- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 22 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many wildfires there have been in (a) Scotland and (b) each local authority area in each year since 2015.
Answer
This is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 May 2025
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what feedback it has received from organisations, including sport and social clubs, regarding changes in the protecting vulnerable groups scheme as a result of the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 29 May 2025
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 15 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to (a) modernise and (b) expand the general practice estate in each year since 2016.
Answer
While the Scottish Government has directly funded some primary care capital projects, Health Boards have their own capital allocations and there is no central record of whether funding has been spent on “modernising” or “expanding” the general practice estate.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 May 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 15 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it conducts any assessments of the condition of general practice (a) buildings and (b) facilities, and, if so, whether it can provide details of those assessments.
Answer
Most GP contractors are responsible for providing their own buildings and facilities. Health Boards are responsible for determining whether contractors are adequately fulfilling their contracts and ensuring the good condition of buildings and facilities directly provided.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 8 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of the phrase "spatial squeeze" in a maritime context, and which (a) sectors and (b) stakeholders have indicated to it a non-acceptance of this phrase.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not have a position on the use of the term “spatial squeeze” by stakeholders. The Scottish Government does not hold any data on stakeholders who have indicated non-acceptance of the phrase.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21266 by Jenni Minto on 22 September 2023, how many undergraduate students in the fifth year of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS5) programme have been trained in Campbeltown in each year since 2022-23, and how many of those trainees (a) remained in Campbeltown, (b) relocated elsewhere in NHS Highland and (c) relocated elsewhere outside of NHS Highland, since 2022-23.
Answer
This information is not held by the Scottish Government. Details regarding the Campbeltown workforce including students on clinical outreach placement will be held by NHS Highland.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many hours per week Public Dental Service senior dental officers/tutors are expected to perform clinical work on patients.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not retain this information.
Public Dental Service Senior Dental Officers (SDO) have varying individual duties across management and outreach responsibilities. The clinical hours required for an SDO will therefore vary within an NHS Board and between the other NHS health boards.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 May 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21266 by Jenni Minto on 22 September 2023, whether NHS Highland was successful in recruiting a replacement Public Dental Service senior dental officer/tutor in Campbeltown, and, if so, whether they remain in post.
Answer
Workforce recruitment within the Highland region is managed by NHS Highland and therefore this information is not held by the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether local authorities can access funding from its flood protection schemes for areas that SEPA have not designated as potentially vulnerable and, if so, how they can do so.
Answer
The Scottish Government has allocated £570 million to local authorities through the local authority capital grant settlement for flood protection schemes and flood resilience. The distribution of this funding is agreed by Scottish Ministers and COSLA Leaders. Typically 80% is used to support the delivery of specific flood protection schemes and Flood Risk Management Plans, and the remaining 20% is distributed amongst all Scottish local authorities for wider local authority flood resilience capital projects.
SEPA designate Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs). Around 90% of Scotland’s flood risk is contained within PVAs. PVAs are used to prioritise areas where the risk is highest and the benefits of flood risk management will be greatest.
Flood risk management actions which benefit PVAs should therefore be prioritised, but this does not prevent responsible local authorities and stakeholders from taking forward actions to tackle flooding in areas located outwith the PVAs.
- Asked by: Tim Eagle, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 April 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 April 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has powers to instruct SEPA to (a) review and (b) revise land that it categorises as potentially vulnerable to flooding and, if so, whether it can provide details of these powers.
Answer
The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 establishes a framework for the assessment and mapping of flood risks and the planning in relation to the management of such risks. Under section 9 of the Act SEPA must prepare a flood risk assessment for each flood risk management district providing an assessment of any flood risk for the district. This is commonly referred to as the National Flood Risk Assessment and was last published by SEPA in 2018.
In addition, section 13 of the Act requires SEPA to prepare and submit to Scottish Ministers a document identifying for each flood risk management district any area in the district for which it considers that significant flood risk either exists or is likely to occur. These are more commonly referred to as Potentially Vulnerable Areas.
Under section 14 of the Act SEPA is required to update the document provided to Scottish Ministers on a six yearly basis. Scottish Ministers approved the latest update of the document in December 2024 and it can found on SEPA’s website.
Under section 2 of the Act the Scottish Ministers may give directions or guidance to SEPA in relation to the exercise of its flood risk related functions.