- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how much financial support will be provided to the bus and coach sector after March 2022 to assist with the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer
The draft Budget for 2022-23 provides £40 million in support for bus services as patronage recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. This is in addition to the continuation of pre COVID bus service support funding of £53.5 million. Where coach operators run registered local bus services they may also be eligible for this support.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make commit to passing on in full any Barnett consequentials arising from the UK Government’s sector-specific funding announcements in response to COVID-19 to the relevant sector.
Answer
All Covid-19 related consequentials will be fully committed to funding the response in Scotland. These consequentials are not ring fenced and are allocated based on need.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-04783 by Humza Yousaf on 20 December 2021, what the (a) average, (b) longest and (c) shortest waiting time has been for a housebound person to have a home COVID-19 vaccination appointment following one being requested.
Answer
As advised in my previous answer, health boards lead on the local delivery of the vaccination programme and they manage the process for housebound people locally. We therefore do not hold information on average, longest, or shortest waiting times for housebound people and this information would have to be requested from the relevant health board.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) small and (b) large retailers it estimates have a 24-month preparedness time, as indicated in the Deposit Return Scheme Gateway Review.
Answer
The Gateway Reviewers for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme interviewed representatives of both small and large retailers. Their report, which was published on 14 December 2021, gives a preparedness estimate of 12-24 months for individual stakeholders including retailers. This informed their judgement that a full implementation date of July-September 2023 was possible albeit with significant risk.
Retailer preparedness cannot be viewed in isolation but depends on key design decisions being taken by Circularity Scotland Ltd (CSL) as scheme administrator. To supplement the Gateway Review we carried out direct engagement with a range of stakeholders, including retailers and CSL, to develop a delivery timetable that is both ambitious and deliverable in line with the findings of the Gateway Review.
A list of stakeholders consulted during this process is provided on p13 of the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment published on 22 December 2021: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781802018875 .
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity was aware that Circularity Scotland reportedly issued procurement documentation for a deposit return system with a launch date of summer 2023, prior to her statement to the Parliament on 14 December 2021.
Answer
In line with the principle of producer responsibility, Circularity Scotland Ltd (CSL) is a private company, established by industry to lead on delivery of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) as scheme administrator. As an independent, industry-led organisation, CSL’s procurement decisions are not a matter for the Scottish Ministers.
Producers of in-scope drinks are responsible for having their scheme packaging collected from return points free of charge from the full implementation date for DRS, either directly or through a scheme administrator. Industry is therefore liable for delivery of DRS by the full implementation date whether or not a scheme administrator is in place by that date. Until and unless amended by the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Amendment Regulations 2022, that date is set in regulations as 1 July 2022.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what role multi-diagnosis centres will play in improving the diagnosis of blood cancer.
Answer
The National Cancer Plan, published on 9 December 2020, includes 68 actions and has been backed with up to £114.5 million. This includes a flagship innovation of the introduction of Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres (ECDC), with three Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres (ECDC) already established in NHS Scotland this year. The Centres provide primary care with a new referral route for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer (i.e. weight loss, fatigue, nausea), which don’t meet site specific Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer. The Clinical Lead for two of the Centres are Haematologists, reflecting the role that this new model can play in diagnosing blood cancers in Scotland.
The establishment and implementation of ECDCs are overseen by a national oversight group, of which the Scottish Cancer Coalition (that includes blood cancer charities) has representation on.
Officials are currently in discussion with the Blood Cancer Alliance to arrange a meeting in the new year, to explore how further improved outcomes for patients diagnosed with blood cancers can be achieved.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported delays associated with road surfacing, which was followed by flooding to the gas network, whether it will provide an updated delivery (a) timescale and (b) cost for the completion of the A92/A96 Haudagain Improvement project.
Answer
he A92 A96 Haudagain Improvement project, which was anticipated to be complete in winter 2021, has faced a number of challenges including the impact of the pandemic continuing to disrupt progress. The contractor has indicated a revised date for completing the works, with the Improvement now due to open to traffic by the end of March 2022 as detailed in the recent press release available on the Transport Scotland website at https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/a92a96-haudagain-improvement-update-to-expected-completion-date/ . I also refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05362 on 21 December 2021 available on the Parliament's website at the following link: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers/question?ref=S6W-05362
I can confirm that the project remains on budget. There is no change to the estimated total project cost of £49.5m at Q4 2018 prices, of which the construction contract value is £18m, as reported in the Infrastructure Investment Plan updates.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to work with NHS boards and pharmacy contractors to define the standard of care that should be expected by patients across all sectors of pharmacy.
Answer
The pharmacy profession and provision of pharmaceutical care is regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council, who assure and improve standards of care for people using pharmacy services. The Achieving Excellence in Pharmaceutical Care strategy, published in 2017, setting out the priorities, commitments, and actions for improving and integrating NHS pharmaceutical care in Scotland up to 2022. The strategy sets the direction for how pharmaceutical care would be delivered in Scotland and the crucial contribution of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, working together with other health and social care practitioners, to improve the health of the population and impact on health outcomes.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £97.1 million received in Barnett consequentials from the UK Government to fund cladding remediation work has been spent.
Answer
We are working with owners and representatives to fund the Single Building Assessments in the pilot phase. All £97.1m received in consequentials will be spent on assessments and cladding remediation over the lifetime of the programme.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 5 January 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its review of concessionary travel schemes.
Answer
The under 26’s review has been undertaken during a period of time where there has been considerable changes in the policy landscape within which concessionary travel rests, and there currently remains a level of uncertainty as the long term impacts of COVID-19 on public transport are not yet known.
During the review process a commitment was made to introduce free bus travel to under 19s, which was then extended to under 22s which is due to be introduced on 31 January 2022. The impact of the under 22s scheme will provide useful real-world evidence for examining further cost-benefit analysis and determining the value of any future extensions of free bus travel (or other modes) for targeted age ranges or groups of society.
The under 26’s review is being finalised for publication and will be published following the introduction of the under 22s scheme.