Chamber and committees

I can confirm that the development and assessment of the route corridor options for the A82 Tarbet to Inverarnan scheme, including the option passing above the West Highland line, was undertaken by Transport Scotland in alignment with the principles of the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) and the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB).

Progress continues to be made by officials carrying out this request. The information will be placed on the Parliament’s Reference Centre as soon as this is available.

Crown Estate Scotland manage leasing of the Scottish seabed, and we will ask their Chief Executive to write to you directly with this information.

The Scottish Government are aware of the UK Government Renewable Energy Planning Database which will hold information on the operator of individual sites across the UK. This information can be accessed via https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-energy-planning-database-monthly-extract and the most recent update took place in December 2021.

Scottish Renewables, as the renewable industry representative body in Scotland, hold a directory of their members which may be useful in collating this information. The Scottish Government would also suggest that further detail could be obtained by contacting Scottish Renewables directly.

Through the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) delivered by Local Energy Scotland on the Scottish Government’s behalf, £14.48 million has been invested since 2011 to support 197 community, locally owned and shared ownership onshore wind projects. The applicant data recorded for the scheme does not allow a straightforward assessment of applicants' organisational structure. However, based on their experience working to support the community energy sector, Local Energy Scotland estimate that the number of projects owned by a bona-fide cooperative is likely to be a very small percentage of the total.

Through the Energy Investment Fund (EIF), delivered by Scottish Enterprise, on the Scottish Government’s behalf £23.1 million has been invested in community, locally owned and shared ownership of onshore wind projects. No cooperatively owned onshore wind projects have been supported through EIF. The Fund closed on the 31 March 2022.

There has been no investment through CARES or EIF in cooperatively owned offshore wind energy projects.

Community Ownership : For the purposes of answering this question Community Ownership is where a community develops owns and operates the renewable energy asset.

CARES Funding : The Scottish Government’s main mechanism for supporting community energy projects is the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) which provides loan and grant funding to assist community groups in developing renewable energy projects which support the growth of community and locally owned energy in Scotland.

Funding for wind energy projects in the last ten years under CARES is as follows:

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the percentage of profits that are paid out from community benefits from onshore or offshore wind energy projects.

Our updated Good Practice Principles for Community Benefits from Onshore Renewable Energy Developments (2019) continues to promote community benefits at a national level, equivalent to £5k per installed MW per annum index linked for the operational lifetime of the development.

To aid transparency in the community benefits process, the Scottish Government established a voluntary Community Benefits Register, maintained by Local Energy Scotland. According to the Register, as at March end 2022:

• Offshore Wind Community Benefits over the previous 12 months was £149,999.80, representing 0.7% of the total sum of Community Benefits paid across all renewable technology projects and;
• Onshore Wind Community Benefits over the previous 12 months was £22,412,274.49, representing 98% of the total sum of Community Benefits across all renewable technology projects.

Anyone, of any age, who displays signs or symptoms of breast cancer should report concerns to their GP. Should further investigation be required, which can include a lump in breast tissue, this would be referred through the symptomatic service, and not directed to the Scottish Breast Screening Programme. There are no plans to change this.

The UK National Screening Committee, an independent scientific body that advises all four UK nations on screening, currently recommends that women between the ages of 50 and 70 are invited for three yearly routine breast screening because there is clear evidence of benefit from screening women of that age group. The UK NSC does not recommend that women over 71 are invited for breast screening.

While programme capacity remains challenging due to COVID-19, there remains a pause on self-referrals for those over the age of 71 in order to allow appointments to be prioritised for the recommended screening population. However, in recognition of the anxiety that the pause on self-referrals is causing, work is underway with the National Screening Oversight and the Scottish Breast Screening Programme Board to explore ways to restart the self-referral route by Autumn 2022, in a way that does not unduly impact on screening of the eligible cohort, and with a number of factors being worked through.

We continue to emphasise that, regardless of their age, women should remain symptom aware and report any concerns to their GP immediately for these to be investigated and followed up as appropriate. The pause on the self-referral option has never altered this position.

(a) Scotland has budgeted £429 million in total for Discretionary Housing Payments since DHPs were devolved in 2017 to the 2022-23 financial year. This is broken down into £349 million for mitigation of the bedroom tax and £80.4 million for mitigating the impact of other welfare reforms.

SG funding for DHPs 2017-18 to 2022-23

Crown Estate Scotland manage leasing of the Scottish seabed, and we will ask their Chief Executive to write to you directly with this information.

This information is not held centrally for onshore wind projects however the Scottish Government continue to be encouraged by the onshore and offshore wind industries' commitment to developing on Scottish land and in Scottish waters and are aware of some developers establishing headquarters and/or additional offices located in Scotland.

Scottish Renewables, as the renewable industry representative body in Scotland, hold a directory of their members, which may be useful in collating this information. The Scottish Government would also suggest that further detail could be obtained by contacting Scottish Renewables directly.

(a) Available Mental Health Professionals to help Ukrainian refugee;

The Scottish Government does not hold data on the Mental Health Professionals currently available to provide support to Ukrainian refugees.

We recognise the importance of providing a warm welcome to displaced Ukrainians coming to Scotland and recognise that they will have their own unique emotional needs. To support this, the Scottish Government has produced three psychological wellbeing information packs, one for those arriving from Ukraine, one for host families and one for services and staff providing care.

These resources explain the principles of Psychological first aid and provide links to further information sources which can be used to support psychological wellbeing and direct people to appropriate services and support including for example the Scottish Refugee Council. We are ensuring accessibility of this resource by creating an easy read version, along with Ukrainian and Russian translations of the pack.

We expect Ukrainians needing to engage mental health services to do so through the existing, established routes. Health Boards will ensure that people have access to a level of primary and secondary health care services designed to ensure that their health needs are identified and addressed appropriately and effectively. Health Boards have established protocols, working with Health & Social Partnerships and Local Authorities, to provide services to patients who are asylum seekers or refugees, as well as specific learning from both the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Programme and Afghan Relocation & Assistance Policy.

We are already increasing the funding and workforce delivering Psychological Therapies. Equipping those arriving, their hosts and Scottish services to care for the physical and mental wellbeing of those fleeing the war remains a priority.

( b) Recruitment in the next 12 months; The future recruitment plans for mental health professionals are an issue for Health Boards to address as employers. While the Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality healthcare, it is for each NHS Board to decide best how to utilise funding, facilities and staff while taking account of national and local priorities to meet local health needs. We expect NHS Boards to plan their facilities and workforce to deliver these services, ensuring the provision of safe, effective and high quality patient care, delivered by the right professional at the right time.

Since 2006-7, NHS mental health expenditure has seen an increase of 65% and these unprecedented levels of direct investment in mental health services are enabling a significant expansion of the mental health workforce, as we continue to create new posts.

Over recent years, in line with our Mental Health Strategy, our Transition and Recovery Plan and the Health and Social Care Workforce Strategy, we have worked with Health Boards and Integration Joint Boards to increase the workforce. Through Action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy, we have been working to recruit 800 additional Mental Health Workers. We have also committed to creating a network of 1,000 additional dedicated staff in Primary Care Mental Health and Wellbeing Services by 2026. We are also providing funding for around 320 additional staff in CAMHS over the next 5 years; increasing student intake for Psychology Master’s and Doctorate training programmes; creating new roles, such as Psychology Wellbeing Practitioners in NHS24 and Enhanced Psychology Practitioners in primary care, community, early years, and schools; and increasing nursing student places.