- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many fires have been recorded on ScotRail trains that were caused by, or believed to have been caused by, lithium-ion powered micro devices such as e-scooters, in each year since 2019.
Answer
This is a matter for ScotRail. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider adopting universal salt iodisation (USI) as a public health measure to address any iodine deficiency in the population.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no plans at this time to adopt universal salt iodisation.
Food Standards Scotland advises that adults need 140 micrograms (µg) of iodine a day and most people should be able to get all the iodine they need by eating a varied and balanced diet. Children need proportionally less depending on their age group.
Good food sources of iodine include cows' milk and dairy products, eggs, sea fish and shellfish. Iodine can also be found in varying levels in plant foods, such as cereals and grains.
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) considered ‘Maternal iodine status, birth outcomes and child development’ at its horizon scanning meeting in June 2022. Members agreed that this would be added to the SACN work programme. The Scottish Government will continue to monitor this work as it progresses.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the growing needs for dentistry and GP services in Lothian, in light of data showing that, for example, the population of East Lothian has increased by 21.5% compared to Scotland’s average of 8.2% between 2001 and 2021.
Answer
Health and Social Care Partnerships are responsible for planning for the health and social care needs of their residents.
Funding for general medical services is based on population level data about registered patients and practice shares are continuously adjusted to reflect the movement of patients.
Scottish Government continually reviews in conjunction with all Boards, including NHS Lothian, areas for inclusion within the Scottish Dental Access Initiative. This provides funding to dentists who wish to establish a new practice, or extend an existing practice in areas where access to dental services is challenging.
Scottish Government will continue to liaise with NHS Lothian and local Health and Social Care Partnerships to understand all their service-related infrastructure plans and priorities.
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of the Minister for Transport's concerns about strangers sharing cabins on the Serco NorthLink Ferries, what consideration it has given to obtaining vessels with single occupancy cabins.
Answer
CMAL has appointed naval architects Leadship to carry out future vessel feasibility studies and concept designs which will include passenger cabin options.
As the project progresses, engagement events will be held which will ensure that all key stakeholders are able to contribute to the outcome of the project.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government in how many instances A8 compensation has been awarded to ScotRail passengers in each year for which data is available, as per ScotRail’s Accessible Travel Policy document.
Answer
This is a matter for ScotRail. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15219 by Jenny Gilruth on 6 March 2023, whether it will provide an update on when an announcement will be made on the long-term solution for the A83 Rest and Be Thankful.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to an infrastructure solution to address landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful and shares the urgency communities and businesses place on maintaining and improving connectivity of this vital route.
The identification of the preferred route option through the Glen Croe Valley was announced on 02 June 2023 and is a very important milestone in finding a solution to this long-standing problem.
Following design and assessment work on the options under consideration, a debris flow shelter has been identified as the preferred option for the long-term solution. This option involves constructing a debris flow shelter over a length of approximately 1.4km with an additional 180m of catch pit and protection wall to protect the road and road users from future debris flow events.
Further details on the preferred route option is available from Access to Argyll and Bute (A83) Story Map (arcgis.com) .
Work has now commenced on the next stage in the assessment process which is the detailed development and assessment of the preferred route option and this stage will culminate in the publication of road Orders and Environmental Impact Assessment Report for formal consultation.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what emotional and psychological support ScotRail makes available for train drivers, and other rail staff, who experience a traumatic event whilst performing their duties, such as a collision with a member of the public.
Answer
ScotRail advise that colleagues are supported from immediately after any incident of this nature. That support comes in a range of ways which includes the offer of professional counselling.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update, including in relation to Transport Scotland’s engagement with stakeholders, on the rail enhancement project to reduce the average journey times between Aberdeen and the Central Belt by 20 minutes by 2026.
Answer
Transport Scotland and Network Rail regularly meet stakeholders to update them on the progress of the design of this project.
- Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many secondary schools currently have a dedicated counselling service in place.
Answer
The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government.
We support our local authority partners with £16 million in funding to ensure that every secondary school has access to counselling services.
All school pupils aged 10 and above have access to school counselling services. It is up to local authorities to determine how they deliver the commitment to best suit the children and young people in their area, including the recruitment and allocation of counsellors. In December 2020, local authorities confirmed that access to counselling services through all secondary schools was in place across Scotland.
- Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide a detailed breakdown of how much the Scottish Prison Service gender identity and gender reassignment policy review has cost to date.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
Apart from costs of a transcription service used to transcribe interviews and surveys during the engagement phase of the review, all costs relating to the Gender Identity and Gender Reassignment (2014) policy review have been absorbed as part of the overall annual SPS Delivery Plan resourcing budget.
For information, the cost of the transcription service was £2,153 including VAT.