning Thrombectomy Advisory Group are producing a national planning framework for the provision of thrombectomy for Scotland. It is intended that this will be completed by early 2019. It will be the basis for moving forward on implementation and spread of thrombectomy provision in Scotland .

The Scottish Government makes a wide range of funds available to community-based organisations, some of which are delivered directly and some through a commissioned or grant funded third sector partner.