- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
-
Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail will enable it to run rail passenger services directly in the public sector without the need to use the Operator of Last Resort.
Answer
Under current legislation, a public sector operator could bid to run rail services in Scotland in any future franchise competition.
The Scottish Government has, on a number of occasions, requested the further devolution of rail powers, which has been denied. This includes through our engagement with the UK Rail Review. Further devolution would enable us to consider the widest range of options possible for delivering rail services.
We were not consulted on the detailed proposals within the Williams-Shapps Plan prior to its publication, and we are currently seeking clarity from the UK Government in a range of areas.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
-
Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00828 by Graeme Dey on 7 July 2021, on what dates Transport Scotland officials met each ferry operator to discuss the issue.
Answer
Transport Scotland officials have remained in close contact with operators throughout the pandemic. A meeting to specifically discuss the issue was held on 30 March 2021 with Pentland Ferries, 22 April with John O’Groats Ferries and 17 February with Serco NorthLink Ferries. Officials will remain closely engaged with operators as the work progresses.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time is for an appointment at the South West Scotland Breast Screening Clinic from the point of referral by a GP.
Answer
The South West Scotland Breast Screening Clinic does not accept GP referrals. Patients are referred to the clinic through the national screening programme, therefore this data is not available. The clinic does track the waiting time from initial screening to assessment. In May, the wait to assessment was 100% by week 3.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
-
Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether Abellio ScotRail requires permission from it to promote third-party financial products, including salary advances, to its staff; for what reason the company is reportedly promoting these products, and how much it estimates the company will receive if the staff purchase them.
Answer
Employee matters including the promotion of third-party financial products including salary advances for its staff remain the operational responsibility of Abellio ScotRail and therefore does not require permission as such from Transport Scotland.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out on emissions from ferries, and how it will reduce carbon emissions in line with climate obligations.
Answer
Transport Scotland has undertaken analysis of the emissions produced by the Scottish Government's ferries fleet which identified areas where progress can be made quickly to reduce emissions using the technology commercially available at this time. This includes the Small Vessel Replacement Programme that will see up to seven vessels replaced with low/zero emission vessels in Phase 1 of the programme.
As part of the Islands Connectivity Plan, we will explore and consult on pathways to zero/low emission ferry transport, learning from experience in other countries and on other modes. Our Climate Change Plan Update 2020 includes a commitment that 30% of the Government owned ferry fleet will consist of low or zero emission vessels by 2032.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
-
Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects the MV Coruisk to re-enter service on the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network.
Answer
The MV Coruisk resumed normal timetabled services on the afternoon of Friday 16 July 2021 on the Oban – Craignure route.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what new, specific and visible activities are taking place in Falkirk as a result of the work of the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group.
Answer
In line with local partnerships’ responsibility for local suicide prevention planning and delivery, NHS Forth Valley recently appointed a strategic suicide and drug related death prevention co-ordinator who is engaging with the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group’s delivery lead for local suicide prevention action planning. This has enabled support and advice on local suicide prevention planning and evaluation in line with the (NSPLG) April 2021 guidance ( https://www.cosla.gov.uk/about-cosla/our-teams/health-and-social-care/local-area-suicide-prevention-action-plan-guidance ). Further details on local suicide prevention planning, including specific activities taking place in the area, can be provided by the local co-ordinator.
More broadly, the Scottish Government understands that mental health and suicide prevention has been identified as a strategic priority in the Falkirk area, and that the Community Planning Partnership has developed practical resources to support people with their mental health, including in response to the impacts of the pandemic.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide extra funding to support the chartering of vessels, in order to provide immediate, additional resilience on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service (CHFS) network.
Answer
The Scottish Government has and will provide funding to support the chartering of suitable vessels to assist resilience on our ferry networks, as demonstrated by the current charter of MV Arrow by CalMac Ferries Ltd.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) and CalMac Ferries Ltd continually search the market for suitable second-hand tonnage.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what the scope of Project Neptune is, and whether there are limits on the recommendations that it can make.
Answer
We responded to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee on 11 March 2021 outlining the scope and advising there is nothing ‘off limits’ to the appointed consultants when addressing the issues within the scope of the review. This reflects the desire that the review should be independent, and recommendations not influenced by any pre-conceived views.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-18422 by Jeane Freeman on 13 September 2018, how many calls to the Scottish Ambulance Service have been responded to (a) within (i) under 10, (ii) 10 to 29, (iii) 30 to 59, and (iv) 60 to 120 and (b) over 120 minutes, in each year since 2018-19, broken down by triaged category of call.
Answer
Please find the requested information set out in the following table:
Emergency Incidents Attended, 01-04-2018 – 31-03-2021 |
| | | | |
| | 2018 - 2019 | 2019 - 2020 | 2020 - 2021 |
Purple | Under 10 Minutes | 8304 | 11074 | 10687 |
Purple | 10-29 Minutes | 1932 | 3250 | 4247 |
Purple | 30-59 Minutes | 44 | 80 | 125 |
Purple | 60-120 Minutes | 3 | 2 | 6 |
Purple | Over 120 Minutes | | | 2 |
Red | Under 10 Minutes | 50633 | 53291 | 43632 |
Red | 10-29 Minutes | 19370 | 25739 | 25549 |
Red | 30-59 Minutes | 767 | 1130 | 1221 |
Red | 60-120 Minutes | 81 | 161 | 102 |
Red | Over 120 Minutes | 13 | 42 | 20 |
Amber | Under 10 Minutes | 48156 | 50525 | 46975 |
Amber | 10-29 Minutes | 69043 | 93277 | 106941 |
Amber | 30-59 Minutes | 5574 | 15247 | 22310 |
Amber | 60-120 Minutes | 538 | 2100 | 3469 |
Amber | Over 120 Minutes | 62 | 263 | 375 |
Yellow | Under 10 Minutes | 86900 | 63503 | 42336 |
Yellow | 10-29 Minutes | 152887 | 120187 | 90384 |
Yellow | 30-59 Minutes | 54178 | 56552 | 46107 |
Yellow | 60-120 Minutes | 18600 | 29811 | 29116 |
Yellow | Over 120 Minutes | 4427 | 14702 | 17078 |
Green | Under 10 Minutes | 753 | 316 | 841 |
Green | 10-29 Minutes | 1271 | 133 | 524 |
Green | 30-59 Minutes | 1151 | 146 | 487 |
Green | 60-120 Minutes | 962 | 213 | 364 |
Green | Over 120 Minutes | 558 | 280 | 222 |
SAS launched its New Clinical Response Model (NCRM) in November 2016, based on a detailed clinical analysis of around half a million 999 calls. Since then, following triage, 999 calls are coded to one of five categories based on the likelihood of serious outcomes or the requirement for specific interventions:
Purple : where a patient is identified as having a 10% or more chance of cardiac arrest.
Red: where a patient is identified as having a likelihood of cardiac arrest between 1% and 9.9%, or having a need for resuscitation interventions such as airway management above 2%.
Amber: where a patient is likely to need diagnosis and conveyance to definitive care.
Yellow: a patient who has a need for emergency care but has a very low likelihood of requiring life-saving interventions. For example, patients who have tripped or fallen but not sustained any serious injury.
Green: a patient does not fit the above categories and there is potential for an alternative care pathway.
It is important to note that response times do not factor in the change of any re-categorisation of incidents that may occur, and the starting point is always set for the colour category first determined, not the final colour category assigned.
This is the case for the two purple incidents identified as being over 120 minutes in 2020-21. Based on the information provided over the phone, both of these incidents were originally triaged as yellow and then escalated to purple after updates on the patients’ conditions. The purple response times for these incidents were 7 and 9 minutes and neither patient was in cardiac arrest.