- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 3 October 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it has had with South Scotland MSPs regarding proposals to establish a South of Scotland Economic Partnership.
Answer
On 13 September, I confirmed that we would establish an interim South of Scotland Economic Partnership by the end of the year so that the area benefits from a new approach. We are working with stakeholders, including Dumfries and Galloway Council and Scottish Borders Council, to develop the detail of the arrangements. Throughout Phase 2 of the Enterprise and Skills Review we consulted widely with MSPs on matters related to the Review and will continue to do so.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 3 October 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it has had with South Scotland MSPs regarding proposals to establish a South of Scotland Enterprise Agency.
Answer
Phase 2 of the Enterprise and Skills Review confirmed that we would establish a new public body to support the South of Scotland. Programme for Government published on 5 September confirmed that legislation establishing the body will be introduced into Parliament in 2018. Throughout Phase 2 we consulted widely with MSPs on matters related to the Review, I look forward to continuing to do so as the legislative process progresses.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 29 September 2017
To ask the Scottish Government who will appoint the chairperson of the South of Scotland Economic Partnership and when the appointment will be made.
Answer
On 13 September, I confirmed that the interim South of Scotland Economic Partnership will be established by the end of the year. Ministers will appoint the chairperson as part of the establishment of the partnership.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 29 September 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) membership and (b) budget will be of the proposed South of Scotland Economic Partnership.
Answer
On 13 September, I confirmed that the interim South of Scotland Economic Partnership will bring together organisations to support economic growth in the South of Scotland and will involve public and private partners to ensure that the area sees benefits as soon as is possible. I look forward to confirming the full membership shortly.
Consideration of the funding requirements to support the interim partnership is being undertaken alongside all the other budget requirements across the Scottish Government as part of the Draft Budget process. We will ensure that investment and budgets to support economic growth in the south of Scotland are strongly aligned to deliver maximum impact.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 26 September 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to raise greater awareness of less-survivable cancers.
Answer
Our cancer strategy, ‘Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action’, launched in March 2016 with £100 million of investment, serves as a blueprint for the future of cancer services in Scotland, aiming to improve the prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, aftercare and ultimately survival, for all people diagnosed with cancer.
We also support the national Quality Performance Indicator programme which aims to drive improvement in the outcomes and survival rates for people with cancer, including those noted by the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce.
In 2014 to help support earlier referral or investigation of patients who may be showing a suspicion of cancer, Healthcare Improvement Scotland updated and published revised Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer, which cover a wide range of tumour types. These guidelines should help in the identification of people most likely to have cancer and require specialist assessment. The updated version of the guidelines is available at the following Link: http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/our_work/cancer_care_improvement/programme_resources/scottish_referral_guidelines.aspx
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2017
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 27 September 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide additional funding for the Schools for the Future programme to allow phase 2 of the Dumfries Learning Town Project to go ahead.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 27 September 2017
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to concerns raised by Age Scotland that the country faces a crisis in the care sector, with some service users being left without food, water and essential medicines.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 19 September 2017
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 August 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 4 September 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-10420 by Keith Brown on 9 August 2017, who will appoint the interim chair of the agency; whether this appointment will be made before stage one of the legislative process has been completed; what the criteria will be for appointments to the board, and how many members the board will have.
Answer
As I said in my answer to S5W-10420, it is intended that the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency will be an executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) with a statutory board. Appointments will therefore be made via a process regulated by the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland and supported by the Scottish Government’s Public Appointments Team. Whilst appointments cannot be made until legislation has passed stage one of its parliamentary process, our aim is to have a Chair in place before the Agency comes into effect. The process to appoint board members to the new public body will follow the code of practice set out by the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland. The criteria for appointing board members will be determined by the selection panel and agreed with Ministers prior to the appointments being publicised. The primary legislation which is required to create a public body will set out a minimum and maximum number of board members required. The selection panel and Ministers will then agree how many board members should be appointed during the first appointment round.
In advance, we want to ensure that the South of Scotland benefits from a new approach and are working with stakeholders and the Implementation Board, established to drive forward early elements of the review, to develop the interim arrangements which we intend to put in place later this year.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 August 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 1 September 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the proposed closure by NHS Dumfries and Galloway of the Lochside Dental Clinic; what discussions it has had with the board regarding this matter, and whether it will consider taking action to prevent the closure.
Answer
Lochside Dental Clinic is a Public Dental Service (PDS) facility. The main role of the PDS is to provide NHS dental services for people with complex care needs and those who are referred by high street dentists for specific treatment.
In view of the increasing numbers of 'high-street' dentists providing NHS GDS in the area, it is appropriate for the Board to consider how to deliver NHS GDS services to people in need of routine dental care. We understand there are 9 practices within the Dumfries (Nithsdale Locality) area accepting NHS Patients.
There will be no change in the type of NHS care service available to a patient previously seen by the PDS and now being treated by a 'high-street' dentist.
- Asked by: Colin Smyth, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 July 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 29 August 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote energy storage in the south of Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the important role that energy storage technologies will play in Scotland’s transition to a low carbon future.
The Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise have a number of initiatives to support the promotion of smart, flexible energy systems such as energy storage. These include the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme, Scottish Enterprise's Research and Development grant programme, SMART: SCOTLAND and the CAN DO Innovation Challenge Fund. Funds from these schemes are available to eligible projects right across Scotland, including in the South of Scotland parliamentary region. This is in addition to existing commercial development, such as the recently consented Glenmuckloch pumped storage hydro scheme (400mw) which was consented in 2016.
A smarter model of local energy provision - where companies and communities are encouraged to develop local solutions to meet local needs and find innovative ways of generating, distributing and storing energy - is a key theme of the Scottish Government's draft Energy Strategy.
