- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on its aim of achieving 10% of everyday trips being made by bike by 2020, and whether it will provide a breakdown of progress by local authority area.
Answer
In the previous Parliament, the then Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Michael Matheson, announced on 18 June 2019 that the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland vision that, by 2020, 10% of all journeys in Scotland would be made by bike would not be met. In this Parliamentary term, the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland will be succeeded by the Cycling Framework for Active Travel. A draft version of the cycling framework was put to public consultation in late 2022 and the final version will be published this year. The Framework takes account of the independent review of the previous Cycling Action Plan, which was carried out by Professor Tom Rye in 2020 and which made recommendations for the future priorities for cycling for active travel in Scotland.
Based on the latest Annual Cycling Monitoring Data, the cycling mode share broken down by local authority is as follows:
Authority | Cycling Mode Share (%) |
Aberdeen City | 0.83 |
Aberdeenshire | 0.56 |
Angus | 0.69 |
Argyll & Bute | 1.08 |
Clackmannanshire | 0.41 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 0.68 |
Dundee City | 0.61 |
East Ayrshire | 0.25 |
East Dunbartonshire | 1.52 |
East Lothian | 3.71 |
East Renfrewshire | 0.88 |
City of Edinburgh | 2.59 |
Eilean Siar | 0.56 |
Falkirk | 0.43 |
Fife | 0.27 |
Glasgow City | 2.04 |
Highland | 1.66 |
Inverclyde | 0.13 |
Midlothian | 0.86 |
Moray | 1.09 |
North Ayrshire | 2.11 |
North Lanarkshire | 0.25 |
Orkney Islands | 1.55 |
Perth and Kinross | 0.54 |
Renfrewshire | 1.64 |
Scottish Borders | 1.25 |
Shetland Islands | 0.45 |
South Ayrshire | 0.50 |
South Lanarkshire | 0.63 |
Stirling | 1.19 |
West Dunbartonshire | 1.94 |
West Lothian | 0.76 |
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of calls to Social Security Scotland went unanswered in each quarter of 2022, including quarter four to date.
Answer
The number and proportion of telephone calls that are not connected to a Social Security Scotland client advisor are provided in the following table, as well as the average call waiting times for connected calls.
Quarter | Number of calls not connected to a client advisor | Calls not connected to a client advisor as a proportion of all received calls | Average call wait time for connected calls (minutes:seconds) |
1 January to 31 March 2022 | 18,490 | 23.6% | 07:44 |
1 April to 30 June 2022 | 33,462 | 29.5% | 11:34 |
1 July to 30 September 2022 | 45,549 | 30.0% | 13:10 |
1 October to 21 December 2022 | 66,839 | 29.4% | 11:14 |
Messaging is regularly updated or added to the Social Security Scotland automated telephony system (Interactive Voice Response) to provide Social Security Scotland clients with urgent information. This may include updates to payment dates, due to public holidays, or asking clients to wait for a certain period of time after submitting their application prior to contacting Social Security Scotland. These messages direct clients to mygov.scot where they can obtain more information. In these instances, a client may choose to end the call prior to being connected with a Social Security Scotland client advisor if their query has been met by the Interactive Voice Response message.
This information is based on internal management information and has not yet been quality assured to the same standard as published information on telephony services.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how it is promoting the support available to help with the rising cost of living to people without access to the internet.
Answer
Scottish Government communications have supported individuals with no access to the internet through a number of offline channels.
300,000 copies of the cost of living support leaflet ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/cost-of-living-support-leaflet/ ) were distributed via libraries, GP surgeries, Health Boards and other community channels. This has also been translated in a number of languages and formats such as British Sign Language and Easy read to enhance accessibility. Local and national press features as part of the national marketing campaign have allowed for an offline extension of the campaign across different areas of Scotland.
In addition, key partnerships were secured with Asda and Scotmid across 238 stores, translating to leaflets, posters and radio ads and creative assets were offered to over 600 partners, including local authorities.
Low income families who are struggling to pay for their digital connectivity can find a link to social tariff information on our Cost of Living website.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government by what date it estimates that every eligible child in the (a) Midlothian, (b) East Lothian, (c) Scottish Borders, (d) Dumfries and Galloway, (e) South Ayrshire, (f) East Ayrshire, (g) North Ayrshire and (h) South Lanarkshire Council area will have received a free bicycle.
Answer
We do not have the information requested as we are still in the testing and policy development phase of the free bikes programme. In this government’s first 100 days, we established six pilot schemes with a further four running by the end of 2021. Nine of these pilots will run until the end of March 2023, testing different approaches and delivery models, including eligibility, to help inform a national rollout.
We do not record data on these projects at local authority level. However, considering bikes issued and associated training and promotion sessions, free bikes activities have taken place in 20 of 32 local authority areas. The 9 pilots are running across a range of locations including in urban, rural and island communities.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it has provided to third sector organisations that provide sexual health and blood borne virus services in each year since 2007, broken down by (a) organisation and (b) service provided.
Answer
Due to the breadth of this request, and changes made over the requested time period to the way Scottish Government records financial information, it has not been possible to provide the entirety of the information sought. The amounts listed relate to funding provided directly by the unit responsible for sexual health and blood born viruses (SHBBV) work to third sector organisations. It does not include other funding from other areas of Scottish Government to third sector organisations that carry out SHBBV work.
Between 2018-19 and 2020-21, over £800k of funding was provided to third sector organisations for work related to sexual health and blood borne viruses annually.
Information has been provided for 2021-22 until the date of this request. Further payments are anticipated during the course of this financial year.
| | | |
Organisation | Project | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
CKUK (Common Knowledge UK) | CK Sex Talk | £43,110 | £21,555 |
Recovery Enterprises Scotland | In-reach Support for Prisoners | £10,000 | |
Sacro | Another Way | £22,956 | £11,478 |
HIV Scotland | Core Funding | £91,061.50 | £45,911 |
HIV Scotland | HIV Self Test Scotland (kits) | £120,000 | £120,000 |
HIV Scotland | SHARE Project | £59,011 | |
Scottish Drugs Forum | Hepatitis Scotland | £172,277 | £86,138 |
Scottish Drugs Forum | Emergency Response | £65,619 | £49,214.25 |
Scottish Drugs Forum | General expenditure | | £81,451 |
Scottish Drugs Forum | People Who Inject Drugs | £61,266 | £30,633 |
Scottish Drugs Forum | Sexual Health in Specific Populations changed to Specific and Underserved Populations | £66,040 | £33,020 |
Scottish Drugs Forum | Vulnerable Young People | £61,266 | £30,633 |
Scottish Drugs Forum | HCV Treatment Uptake and Awareness Project | £15,281 | |
Waverley Care | Research, Engagement and Communication | £103,000 | £51,500 |
Waverley Care | Sexual Health Improvement | £79,500 | £39,750 |
Total | | £970,387.50 | £601,283.25 |
- Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 January 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the National Care Service and adult social care budget allocation in its 2023-24 Budget will be allocated to (a) the National Care Service and (b) adult social care.
Answer
The published 2023-24 Stage 1 budget showed at level 4, a total investment of over £1.2 billion in Social Care support and NCS delivery. Within the £1.2 billion, there is £60 million notionally earmarked for investment in Fair Work and specific NCS programme costs. While the work is taking place on revising the Financial Memorandum, this will remain flexible to meet priorities, as will other areas. Please see response to S6W-13643 on 19 January 2023 for a breakdown of the
£1.2 billion in relation to social care support.
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: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been awarded in Private Water Supply Grants to (a) homes and (b) commercial premises in the South Scotland region, in each year since 2007.
Answer
The Private Water Supply Grant is a demand led scheme which involves private water supply users and owners making an application to their local authority. The local authority reimbursement claims combine the total for all grants awarded, rather than distinguishing between home and commercial claims. Between the years of 2007 - 2022, the South Scotland region was awarded a total of £3,627,986.80. The breakdown for each year is:
2007-08 | £89,303 |
2008-09 | £298,342 |
2009-10 | £448,639 |
2010-11 | £383,092 |
2011-12 | £427,290 |
2012-13 | £601,069 |
2013-14 | £236,532 |
2014-15 | £195,815 |
2015-16 | £146,726 |
2016-17 | £89,201 |
2017-18 | £90,494 |
2018-19 | £169,968 |
2019-20 | £197,875 |
2020-21 | £73,658 |
2021-22 | £179,976 |
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the financial value of the dark web in Scotland, and what recent discussions it has had with Police Scotland, the National Crime Agency and the UK Government on this issue.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold information relating to the financial value of the dark web in Scotland. Regulation of the Internet is reserved to the UK Government.
The Scottish Government maintains a close working relationship with Police Scotland, The National Crime Agency and other UK Government Departments and Agencies with respect to cyber security, cyber enabled and cyber dependent crime to ensure an effective response to the threat from cyber criminals to Scottish people and businesses.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) guns, (b) knives, (c) other offensive weapons and (d) prohibited drugs have been seized/intercepted in mail and courier delivery services by Police Scotland, including items imported from overseas, in each year since 2016.
Answer
The Scottish Government produces a range of Official Statistics that include information on crimes involving firearms, crimes of possessing an offensive weapon and drug seizures, However, we do not hold any information on the number of firearms, weapons or prohibited drugs that were specifically seized within mail and courier delivery services.
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the public was reportedly not made aware of a rise in radioactive particles found between February and March 2022 on the Dounreay foreshore until eight months later, when reports appeared in the press in November 2022.
Answer
The monitoring of the Dounreay foreshore area is undertaken by Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) which is a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and is agreed and regulated by SEPA.
All radioactive particle finds are removed, analysed and reported on the DSRL website. The finds in February and March 2022 were reported on the DSRL website in March and April 2022. The Dounreay Stakeholder Group was also provided with information regarding the particle finds in a written update from SEPA at one of its subgroup meetings in April 2022.
The NDA and SEPA remain content that the monitoring and retrieval programme in place continues to provide appropriate protection for the public.