- Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, whether its final proposals for an accredited qualification and registration programme for Additional Support Needs assistants are on track to be brought forward by autumn 2023.
Answer
Yes. A working group, including representatives from local authorities, COSLA, the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, Education Scotland and Scottish Government officials, has been formed to explore options for the development of an accredited qualification and registration programme for Additional Support Needs assistants. The working group is scheduled to bring forward final proposals by autumn 2023.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking with suppliers to address the reported shortage of radionuclide that is causing delays to scans for prostate patients in NHS boards, including NHS Tayside.
Answer
The Scottish Government has received no reports of shortages or problems with production of radionuclide leading to delays in scans for prostate patients.
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Submitting member has a registered interest.
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it can provide an estimate of how many veterans have used the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership’s qualifications and skills mapping tool since its launch in February 2022.
Answer
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Partnership's military skills discovery tool formally launched in March 2023 after the completion of work to expand the number of military job roles within the tool as the result of feedback and testing with service leavers. As such there are limited statistics on the number of users to date, but SCQF Partnership are working with Skills Development Scotland, who host the tool on their My World of Work website, to develop usage statistics and to use them to drive future development of the tool.
- Asked by: Jeremy Balfour, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of community link workers, and what its position is on whether further investment should be made into community link worker services.
Answer
The Scottish Government has drawn upon external research and evaluations which have demonstrated the impact of the Community Link Workers role and what works well, such as: Evaluation of the Glasgow 'Deep End' Links Worker Programme and Community Link Worker initiatives in primary care: key learning from UK studies. There is also good evidence from local areas of the positive impacts of CLWs.
The Scottish Government works with the Primary Care Evaluation Network and others to monitor and evaluate the impacts of the whole of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT), of which Community Link Workers are a core part. This will allow us to target investment in future years.?
Our aim is to create a permanent framework for MDTs, including CLWs, to ensure their long-term sustainability. MDTs are funded through the Primary Care Improvement Fund. In 2023-24 we have a guaranteed minimum of £170 million for that fund in total and we are making funding available on top of that to cover Agenda for Change uplifts for MDT staff. We are currently working towards refining data held on pharmacotherapy and Community Treatment and Care services which will inform decisions on the potential for additional MDT investment in 2023-24.
We remain committed to supporting Community Link Workers across Scotland despite the challenging financial environment. For example, we have committed to providing Glasgow City HSCP with up to £1.35m to underwrite the costs of existing contracts for their cohort two Community Link Workers in this financial year after the HSCP advised us of a substantial funding gap.
Community Link Workers programme delivery is decided locally in line with local circumstances and priorities as part of Primary Care Improvement Plans. The Scottish Government is currently reviewing Community Link Workers provision to establish whether this approach should continue or needs to be revised.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken since May 2021 to develop an ongoing pipeline of private sector-ready, multi-authority packages for private funding to support the delivery of its net zero targets.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to accelerating private capital investment to meet our Net Zero targets and capture the economic opportunity the Just Transition represents.
To this end, our Green Investment Portfolio showcases Scotland’s investment-ready projects to international investors. This has a current value of ~£3.7 billion, with ~£300 million private investment already invested into projects and ~£875 million currently under offer or in active discussions.
We are sending clear signals to the market to provide policy certainty to investors, including through our sectoral Just Transition Plans. The draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan was published in January 2023, with plans on other sectors to follow.
We are also working with our enterprise agencies and the ScottishNational Investment Bank in a ‘Team Scotland’ approach to secure a pipeline of investment related to the development and delivery of Scotwind and associated supply chain opportunities.
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Submitting member has a registered interest.
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made towards the goals set out in the joint policy paper between the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments, The strategy for our veterans.
Answer
The Scottish Government provides an annual update to Parliament on our support for veterans and the Armed Forces community in Scotland. This sets out progress made in delivering the commitments we have made in our Veterans Strategy Action Plan, which is focused on achieving the vision and long term outcomes of the five cross-cutting factors and six key themes in The Strategy for Our Veterans. The accompanying written report from 2022 can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/support-veterans-armed-forces-community-2022/
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16134 by Patrick Harvie on 28 March 2023, what specific delivery programmes and support are available to help people to move immediately to zero or low emissions heating systems, in the event there is a sudden unexpected failure of a fossil fuel boiler, and what the (a) average and (b) shortest time was in (i) 2020-21, (ii) 2021-22 and (iii) 2022-23 between initial inquiries or applications being made and financial support being provided through each of these schemes.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s heat and energy efficiency schemes are not designed to act as an emergency response for households who have experienced a sudden failure in their heating system.
Support is available through Scottish Government schemes for households who want to make the move to zero direct emission heating systems, including through the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme and the Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS) Scheme.
The HES Grant and Loan Scheme offers homeowners grant funding of up to £7,500, with an additional £7,500 of funding available as an interest free loan to support the installation of zero direct emissions heating. The scheme is delivered through a consumer-led model where funding is applied for by the household directly, who in turn is responsible for sourcing an approved installer and paying funding to them once works are complete.
The WHS Scheme is the Scottish Government’s national fuel poverty scheme, designed to make homes warmer for those living in, or at risk of, fuel poverty through the installation of insulation and heating measures into individual properties. The scheme does not provide funding directly to applicants, but is claimed directly by the managing agent after the installation of measures. Measures are entirely grant funded in the majority of cases.
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to excluding, or delaying the inclusion of, small businesses within the scope of the Deposit Return Scheme, which is due to launch on 16 August 2023.
Answer
All producers, regardless of size, will be included in Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme from its launch on 1 March 2024. The Circular Economy Minister announced on 20 April 2023 a package of measures to simplify the scheme which will benefit businesses of all sizes but particularly small producers. All retailers which sell scheme articles will automatically be a return point but some businesses, particularly smaller retailers, may wish to apply for an exemption and can do so via Zero Waste Scotland.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many mental health community link workers were recruited in each financial year from 2016-17 to 2021-22, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
Community Link Workers are generalists who support people with a range of social and economic issues which can include mental health. The Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF) funds Community Link Workers (CLWs) as part of primary care multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs). At March 2022, 249 WTE CLWs had been recruited to support GP practices.
The Scottish Government published information on the number CLWs recruited broken down by Integration Authority, on 21 June 2022.Further information, including the location by Integration Authority, of CLWs by both headcount and whole time equivalent, since 2018, can be accessed at: Supporting documents - Primary care improvement plans: summary of implementation progress - March 2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . This does not include CLWs recruited through funding other than PCIF funding.
The Scottish Government has already invested significantly to build mental health capacity including our Action 15 commitment to funding 800 additional mental health workers in key settings, including A&Es, GP practices, police station custody suite and prisons – ensuring local provision and support is at the heart of our plans. As at 12 July 2022, an additional 958.9 whole time equivalent (WTE) mental health roles have been filled using Action 15 funding, including 356.1 WTE posts in GP practices and a further 259.9 WTE mental health workers recruited under the Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF). A full performance report can be found here , Mental health workers: quarterly performance reports .
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
-
Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has evaluated the outcomes of the specialist domestic abuse courts in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and, if not, whether it has any plans to do so.
Answer
Responsibility for evaluation lies with The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, and there is no requirement for the involvement or approval of the Scottish Ministers or the Scottish Parliament.
This is in line with the principles outlined in the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008.
