- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, 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, further to the answer to question S6W-12372 by Maree Todd on 8 December 2022, what percentage of (a) childminders, (b) playgroups, (c) early learning centres and (d) nurseries are currently signed up to the Daily Mile scheme, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
This information is not held by The Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13038 by Kevin Stewart on 20 December 2022, who it anticipates will be eligible to apply for the funding for the construction of Changing Places toilets.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s Changing Places Toilets investment will be delivered in phases over the course of this parliamentary term. The Scottish Government is progressing the first phase of work, in order to design an investment programme that ensures that the Changing Places Toilets which are built are fit for purpose and are installed in appropriate locations to meet the needs of those that will use them. We will work with stakeholders to develop eligibility criteria for the fund.
Further details will be available soon.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it (a) can take and (b) is taking to ensure that households that are eligible for a smart meter can install one.
Answer
Energy policy, including the rollout of smart meters programme, is a matter reserved to the UK Government.
Smart meters have an important role to play in helping the Scottish Government achieve our aim of increasing energy efficiency across Scotland as well as helping consumers manage their spend on energy. At the recent energy summit chaired by the First Minister, we committed to working with partners to increase the number of households with smart meters in Scotland, with a focus on rural areas, by highlighting the benefits they can deliver in terms of both energy bills and energy efficiency. As part of this work, we will continue to call upon BEIS and Ofgem to take the necessary action to ensure all households eligible for a smart meter have the opportunity to install one in their home.
In the meantime, we will continue to work with our consumer advice and advocacy partners to ensure they are equipped with the necessary knowledge and information to support consumers seeking help on managing or accessing a smart meter.
I would also urge consumers who are struggling with their energy bills to contact Energy Advice Scotland on 0808 196 8660 or at energyadvice.scot.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it or its agencies have undertaken to understand the potential impact on glass recycling rates if local authorities cease kerbside collections of glass in light of the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme.
Answer
Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will ensure a higher percentage of glass sent for recycling. Analysis from Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) shows that presently only around 59% of mixed glass is recycled. DRS is expected to capture 80% of glass bottles in the first year of DRS, increasing to 90% thereafter, this will therefore increase the amount of overall glass sent for recycling.
ZWS supports local authorities to assess their recycling collection options to help align services with the Household Recycling Charter Code of Practice, as well as future proofing those services by understanding the impact of other measures such as DRS and Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made regarding the safety of specialist homecare medicines services.
Answer
As pharmacies, medicines homecare providers must demonstrate that they can meet the standards for registered pharmacies set by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). The standards are designed to create and maintain the right environment for the safe and effective practice of pharmacy and to improve the quality and safety of services provided to patients and the public. The GPhC inspect registered pharmacies to seek assurances that the standards are being met. Depending on the range of services provided, medicines homecare providers may also be registered with additional regulators such as the Care Inspectorate and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
To ensure compliance with regulatory standards, providers must have governance arrangements in place to safeguard the health, safety and wellbeing of patients and the public. This will include effective systems for risk management and the management of complaints and incident including root cause analysis of issues arising and implementing corrective and preventative actions.
Health Boards have contractual arrangements in place with Homecare Providers via either Service Level Agreements or Framework Agreements. These agreements detail responsibilities for service provision and define service requirements including governance and reporting.
Before arrangements are made to set-up a new service, Health Boards undertake risk assessments to assess the risks associated with supplying a particular medicine through a home delivery service. In addition, before a patient is on-boarded on to a service, checks are undertaken to help ensure that homecare is suitable for an individual patient.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, following the publication of the final report of the Independent Oversight and Assurance Group on Tayside's Mental Health Services, Trust and Respect, how it will ensure that Tayside Mental Health Services has the resource it needs to further improve the delivery of the recommendations contained in the report.
Answer
The Scottish Government will continue to support sustainable change and improvements in Tayside, to ensure the safe and effective delivery of mental health services.
To ensure that Tayside Mental Health Services have the resources needed to deliver on the recommendations contained in the Oversight Group’s Final Report, the Scottish Government will provide access to advice from Professional Advisors and Senior Officials in the Mental Health Directorate as partners in Tayside develop a detailed improvement plan. The plan will contain clear milestones and deliverables which progress key areas for action.
More widely, the Scottish Government has increased financial resources across Scotland, with NHS Mental Health expenditure rising from £1.1bn in 2019-20 to £1.25bn in 2020-21: an increase of £172m.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13038 by Kevin Stewart on 20 December 2022, what the timeline is for the announcement of further information relating to the funding for the construction of Changing Places toilets.
Answer
The Scottish Government will invest in Changing Places Toilets over this parliamentary term, in order to increase the number of these facilities across the country and to support mobile Changing Places Toilets to allow people easier access to events and outdoor venues.
This investment will be delivered in phases over the course of this parliamentary term. The Scottish Government is progressing the first phase of work to design an investment programme that ensures that the Changing Places Toilets which are built are fit for purpose. We have recently published our Changing Places Toilets: Planning Guide and an accompanying easy read for people who are planning to develop Changing Places Toilets now.
Further details will be available soon.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13038 by Kevin Stewart on 20 December 2022, when it will announce its investment programme related to the construction of Changing Places toilets.
Answer
The Scottish Government will invest in Changing Places Toilets over this parliamentary term, in order to increase the number of these facilities across the country and to support mobile Changing Places Toilets to allow people easier access to events and outdoor venues.
This investment will be delivered in phases over the course of this parliamentary term. The Scottish Government is progressing the first phase of work to design an investment programme that ensures that the Changing Places Toilets which are built are fit for purpose.
Further details will be available soon.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13498 by Kevin Stewart on 11 January 2023, where the 958.9 whole time equivalent mental health roles have been appointed, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
The breakdown of the 958.9 whole time equivalent (WTE) posts by NHS Health Board is as follows;
NHS Board | Whole Time Equivalent Posts |
Ayrshire & Arran | 96.3 |
Borders | 14.4 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 39.0 |
Fife | 62.9 |
Forth Valley | 34.8 |
Grampian | 76.6 |
Greater Glasgow & Clyde | 192.0 |
Highland | 51.9 |
Lanarkshire | 97.3 |
Lothian | 125.3 |
Orkney | 3.0 |
Shetland | 3.3 |
Tayside | 99.4 |
Western Isles | 3.0 |
A further 59.8 WTE posts were recruited by NHS 24, Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service through the Enhanced Mental Health Pathway.
- Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 19 January 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much is allocated in the proposed Scottish Budget 2023-24 to (a) Warmer Homes Scotland, (b) its Area Based Schemes, (c) Home Energy Scotland loans and (d) the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund and "fabric first" projects, and how each of these compares with the allocations in (i) 2021-22 and (ii) 2022-23.
Answer
The figures requested are set out in the following table:
| 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
Warmer Homes Scotland | £50m | £55m | £55m |
Area Based Schemes | £64m | £64m | £64m |
Home Energy Scotland Grants & Loans | £21m | £42m | £42m |
Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund | £20m | £30m | £60m |