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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-13719

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has tested how national workforce planning solutions can help address any capacity challenges for the neurological workforce.

Question reference: S6W-13720

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it has done to improve workforce data, analysis, modelling and scenario planning in the neurology, neurophysiology, neuroradiology and neuro-rehabilitation fields.

Our National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care supports the remobilisation and recovery of health and social care services and sets out priorities for recruitment, training and retention. We anticipate that the Strategy will be used by workforce, service and financial planners from across Health and Social Care at all levels.

Through this Workforce Strategy, and the NHS Recovery Plan, we are investing in staff so that they have the right skill mix and career progression opportunities.

Actions have been set out as part of the Workforce Strategy to develop, improve and transform workforce data, information and intelligence and to commit to publishing workforce projections. These actions will be delivered through the Workforce Data and Intelligence Programme, including a Data Links and Gaps Project with key workstreams of NHS Workforce Data Quality Improvement (WDQI), Adult Social Care WDQI and Primary Care WDQI.

A baseline review of Healthcare Science Education and Training Provision was carried out in 2022 and published on 20 October. Emerging themes for further investigation were identified from survey feedback, and this has helped ascertain the work required to increase the visibility of the Healthcare Science workforce to improve the pipeline of a future workforce. Examples of specialist training currently available were highlighted, including Neurophysiology at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Work has been done in consultation with NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to investigate and suggest improvements for low uptake in Neurology expansion posts. Discussions are underway with the NES lead Dean for Medicine to consider how to make improvements in the coming year when these posts are re-advertised. Many of these vacancies are in the North and East of Scotland, reflecting the difficulty in recruiting to posts in these areas. NES has been promoting awareness of Neurology training opportunities in these regions, and hope to make progress in 2023 and 2024 recruitment.

Through our National Advisory Committee for Neurological Conditions, we are identifying priorities to strengthen the neurological workforce alongside the National Workforce Strategy, Remobilisation Plans and Rehabilitation Framework. We have scoped neurological workforce priorities and work has commenced to address these with a focus on nursing, allied health professionals (AHPs), neuropsychology and neurophysiology.

Question reference: S6W-13706

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to (a) promote and (b) support the implementation of the March 2019 Healthcare Improvement Scotland General Standards for Neurological Care and Support.

Question reference: S6W-13789

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many reports of a pipe leak have been submitted to Scottish Water in each year since 2007 in the South Scotland region.

Scottish Water does not maintain this information by parliamentary region and is only able to provide information for the closest equivalent operational area (South Region Water Operational Area). The following figures include both leaks reported by customers as well as those identified separately by Scottish Water as part of their active leakage management. This data is only readily available from 2016-17 financial year.

Year	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22
Number of leaks	3630	3671	3360	3725	3510	3141

South Region Water Operational Area includes: Dumfries & Galloway, Scottish Borders, East Lothian, Midlothian, City of Edinburgh, West Lothian, South Lanarkshire and North Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S6W-13788

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many incidents of burst water pipes were reported in the South Scotland region in December 2022, and how this figure compares with December 2021.

Scottish Water does not maintain information by parliamentary region and is only able to provide information for the closest equivalent operational area (South Region Water Operational Area). There were 488 reports in December 2022 in this large geographical region compared to 256 reports in December 2021. This would include both leaks reported by customers as well as those identified separately by Scottish Water as part of their active leakage management.

In December 2022, Scottish Water experienced a significant increase in the number of burst water pipes as a result of a freeze and rapid thaw, and Scottish Water operatives worked tirelessly in freezing conditions during this time to respond to the issues which occurred on the water network. During this period Scottish Water also saw an increase in bursts on customer private supply pipes and internal plumbing, which had a significant impact.

Scottish Water has an annual campaign to raise awareness about how important it is for customers to protect their pipes by taking appropriate measures. More information about this is available on their website at Winter Wrapped Up - Scottish Water and Protect your Pipes - Scottish Water .

South Region Water Operational Area includes: Dumfries & Galloway, Scottish Borders, East Lothian, Midlothian, City of Edinburgh, West Lothian, South Lanarkshire and North Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S6W-13952

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13505 by Kevin Stewart on 13 January 2023, how often the Fair Work in Social Care Group meets, and when it last met.

The Fair Work in Social Care Group organised itself into four workstreams on Pay; Terms and Conditions; Effective Voice; and Sectoral Bargaining. The workstreams meet 1-2 times per month, most recently on 17 January 2023.

The Fair Work in Social Care Group is now overseen by a Joint Ministerial Group, co-chaired by myself and COSLA Health and Social Care Spokesperson. The Joint Ministerial Group met on 3 November 2022 and is scheduled to meet again in February 2023.

Question reference: S6W-13947

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13457 by Kevin Stewart on 13 January 2023, when the evaluation of the framework will be completed.

Question reference: S6W-13954

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13474 by Kevin Stewart on 13 January 2023, what information it holds on how many social care staff (a) have and (b) have not received a "robust and supportive induction" since the launch of the National Induction Framework on 1 February 2022.

This answer is not centrally held, however, the SSSC advises that although the National Induction Framework resource is presented as open access (in order to ensure maximum accessibility), and therefore analytics are anonymous, they can advise that the number of visits to the site is 10,852 with total interactions (including visits) standing at over 30,300.

Although visits to the site are not individually identifiable, since the launch of the framework in February 2022, there have been 3,100 interactions through TURAS, the NES/Health platform.

More information can be found here:

https://sssclrs.uk/dashboards/6239f16c3f75d206d3162a42/6239f19d3f75d206d3162a72/NIF---Analytics

Question reference: S6W-13949

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13532 by Kevin Stewart on 13 January 2023, when it expects this investigatory work to be completed.

Question reference: S6W-13951

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13505 by Kevin Stewart on 13 January 2023, what the timeline is for its project to trial the Framework in social care settings.