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Current Status:
Withdrawn
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many times an ambulance has been dispatched single-crewed in each year since 2019, broken down by (a) Scottish Ambulance Service division and (b) NHS board area.
Answer
Ambulances are not single-crewed other than in exceptional circumstances, such as short notice unplanned staff absences, and every effort is made to double crew ambulances through rostered and relief staff, overtime or our bank staff. Ambulance Technicians are able to deliver high quality care to patients, but where a paramedic skill set is required, paramedics will be tasked to calls.
Unfortunately as a result of COVID-19 there has been occasions where single crewing has had to be used as a result of late notice staff abstractions, however we are continuing to work with the Scottish Ambulance Service to reduce this where possible.
The following table outlines the number of ambulance that have been dispatched single-crewed in each year since 2019, broken down by (a) Scottish Ambulance Service division and (b) NHS board area, as requested.
Financial Year | Qtr | East | West | North | Scotland |
% Single Crewed Shifts | % Single Crewed Shifts | % Single Crewed Shifts | % Single Crewed Shifts |
2019-20 | Q1 | 1.23% | 1.30% | 1.99% | 1.43% |
2019-20 | Q2 | 1.44% | 1.94% | 2.85% | 1.99% |
2019-20 | Q3 | 1.63% | 1.70% | 3.25% | 2.03% |
2019-20 | Q4 | 1.58% | 1.52% | 2.93% | 1.86% |
2020-21 | Q1 | 0.71% | 1.18% | 0.59% | 0.90% |
2020-21 | Q2 | 1.13% | 1.28% | 2.60% | 1.53% |
2020-21 | Q3 | 1.18% | 1.26% | 2.36% | 1.48% |
2020-21 | Q4 | 0.87% | 0.95% | 1.81% | 1.12% |
2021-22 | Q1 | 1.29% | 1.16% | 2.23% | 1.44% |
* 2021-22 Q1 figures are reference to April - June.
- Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 18 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01641 by Graeme Dey on 16 August 2021, whether it can confirm that there is no opposition from Transport Scotland to the application from the Ferymuir Gait site developer to secure planning permission for the access arrangements to the Ferrymuir Gait housing development to be amended, to allow for unrestricted access.
Answer
Transport Scotland’s position remains, and has been consistent from the planning stage, that it has not agreed to unrestricted access rights through Ferrymuir Gate. There is no agreement that it would be used as the main access to the housing development and Transport Scotland has not supported any alteration to the planning application in this regard.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 October 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, broken down by NHS board, (a) how many training places are currently available in the Scottish Ambulance Service for community first responders, and (b) how many community first responders (i) are currently being used as a resource by the Scottish Ambulance Service and (ii) have been appointed in the past three years.
Answer
a) There are 6 planned training sessions for Community First Responders between November 2021 and March 2022. Each training session will accommodate up to a maximum of 12 trainees. These courses are scheduled to be held in Braemar (Grampian), Glasgow (Greater Glasgow & Clyde), RAF Lossiemouth (Grampian), Grangemouth (Forth Valley) and Portree (Highland).
b)
i) There are 765 Community First Responders across Scotland and approximately 80 Wildcat Cardiac Responders.
ii) The Scottish Ambulance Service recruited 199 Community First Responders between 2019 and 2021. In March 2020 utilisation of Community First Responders was suspended due to COVID-19 and the need to establish safe and effective processes with the subsequent delivery of training in the use of PPE and enhanced Infection & Prevention Control measures. This commenced in Sept ’20 with the majority back on-line by March ’21.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the interoperability of any future deposit return schemes.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35206 on 23 February 2021. Scottish Government officials engage regularly with representatives of the other UK administrations to understand their intentions regarding the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). We are open to working with the other administrations to ensure our schemes are compatible, but this must be on the basis of this not diluting the ambition of our own scheme.
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 .
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on (a) building and (b) testing the IT system required for a deposit return scheme.
Answer
Development and implementation of the IT systems required to deliver Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is a matter for the individual organisations that will play a role in delivering DRS, including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Circularity Scotland Ltd, and businesses.
SEPA is currently preparing to register producers that fall under the regulations. This includes developing a new digital registration service, which has been designed through targeted user research with expected users of the service. Producers who wish to place scheme articles on the Scottish market will be able to register with SEPA directly or via the Scheme Administrator, Circularity Scotland Ltd.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the outstanding practical implementation steps that are required to introduce a deposit return scheme.
Answer
The Scottish Government is working intensively to develop and agree a plan to deliver the scheme that the Scottish Government, the industry and stakeholders can have confidence in. As my statement set out once a timeline is agreed, clear milestones for delivery by Circularity Scotland will be published. However it must be noted that consistent with other producer responsibility schemes, the responsibility for practical implementation of DRS resides with individual retailers and producers, not the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee’s seventh quinquennial review of schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, what assessment it has made of the potential removal of schedule 5 legal protection for mountain hares, and whether it would support such a recommendation.
Answer
The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) published stakeholders consultation https://consult.defra.gov.uk/joint-nature-conservation-committee/911c8988/ , including a list of provisional recommendations regarding the addition, retention, regrading or removal of each species on 08 November 2021. Those proposed recommendations do not include the removal of schedule 5 legal protection for mountain hares.
We will carefully consider the JNCC recommendations of the seventh Quinquennial Review. Before making any recommendations regarding species removal from schedule 5, we must be satisfied that there would be no detrimental impact to the individual species or to the wider biodiversity and environmental landscape in Scotland.
Mountain hares are now a protected species following the passage of the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) Act in June 2020. The protection came into force on 1 March 2021, meaning that the species can no longer be taken for sporting or recreational purposes. We will also continue to work with several partner organisations to continue to improve our understanding of mountain hare populations across Scotland, along with other work, to support the conservation status of this iconic species.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 18 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the procurement of (a) vending machines and (b) other resources required for a deposit return scheme.
Answer
Development and implementation of the IT systems required to deliver Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) is a matter for the individual organisations that will play a role in delivering DRS, including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Circularity Scotland Ltd, and wider industry. In particular, procurement of reverse vending machines is a matter for retailers choosing to operate automatic return points.
SEPA is working with retailers to help them understand their obligations as return points operators under the Regulations and in compliance with other applicable environmental regulations.
- Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 18 November 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has any plans to extend the non-domestic rates exemption for renewables microgeneration in relation to renewable energy installations that have a capacity of up to 50kW, and, if so, within what timescale this will be implemented.
Answer
The Scottish Government provides the most generous and comprehensive non-domestic rates relief package for renewable energy producers in the UK, including a number of existing policies aimed at incentivising investment in low carbon technologies, such as heat networks and renewable electricity generation. As part of this package we deliver a non-domestic rates exemption for renewables with a capacity of up to 50kW, which supports microgeneration producers, and businesses that retrofit micro renewable schemes to reduce their carbon foot print. This exemption is not time-limited, unlike other parts of the UK, making it the most generous exemption for renewable microgeneration in the UK.
All our non-domestic rates policies are kept under review. Decisions on any non-domestic rates policies will be set out in the Scottish budget alongside other government priorities in light of affordability.
