- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 7 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of its proposed Land Reform Bill on (a) housing, (b) jobs, (c) food production and (d) rural depopulation.
Answer
The Scottish Government has developed guidance to ensure that Bills can operate effectively in the wider policy and regulatory framework into which they will be introduced. As part of the development of the Bill this may (where relevant) require formal impact assessments to be carried out. These are:
Where appropriate, issues raised in relation to housing, jobs, food production and rural depopulation will be addressed through these formal impact assessments.
We set out in our consultation document, Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation , ( Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space ), our proposals for measures to be included in the next Land Reform Bill, and sought views on their impact in the areas listed above. In addition to taking account of the responses to this, and other questions in the consultation, officials continue to engage with internal and external stakeholders with interests in housing, jobs, food production and rural depopulation.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 7 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of international land reform measures, and how any such assessment has influenced its proposed Land Reform Bill.
Answer
We established the Scottish Land Commission on 1 April 2017, after the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 came into force. Its remit is to review the effectiveness and impact of our laws and policies relating to land, and to make recommendations to Scottish Ministers on future land reform.
As part of the development of their discussion paper, Legislative Proposals to address the impact of Scotland’s Concentration of Land Ownership, (published February 2021), and their ongoing work on land reform, the SLC has published a series of reports reviewing international experience of interventions in land ownership, to inform fresh thinking for Scotland. They may be found here: International Experience - Governance & Ownership - Our work - Scottish Land Commission .
The proposals put forward in our consultation on the Bill were based on the Commission's discussion paper, which in turn were(where relevant) informed by the findings and lessons of these reports.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what exposure medical students have to psychiatric and mental health placements, and what steps are taken to encourage students to consider a career in these fields.
Answer
Following consultation with each of Scotland five medical schools most students receive taught modules on mental health and psychiatry in years three and four of their medical degrees with the opportunity to specialist mental health units on clinical placements from year four onwards. There are significant core learning requirements in relation to mental health set out by the GMC and each University ensures these are fulfilled.
The GMC also require all medical schools to provide support for the consideration of postgraduate careers and each school has their own way of doing this. For example, the University of Aberdeen hold careers fairs across the whole curriculum wherein Mental Health is always included, and the psychiatric education team engaged. Furthermore each of the medical schools have a ‘PsychSoc’ attached to them. These societies are funded by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and work with the medical schools to encourage and support medical students into a career within the psychiatric fields.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation of electronic rostering and time recording for all staff groups across NHS Scotland.
Answer
The current e-Rostering Implementation plan is scheduled to complete in December 2024, which will deliver the capability for the majority of NHS Boards to prioritise and progress the necessary local roll-out of eRostering across all of their rosters over time. The system that has been procured will be able to record time for staff in line with local implementation plans.
There is currently no end date where all Boards will be required to have all rosters live on the e-Rostering system. However, a prospective plan to facilitate and accelerate adoption across all roster locations in each board is under consideration and Boards will be expected to demonstrate progress through their Annual Delivery Plans.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 7 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve West Coast Main Line (WCML) (a) line speeds and (b) capacity from Glasgow Central, through grade separation of Rutherglen junction to deconflict local train movements.
Answer
Infrastructure on the UK rail network, including lines speed and capacity, is a matter for Network Rail, therefore Network Rail would be best placed to provide this information.
Network Rail advises it is currently looking to understand the implications of the Prime Minister’s HS2 announcement made in October and how this might affect journey times in the medium to long term.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards have published a climate change adaptation plan, as required by the NHS Scotland Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy 2022-2026.
Answer
Paragraphs 77 and 78 of the NHS Scotland Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy 2022-2026 outline adaptation requirements for NHS Scotland Health Boards. In particular paragraph 77 requires that Health Boards will prepare and implement climate change adaptations plan to ensure resilience of service under changing climate conditions.
As of today, 16 NHS Scotland Health Boards have completed a climate change adaptation plan. Five Health Boards have started but not completed their adaptation plan, and one Health Board will begin work on its adaptation plan before the end of the year.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 7 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when it first became aware of Petroineos’s proposal to cease oil refinery operations at its Grangemouth site.
Answer
Given the importance of this strategic asset to Grangemouth and Scotland, the Scottish Government has been working closely with the business as it explores future options to transition the site, such as bio-refining.
Petroineos notified the Scottish Government on 21 November 2023 that senior management were to make a formal internal announcement of the business’ plans to commence preparatory work for new import terminal infrastructure at Finnart Terminal and Grangemouth.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when Zero Waste Scotland will publish the 2019 Material Flow Accounts update.
Answer
The Material Flow Accounts model is being reworked so that its new trade data will be aligned with EU material flow accounting practices. Zero Waste Scotland is also exploring the scope for mapping material flows to economic sectors.
As a result of the UK’s departure from the EU, the Material Flow Account model can no longer source its trade data from Eurostat and the model needs to be significantly reworked as its new trade data will not be in alignment with EU material flow accounting practices. Zero Waste Scotland has therefore decided to make these methodological changes before reporting results to ensure clear communication of Scotland’s current material consumption.
Zero Waste Scotland will confirm a publication date once the review is complete.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 7 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter of 21 November 2023 from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance to the Finance and Public Administration Committee, what the total Primary Care Reform and Delivery budget was in 2023-24, and which parts of the Primary Care Reform and Delivery budget in 2023-24 have experienced “reductions, slippage and reprofiling”.
Answer
The Primary Care Reform and Delivery Budget total was £262,500,000 in 2023-2024.
Reductions, slippage and reprofiling has taken place across a variety of programmes focused on GP workforce, sustainability, rural healthcare, data and digital improvements.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by George Adam on 7 December 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its publication dates, which months it uses to define (a) spring, (b) summer, (c) autumn and (d) winter.
Answer
There is no Scottish Government definition of the seasons beyond those commonly understood. The Scottish Government is committed to meeting publication dates that have been indicated whenever possible.