- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government by what date it estimates that every eligible child living in (a) Argyll and Bute, (b) Highland, (c) Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, (d) Orkney Islands, (e) Shetland Islands, and (f) Moray council areas, will have a free bicycle in their possession.
Answer
We do not have the information requested as we are still in the test phase of this programme. In this government’s first 100 days, we established ten pilot schemes to test how best to provide free bikes for school age children who cannot afford one. These pilots will run for up to 12 months, testing different approaches and delivery models which will then be independently evaluated to help inform a national rollout. Of the mentioned council areas, Shetland is currently covered by one of the ten pilots. The pilot team in Shetland have procured their first 25 bikes, and are now preparing their distribution.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what work is being done to reduce the waiting time for patients who require a colposcopy following a routine cervical cancer screening exam.
Answer
Colposcopy capacity has been impacted by Covid-19, regrettably resulting in longer than usual waiting times in some Health Boards.
In recognition of this, last year we provided over £660,000 additional funding to NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, NHS Highland, NHS Lothian and NHS Tayside to support capacity in colposcopy provision. The funding was used to enhance capacity through additional workforce and extra clinics, including at weekends.
We will continue to work closely with Boards who are facing challenges in order to remobilise services as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 21 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the five-year survival data for pancreatic cancer in Scotland.
Answer
The Cancer Survival publication is due for release on 19th April 2022 and will be hosted by Public Health Scotland. Data on 1 and 5 year survival will be published for patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2019 as well as long-term trends in survival for patients diagnosed since 1995. Information is presented for 27 types of cancer, for Scotland as a whole and by age, sex and socio-economic deprivation.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Islands Energy Strategy will take account of the reportedly significantly higher costs of retrofitting in island communities.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises that island communities can face distinct challenges in the transition to zero emissions heating. We are committed to continuing to make higher levels of funding available per head through our energy efficiency/fuel poverty delivery programmes in remote rural areas, where we know installation and labour costs are higher.
Through our Islands Energy Strategy – of which a draft is due to be published later this year, we will work with stakeholders to take an evidence based approach to explore the need additional support for those rural and island homes which require bespoke and targeted advice for heat and energy efficiency.
Furthermore, our Heat in Buildings Supply Chain Action Plan, due to be published later this year will include a specific focus on developing local supply chains, including in our islands and remote communities, to help bring costs down.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of ScotRail's consultation on the staffing of ticket offices, whether it or Transport Scotland has assessed the potential impact of reduced ticket office opening hours on rail passenger safety.
Answer
The consultation phase of Scotrail’s review into Ticket Offices closed on 2 February and Transport Focus, the independent watchdog for transport users, will collate responses and also provide their own view in the consultation process. I will await the results of this analysis before making any final decision on this matter.
- Asked by: Evelyn Tweed, MSP for Stirling, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how much investment has been made in public transport in Stirling since 2017.
Answer
The majority of investment has been in relation to the Stirling-Dunblane-Alloa electrification and improvement work, and I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05903 on 21 february 2022 for that detail. 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
In addition to the referenced rail investment, we have awarded £500,000 through our Bus Partnership Fund to the Forth Valley Bus Alliance for improvement on key bus corridors in the region. £230,000 of this funding will look at key bus corridors in Stirling.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how passengers will be involved in ScotRail’s governance board once it moves into public ownership.
Answer
There is an existing ScotRail Stakeholder Advisory Panel on which passenger representatives sit, that will continue with the new company, and whose chair will attend the ScotRail Trains Limited Board in the same manner as they do presently.
Passenger Focus, the passenger representative body for all forms of transport in Scotland and the UK sit on the ScotRail Stakeholder Advisory Panel, along with other stakeholder representatives including various Chamber of Commerce representatives, Inclusion Scotland, representative from the Academic sector, Transport Focus and representation from Community Rail Partnerships in Scotland. The Chair of the ScotRail Stakeholder Advisory Panel, CBI’s Scotland Director, will sit on the ScotRail Trains Limited Board and provide the collective stakeholder input to Board decisions.
The Scottish Government is also launching a National Conversation to encourage passengers, rail staff and other stakeholders to play their part in shaping the future of rail passengers services in Scotland.
- Asked by: Evelyn Tweed, MSP for Stirling, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 21 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how much the project for the electrification of the Stirling-Dunblane-Alloa train line cost; when work was completed, and what its position is on the impact on Stirling of the project.
Answer
As previously confirmed in an update to the Public Audit Committee in December 2021, the final costs of the electrification of the route are £221m.
The project enabled new faster, longer, greener trains to operate on the route providing passengers at Stirling with quicker journeys and it also provided step-free access to Stirling Station Platforms 9 and 10 via an upgraded footbridge and new lift.
Works also included a programme of route clearance and major road bridge improvements, notably including reconstruction of Shore Road and Kerse Road bridges in Stirling.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 18 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what procedure should be followed by an individual who considers that they have been a victim of “gear conflict”, of the type “Other Shellfish Pots/ Creels + Other Shellfish Pots/ Creels”, and what should that individual expect as a result of following that procedure.
Answer
In 2020 Marine Scotland introduced a new mechanism for reporting gear loss that aims to take a holistic approach, facilitating fishers being reunited with displaced gear.
A report of lost gear can be made via any of our 18 Fishery Offices. The aim of this is to help fishers arrive at an amicable outcome, but that will also ensure all necessary information is available, should Police Scotland require to be involved.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 18 February 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents of “gear conflict”, of the type “Other Shellfish Pots/ Creels + Other Shellfish Pots/ Creels”, have led to prosecution, broken down by the number of convictions, in each of the last seven years since this offence was identified as a priority in the Report of the Task Force on Gear Conflict, December 2015.
Answer
As noted in the report of the Task Force on Gear Conflict, there are no statutory requirements for gear conflict avoidance or resolution. Gear damage and vandalism is a crime and a matter for Police Scotland. It is not a fisheries offence and therefore Marine Scotland Compliance is unable to take enforcement action.
We have also introduced The Gear Marking (Scotland) Order 2020, which makes it a legal requirement for a fishing vessel to deploy buoys made for that purpose and those buoys display their name and registration number. This builds on the Best Practice Guidance for Marking Static Fishing Gear we published in August 2018. At sea, our Marine Protection vessels have been actively engaged in assuring compliance with this Order and our Inshore Protection Programme has enabled more agile and responsive monitoring in inshore waters.
In addition to this, in 2020 Marine Scotland introduced a new mechanism for reporting gear loss that aims to take a holistic approach, facilitating fishers being reunited with displaced gear. A report of lost gear can be made via any of our 18 Fishery Offices. The aim of this is to help fishers arrive at an amicable outcome, but that will also ensure all necessary information is available, should Police Scotland require to be involved.