Chamber and committees

The Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG), are part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland, and provide advice to NHS Scotland on the use of new and existing health technologies (excluding medicines). The SHTG made a recommendation in 2021 on the use of HeartFlow: 20210714-heartflow-adaptation-v20.pdf (shtg.scot) . Health boards are required to consider SHTG’s advice.

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), hosted by NHS Golden Jubilee, includes the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP). Work to promote HeartFlow technology across Health Boards is a key activity for the MPPP cardiology specialty group.

More information on the Centre for Sustainable Delivery can be found here: CfSD :: NHS Golden Jubilee , with information on the cardiology specialty network available here: Cardiology | Turas | Learn (nhs.scot).

Culture is an important asset for our international offices in strengthening our links and visibility with key countries. Our in-country presence can open new opportunities for Scottish artists and cultural organisations.

The Scottish Government has not been consulted or invited to engage with the UK Government on its 5-year acquisitions programme, including where this involves artists who are based in Scotland. At this time, there are no plans to establish a scheme similar to the X-UK acquisitions programme.

The Scottish Government is however working to secure the benefits of international engagement for our culture sector and has committed to develop a strategy to this end.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10483 on 21 September 2022. 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 refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10483 on 21 September. 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 .

The Scottish Government remains committed to finding and implementing a solution to address the landslip risks at the Rest and be Thankful as quickly as possible. I fully recognise the impacts on the local community and businesses and I can assure the member that work is being progressed as a key priority.

Following the identification of a preferred route corridor for the long-term solution, Transport Scotland is currently progressing the design of route options within that corridor. This includes essential data gathering including environmental surveys and, earlier this year, a £1.8M ground investigation was undertaken.

New technical consultants have been appointed to take forward the next stages of design and assessment work, a contract expected to be worth approximately £25M.

I anticipate bringing forward proposals for the medium term solution by the end of this year and to announce a preferred route option for a long term solution by Spring 2023.

The contract to build two new vessels for the Islay routes was awarded to the Cemre shipyard by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited on 28 March 2022. Key activities at this stage relate to design work and procurement of major equipment, material, and service suppliers, all of which are reported to be progressing well and in line with agreed timelines and budgets. The scheduled delivery of the first of the two vessels is October 2024 and will enter service following sea trials and crew familiarisation. The second vessel will follow in early 2025.

The information requested is provided in the tables entitled “Planning appeals allowed, broken down by planning authority and by year since 2007", a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Bib number 63605).

The Scottish Government is currently progressing a programme of reform of Scotland’s planning system, including implementation of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019. The 2019 Act included provisions which prohibits elected members from carrying out certain planning functions (e.g. sitting on a planning committee) if they have not completed specified mandatory training. We have commenced work on the development of mandatory training requirements which will help to ensure that local decision makers are equipped to make sound and legally robust planning decisions.

The ongoing delivery of a regulatory review of aquaculture in Scotland aims to develop a more joined up approach between consents, including piloting of multilateral pre-application discussions, which should lead to enhanced communication and better-informed decision-making at each stage of the consenting process. Government officials continue to maintain a close working relationship with Local Authorities that deal with aquaculture applications as this work continues.

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) makes clear the planning system should maintain a presumption against further marine finfish farm developments on the north and east coasts, and that local development plans, or supplementary guidance, should take account of Marine Scotland’s locational policies when identifying areas potentially suitable for new development and sensitive areas which are unlikely to be appropriate for such development.

All planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. As a statement of Ministers’ priorities, the content of the SPP is a material consideration that carries significant weight, though it is for the decision-maker to determine the appropriate weight in each case.

We laid our fourth Draft National Planning Framework (NPF4) in parliament on 10 November 2021, including proposals for updated planning policy on aquaculture. Alongside Parliamentary scrutiny of the draft, we ran a public consultation, supported by an extensive engagement programme, with comments invited by 31 March 2022. Once approved and adopted, NPF4 will be part of the statutory development plan, and will replace Scottish Planning Policy. We are considering the broad range of views shared with us before laying a finalised NPF4 in the Scottish Parliament in the autumn.

The recent Programme for Government also commits to the development of a new National Marine Plan to address the global climate and nature crises and to supporting local authorities to guide development to the right places.

In response to the priorities set out by the parliamentary inquiries in 2018 and the Salmon Interactions Working Group report, an adaptive spatially-based risk assessment framework to manage sea lice interactions between wild and farmed fish was developed.

SEPA published its response to a consultation on the proposed framework on 25 August and will begin implementation later in 2023. The framework will assess the siting of salmon farms and the risk posed to wild fish.

The recent Programme for Government starts the process of developing a new National Marine Plan (NMP) and commits to supporting local authorities to guide development to the right places. We will consider options to undertake further spatial planning for aquaculture.