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The Section 34 letter to Local Authority Chief Executives under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 (Section 34 - Reports and Information - Notification of Application for Building Warrant - Section 2 - Fire) to require that a verifier must notify the Scottish Government where future conversions of historic buildings are to be used as hotel accommodation has been sent to all Local Authority Chief Executives and copied to Building Standards Managers on 31 October 2023.

The first workshop will be set up by the end of 2023 as outlined in the Short Life Working Group report, published on 2 October 2023.

As noted in S6W-19908 on 31 July 2023, the age ranges for breast screening are based on recommendations from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group which informs decisions taken across the UK on screening programmes. There is no clear evidence that the benefits of screening this age group outweigh the potential harms.

Since October 2022, women aged 71-74, and those over 75 with a history of breast cancer, have been able to self-refer for a screening appointment. Due to the challenges around programme capacity and wait times as a result of the pandemic, self-referrals for those over 75 without a history of breast cancer remain paused. This ensures those between 50 and 70 and for whom screening has clear benefits are prioritised. The most recent statistics show that breast screening uptake has increased across Scotland which is the most important factor when maximising cancer detection and effectiveness of the screening programme.

Considerable work has been undertaken to improve programme capacity, including extending screening hours, using additional mobile units, and optimising appointment allocation. The scale of the challenge facing the screening programme since the pandemic means it has taken time for this work to have a significant impact. However, considerable progress has been made, and the scope to extend self-referrals to all those over 75 remains under active review. Both Parliament and NHS Inform will be updated when any decision is made to lift the current pause.

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

The statutory responsibility for delivering and commissioning services at a local level lies with local authorities, NHS boards and integrated health and social care partnerships. Publicly funded places in care homes are covered by the National Care Home Contract, which is negotiated annually between COSLA and Scottish Care. The information requested on the number of NHS funded beds that are currently empty is not held by the Scottish Government.

The figure of 10-15% reflects data taken from the 2022 Care Home Census. The latest census will be published in due course and may reflect different data.

Reasons behind this figure include: the fact that registered beds do not necessarily equate to available beds for a wide range of reasons; a UK-wide staff shortage in the social care sector which has an impact on bed availability; different care home providers using different business models which can affect the number of people that can be admitted at any one time.

The Scottish Government remains committed to medium and long term solutions to address landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful.

Improvements to the existing Old Military Road through the Glen Croe corridor are being made to make it a more resilient diversion route until the long term solution to the problems at the Rest and Be Thankful is in place.

The current cost estimate for carrying out all phases of the medium term solution is £24million to £32million. Spending as set out in the Scottish Budget 2023-24, as approved by the Scottish Parliament, is confirmed and includes funding to commence the delivery of the medium-term improvements, which are expected to start later this year.

Funding to take forward the construction stages of Phases 2 and 3 of the medium term solution will be determined as part of the annual Scottish Budget setting process and subsequent capital spending reviews.

The Scottish Government is committed to an infrastructure solution to address landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful and shares the urgency communities and businesses place on maintaining and improving connectivity of this vital route. At the recent Cabinet public discussion on 2 October in Inverary, the First Minister gave a firm commitment to a solution to the challenges at the Rest and Be Thankful, including a commitment for the funding.

Spending as set out in the Scottish Budget 2023-24 is confirmed which includes progressing the necessary detailed design work for the long term solution, currently progressing at pace. The detailed development and assessment of the preferred option will culminate in the publication of draft road Orders, compulsory purchase Orders and Environmental Impact Assessment Report for formal comment and we expect to publish draft Orders by the end of 2024.

Progress following publication of draft Orders will depend on the level and nature of any representations, including objections, to the published draft Orders. Procurement of a main works contractor for the permanent, long term solution can only commence upon completion of the statutory authorisation process.

The current estimated cost of the preferred option is approximately £405 million - £470 million (at 2023 prices). We will continue to develop and assess the scheme proposals in order to deliver the best value for taxpayers’ money.

Funding to take forward the construction stage of the long-term solution in future years will be determined as part of the annual Scottish Budget setting process and subsequent capital spending reviews.

The Scottish Government is committed to an infrastructure solution to address landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful and shares the urgency communities and businesses place on maintaining and improving connectivity of this vital route.

The medium term solution consists of improvements to the existing Old Military Road through the Glen Croe corridor to make it a more resilient diversion route until the long term solution is in place. These improvements will improve the resilience of the diversion route, reduce journey times, and are the quickest to implement, of relatively lower cost and would have the least impacts overall across the range of criteria assessed of the medium term options considered.

A detailed programme for the proposed improvements is being developed. These include debris catch fences, temporary bunds, drainage improvements and widening and discrete realignment to improve bends and avoid flooding. It is expected that these works will be carried out on a phased basis starting later this year with Phase 1 which is realignment of the southern end of the route. It is anticipated that Phases 2 and 3 will commence in financial year 2024-25, subject to obtaining any necessary statutory authorisation consents. Construction of these phases is expected to take approximately 12 months subject to weather conditions.

The Scottish Government remains committed to medium and long term solutions to address the landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful. This scheme is a priority for the Scottish Government, it is a key recommendation in STPR2, it is included in the Programme for Government 2023 to 2024 as well as the First Minister’s Policy Prospectus.

The recent exceptional rainfall on the A83 at the start of October resulted in seven landslides reaching the A83 trunk road, encompassing two very significant landslides at the A83/A815 junction, four landslides at Glen Kinglas and one small landslide at the Rest and be Thankful. Four further landslides were captured by hillside mitigation above the trunk road that includes pits, bunds and catch-fences, with two slips occurring at Glen Kinglas and two at the Rest and be Thankful.

The recent storm events in the areas have not impacted the development of the scheme, and we are still very much focussed on progressing this scheme as quickly as we are able to bring the benefits to those who use the A83.

Scottish Government has asked Health Board Chief Executives within each region to nominate a lead Chief Executive to plan and deliver the changes to neonatal intensive care through the Regional Planning infrastructure. Health Boards will submit detailed implementation plans to the Best Start Programme Board and the NHS Chief Operating Officer, with the expectation that the National model is rolled out by 2025. To support planning, the Scottish Government has commissioned national modelling and capacity work.

The Best Start Implementation Programme Board is considering the future role of the Perinatal Sub Group (which undertook the Options Appraisal Process) to support implementation.

It is the responsibility of the Regional lead Chief Executives to determine whether they will set up implementation working groups and set their terms of reference and membership, and whether they will publish their papers. Timescales for completion of implementation have been set by the Scottish Government.