Asked by: Stewart, Alexander (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Mid Scotland and Fife)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting small businesses to meet any potential costs associated with compliance with the requirements of Low Emission Zones.
Answered by Hyslop, Fiona - Minister for Transport
Financial support has been provided to smaller businesses since 2019 in preparation for Low Emission Zones, through scrappage grants and retrofitting grants. Over £6.3 million has been paid out to small businesses with cars, taxis and vans whilst over 1,100 non-compliant business vehicles have been scrapped with the owner receiving a £2000 cash scrappage grant. Over 450 taxis have retrofitted using the grant funding available. A further £5 million has been allocated to the LEZ Support Fund in this financial year to help both smaller businesses and lower income households scrap or retrofit their vehicles to adapt to LEZs.
Asked by: Greer, Ross (Scottish Green Party - West Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the availability of liquified petroleum gas as a vehicle fuel in Scotland.
Answered by Hyslop, Fiona - Minister for Transport
Supply of LPG fuel in the UK is a matter reserved for UK Government. It is the responsibility of individual LPG retailers to ensure that the availability of LPG is actively monitored, and managed to prevent shortages, which can occur during periods of peak demand. The investment costs and installation of LPG fuelling sites is commercially led, and applications for new sites fall within the remit of local authority planning.
Asked by: Baillie, Jackie (Scottish Labour - Dumbarton)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported comments that “it is important to note that the incident remains contained to NHS Dumfries and Galloway and there have been no further incidents across NHS Scotland as a whole,” whether any information stolen in the cyber attack is contained to only NHS Dumfries and Galloway patients.
Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care
The patient data stolen during this incident was contained within the NHS D&G IT infrastructure. The vast majority of data related to people who are currently registered as NHS Dumfries and Galloway patients. However, some people currently registered as patients elsewhere will also have interacted with NHS Dumfries and Galloway in recent years, for example receiving treatment while travelling or on holiday, and it is possible that information relating to them may also have been stolen.
In addition, data controlled by National Records of Scotland was also stolen. I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27770 on 22 May 2024 for more information. 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/questions-and-answers.
Asked by: Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Scottish Labour - Glasgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people (a) in receipt of welfare benefits and (b) on low incomes have accessed the Digital Start Fund to date.
Answered by Forbes, Kate
(a) The eligibility criteria for the Digital start fund required applicants to meet at least one of the following conditions:
? Unemployed
? In receipt of a low income benefit such as Universal Credit
? Employed on an income of £16,000 or less
? Experience two or more barriers or disadvantages as defined by Scottish Government’s European Structural and Investment Funds Participant Guidance.
SDS, who administered the fund, do not hold the data necessary to determine how many participants met each of these specific criteria.
(b) Over three years, the Digital Start Fund supported 468 individuals with 380 candidates completing training. Their employment status when starting the training is broken down as follows:
? Year One: unemployed individuals 55.7%; employed 28.7%
? Year Two:unemployed individuals 71.3%; employed 18.3%
? Year Three: unemployed individuals 50.9%, employed 35.3%
Asked by: Regan, Ash (Alba Party - Edinburgh Eastern)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to retain the commitment to active travel spending by 2024-25, as outlined in the Bute House Agreement.
Answered by Hyslop, Fiona - Minister for Transport
Since 2021, we have seen year on year increases confirming record breaking funding in Active Travel. However, the significant pressures on public finances, including the failure of the outgoing UK government to provide more capital funding for Scotland in its Spring budget, means that there are real challenges in progressing our ambitions to invest in infrastructure, particularly for my portfolio. Consequently, difficult decisions about how and where to invest our capital for transport projects had to be made and continue to be kept under review.
Nonetheless, the Active Travel budget for 2024-25 was confirmed as £220m, a 16% increase on 2023-24. While the Bute House Agreement came to an end in April 2024, the Scottish Government remains committed to delivering on our ambition to increase investment in and participation in walking, wheeling and cycling.
Asked by: McArthur, Liam (Scottish Liberal Democrats - Orkney Islands)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the 2018 GP contract, which moved vaccination services from the remit of GPs to NHS boards, means that emergency vaccinations for tetanus and other conditions can no longer be provided in GP surgeries.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
The 2018 GP contract does not mean that emergency vaccinations for tetanus and other conditions can no longer be provided in GP surgeries.
In 2017, as part of the commitment to reduce GP workload and refocus their role onto more complex care, the Scottish Government and the BMA’s Scottish GP Committee agreed vaccinations would progressively move away from a model based on GP delivery to one based on NHS Board delivery through dedicated teams. NHS Boards can make arrangements for those teams to deliver vaccines on the premises of GP surgeries (many of which are in buildings owned by NHS Boards) if this meets local needs.
In rare circumstances it may be appropriate for GP practices, such as small rural and island practices, to continue delivering these services routinely.
Asked by: Regan, Ash (Alba Party - Edinburgh Eastern)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) NHS Lothian, (b) the City of Edinburgh Council and (c) other relevant authorities regarding the reports of non-surgical Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) procedures taking place in the city, which led to the local authority issuing a public warning on 25 April 2024.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
The Scottish Government was approached by NHS Lothian, the City of Edinburgh Council and Public Health Scotland to make it aware of issues regarding Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) procedures taking place in Edinburgh.
The Scottish Government invited an environmental health officer from the City of Edinburgh Council to the Scottish Cosmetic Interventions Expert Group meeting on 25 March 2024 to provide the group with further details.
The decision to issue a public warning regarding these procedures rested with, and was made by, the City of Edinburgh Council.
Asked by: Regan, Ash (Alba Party - Edinburgh Eastern)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that the public has confidence in organisations that receive public funding, by ensuring that its funding processes operate at the highest level of governance accountability and transparency.
Answered by Robison, Shona - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance
There is a robust framework for the stewardship of public funds by the Scottish Government, its public bodies and recipients of public sector grants. The Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) sets out statutory, parliamentary, and administrative requirements in relation to managing public resources, emphasising the need for economy, efficiency, and effectiveness, and promoting good practice.
There are ‘framework documents’ between the SG and public bodies covering accountability arrangements, financial controls and processes, and associated annual assurance processes. Accountable Officers are personally answerable for the regularity and propriety of the finances under their stewardship and report in annual accounts which are scrutinised by Audit Scotland and potentially by the Public Audit Committee. SG Sponsor teams work with public bodies, ensuring appropriate framework documents and governance arrangements are in place and action is taken on any audit recommendations.
The SPFM sets out the expectations of grant funding and the financial control framework required if public bodies disperse grants. Bodies in receipt of public funds are subject to binding agreements that are monitored as part of established grant management processes.
Asked by: Regan, Ash (Alba Party - Edinburgh Eastern)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the current size of Scotland's civil service in terms of full-time equivalent staff count, and whether it expect this number to increase over the next two financial years.
Answered by Robison, Shona - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance
At the end of December 2023, the Scottish Government directly employed 8,824 (full time equivalent) civil servants and engaged 1,436 contingent workers.
The latest available workforce statistics are at this link: Scottish Government workforce statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). This will be updated with end March 2024 data on Tuesday 11 June 2024.
The Scottish Government is proactively addressing the need to reduce in size to remain fiscally sustainable and has been on a reducing trajectory since March 2022. We continue to progress public sector reform, and workforce numbers are regularly and carefully reviewed to ensure that we are delivering for the people of Scotland as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Asked by: Regan, Ash (Alba Party - Edinburgh Eastern)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has met with (a) Kidzcare, (b) the City of Edinburgh Council and (c) Education Scotland regarding the reported closure of Haystax Nursery in Niddrie, and what support it can offer to ensure that the nursery remains open for parents, families and staff.
Answered by Don, Natalie - Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise
All three and four year olds, as well as eligible two year olds, have a statutory entitlement of up to 1140 hours per year of funded ELC. Local authorities have a duty to make this available to all eligible children within their area, which is delivered across over 2500 centres in Scotland (excluding childminders). Ministers and senior Scottish Government officials regularly engage with CoSLA around issues relating to the implementation of 1140 policy. I would encourage parents to raise any concerns they have about the closure of Haystax Nursery directly with the relevant local authority, in this case City of Edinburgh Council.