- Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 1 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the (a) original capital value of, (b) total spend to date on, (c) cost in each of the last five financial years of and (d) estimated cost per year until the end of the contract to service, each (i) NHS, (ii) education, (iii) justice and (iv) other Private Finance Initiative/Public Private Partnership (PFI/PPP) project in the East Kilbride constituency.
Answer
There are 3 operational Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts which comprise facilities within the East Kilbride area. These are NHS Lanarkshire’s Hairmyres Hospital, the Police Scotland College (formerly Police Force Training Centre) and South Lanarkshire’s Secondary Schools Modernisation PFI Programme. The Schools PFI Programme included a total of 19 new or refurbished secondary school facilities, 4 of which were within the East Kilbride area. These were Calderglen High School, Duncanrig Secondary School, Sanderson High School and St Andrew's and St Bride's High School.
There is also one operational NPD/hub contract which formed part of the Non-Profit Distributing (NPD) programme that comprises facilities within the East Kilbride area. This is the NHS Lanarkshire Bundle which includes 3 new health centres, 1 of which is in East Kilbride area.
The Scottish Government annually update and publish the cost information in relation to the referred PFI and NPD/hub contracts but not for each of the individual facilities within the contracts as this is not held. Information relating to PFI and NPD/hub contracts as described, is available from the Scottish Government website by way of the following link www.gov.scot
- Asked by: Collette Stevenson, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 1 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the (a) total spend to date on, (b) costs in the financial year 2021-22 for and (c) expected costs in the financial year (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24 for, the repayment of Private Finance Initiative/Public Private Partnership (PFI/PPP) debts, including the (A) overall cost to (1) the NHS, (2) local government, (3) justice portfolio bodies, (4) net zero, energy and transport portfolio bodies and (5) any other public sector organisations in Scotland and (B) cost to each individual (aa) NHS board, (bb) local authority and (cc) other regional authority.
Answer
Information relating to Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Non-Profit Distributing (NPD) contracts and their associated unitary charge payments, is available from the Scottish Government website by way of the following link www.gov.scot
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 1 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how (a) the Scottish Government and (b) local authorities monitor the number of landlords with buy-to-let mortgages in arrears, and what steps it (i) has taken and (ii) will take to prevent tenants being evicted due to lender repossession.
Answer
The Scottish Government monitors statistics collected by UK Finance on the number of buy-to-let mortgages in arrears across the UK. The latest trends are reported by the Scottish Government in the Scottish Housing Market Review, which is published each quarter as a resource for housing market stakeholders, including local authorities.
The Scottish Government is providing all local authorities with an annual share of £30.5 million in 2023-24 for homelessness prevention and response measures. We recognise that support to tenants being evicted is important and PRS landlords are under a duty to inform the local authority if their tenant is being evicted and at risk of homelessness. Anyone experiencing homelessness should contact their local authority as they have a legal duty to offer a minimum of temporary accommodation, advice and assistance to anyone at risk of homelessness. Organisations such as Shelter Scotland and Citizens Advice Scotland are also able to provide advice and guidance.
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 1 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what additional support it can offer to local authorities to help them to deal with consumer-related complaints within caravan parks.
Answer
There are significant limits on any action that the Scottish Government can take in this area. Regulation of consumer protection is reserved to the UK Government, with responsibility for consumer enforcement, which is a pillar of consumer protection, split between trading standards officers and Trading Standards Scotland.
Trading Standards Scotland is funded directly by the UK Government with funding for trading standards officers delivered through Barnett formula consequentials. It is for local authorities to assess their individual local circumstances to inform their decisions on how they best support their trading standards departments.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 1 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) projects and (b) people have been supported through the Digital Inclusion Fund.
Answer
The Digital Inclusion Fund was initiated in 2020 to enable students who, owing to low incomes, struggled to access online learning during the pandemic.
To date the fund has supported almost 11,000 learners across colleges, universities and within community learning settings. We expect this number to increase on receipt of final reporting on the £5 million investment for 2022-23; which is expected by the end of this academic year.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 1 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendation in Coming Home Implementation: A report from the working group on complex care and delayed discharge, what it has done to increase the amount of available evidence for, and to explore the issues related to, people with enduring mental health conditions who are subject to delayed discharge from hospital.
Answer
The Scottish Government has accepted all 5 key recommendations in the Coming Home Implementation Report and is working with people with lived experience, COSLA, professionals from Local Authorities; Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs); the NHS; and other key stakeholders to implement these recommendations. This includes progressing the Dynamic Support Register, Peer Support Network and National Support Panel recommendations, focussing in the first instance on getting it right for people with learning disabilities using a collaborative and partnership approach.
We will work to address wider issues around the delayed discharge that people with enduring mental health conditions experience. Our work on the National Care Service, the Barron Forensic Services Review, and the Scottish Mental Health Law Review will further improve the care and support of people with enduring mental health conditions.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 1 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendation in Coming Home Implementation: A report from the working group on complex care and delayed discharge, whether it will provide an update on what it has done to develop the Dynamic Support Register into a tool for national use.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to implementing the recommendations set out in the Coming Home Implementation Report to reduce delayed discharges and out-of-area placements for people with learning disabilities and complex care needs.
Significant work has been undertaken to develop and test a Dynamic Support Register, which has been led by a working group and co-designed with people with lived experience, HSCPs and NHS professionals across Scotland. We will be launching the Register soon following successful testing.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 1 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendation in Coming Home Implementation: A report from the working group on complex care and delayed discharge, whether it has established a National Peer Support Network.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to implementing the recommendations set out in the Coming Home Implementation Report to reduce delayed discharges and out-of-area placements for people with learning disabilities and complex care needs.
Following the publication of the Coming Home Implementation report, the Scottish Government has worked with key stakeholders to understand the role and remit of a Peer Support Network in order to design a model that provides value and allows for genuine collaboration across Scotland. Further details on the establishment of the Peer Support Network will be available soon.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 1 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the potential economic impact will be for areas that unsuccessfully bid for Freeports.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-14081 on 30 January 2023. 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/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 1 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has held with the leaders of the unsuccessful Freeport bids.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-14081 on 30 January 2023. 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/written-questions-and-answers