- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 28 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether its plans for Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMA) take into account the protection of migratory fish stocks, such as by allowing for HPMA sites to move geographically or be time-limited.
Answer
The HPMA site selection guidelines, which formed part of the consultation that closed on 17 April 2023, states that the site selection process will be “based in all cases around the conservation of marine ecosystems as the priority, and driven by the presence of the following functions and resources of significance to Scotland’s seas” which include “essential fish habitats” and “strengthening the Scottish MPA network”. This may include enhancing ecological connectivity where, for example, the movement of mobile species or the transport of some species’ offspring from place to place adds value.
We have sought views on whether additional functions and resources should also inform HPMA identification as part of the consultation.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 28 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas since their introduction, and what criteria are used to determine this.
Answer
The Scottish MPA Monitoring Strategy sets out the Scottish Government approach to MPA related survey and monitoring to meet the requirements of assessing and reporting under a number of legislative and policy drivers including the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. To meet these reporting and assessment obligations there is a need to gather appropriate evidence to assess the condition of the sites and determine whether any implemented management measures are proving effective. This information has contributed to reports such as Scotland's Marine Assessment 2020 and the 2018 Report to Parliament.
However, the features of MPAs are often slow growing and take time to recover, and therefore measuring noticeable change in condition and status will often take many years. The ongoing monitoring programme enables continued assessment of MPAs and development of the evidence base to determine whether individual MPAs are achieving their objectives. By the time of the next report to Parliament in 2024 we should hopefully have a better understanding if this is the case. This will focus on those sites that have had their full suite of management measures in place since 2016.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any positive impact of magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment on a patient’s quality of life.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the benefits magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) could provide to eligible patients with essential tremor. However, we do not formally assess the impact of clinical interventions.
NHS National Services Division continue to work with NHS Tayside to support an application to designate MRgFUS as a national specialist service. Once received, the application will be considered by the National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC) who will take into account any evidence to support introduction of the service.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to offer funding to the University of Dundee to support timely access to magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment for patients with essential tremor.
Answer
The Scottish Government currently has no plans to offer funding to the University of Dundee to support access to magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment for patients with essential tremor.
NHS National Services Division continue to work with NHS Tayside to support an application to designate MRgFUS as a national specialist service. Once received, the application will be considered by the National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC) who will take into account any evidence to support the service introduction as well as any financial implications.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of clinicians' awareness of magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatment.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the benefits magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) could provide to eligible patients with essential tremor. However, we have not assessed clinicians’ awareness of MRgFUS.
NHS National Services Division continue to work with NHS Tayside to support an application to designate MRgFUS as a national specialist service. Once received, the application will be considered by the National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC) who will take into account any evidence to support introduction of the service.
If approved, appropriate communications will be carried out within the NHS to ensure relevant clinicians are aware of the service availability.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered any impact that case-by-case assessments of patients with essential tremor have on any increasing inequity in access to treatment.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not assessed the impact of case by case assessment of patients with essential tremor on inequity of access to treatment.
Clinicians are best placed to assess the eligibility of patients for any treatment to ensure the treatment doesn’t cause further harm and will have a positive impact on the patient’s life.
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 28 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the number of patient attacks on staff at the Langhill Clinic psychiatric care unit in Inverclyde, in light of reports that there have been almost 300 attacks on staff by patients since January 2020.
Answer
Health Boards are responsible for the health and safety of NHS staff. Scottish Government officials have been assured by NHS Greater Glasgow and Cycle (NHS GGC) that they have the necessary controls, protocols and support in place to protect staff. We will continue to work closely with NHS GGC to monitor the safety and wellbeing of staff at the Langhill Clinic.
NHSScotland has joined the multi-agency Your Safety Matters (YSM) initiative, led by Police Scotland. YSM aims to minimise incidents of violence and aggression in workplaces, through campaigns, sharing resources and good practice.
Abuse towards NHS staff is unacceptable, and the courts have extensive powers to deal robustly with those who carry out such appalling behaviour on emergency workers.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 28 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when it will release a statement on updating legislation on the use of snares.
Answer
We will bring forward further proposals on snaring in good time to allow any necessary consultation and introduction at Stage 2 of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 28 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated annual daily traffic flow on the A1 within the Scottish Borders was in each year since 2016, broken down by year.
Answer
Transport Scotland is unable to estimate the annual daily traffic flow (AADT) for the entire A1 trunk road within the Scottish Borders. However, the following table provides the AADT taken from the two traffic counters Transport Scotland operate on the A1 trunk road in the Scottish Borders.
Site Name | Description | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
JTC00462 | A1 Tower | 6651 | 10421 | 10061 | 9674 | 7635 | 9425 | 10159 |
JTC00466 | A1 Burnmouth | 9643 | 10038 | 11069 | 11739 | 8644 | 10034 | 11606 |
All figures Above are Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) flows, this is the number of vehicles recorded over the annual period, presented in an industry standard average daily figure.
All figures are the sum of both directions of travel.
Data extracted from the National Traffic Data System on 4 April 2023.
A noticeable drop in traffic volumes is seen in 2020, due to the Covid pandemic and travel restrictions.
- Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Natalie Don on 27 April 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, whether the development and trialling of the Association for Real Change (ARC) Principles into Practice programme will be completed by April 2023.
Answer
The Association for Real Change (ARC) Scotland’s Principles into Practice trial programme, which was conducted in ten participating Local Authority areas, concluded on 31 March 2023. The revised Principles into Practice Framework will shortly be made available on ARC’s dedicated website, along with Compass - an online tool developed in partnership with young people and parents and carers during the trial programme, to help them, and the professionals who support them, to navigate the transition to young adult life.
Over the next two years ARC Scotland will continue the work of the Scottish Transitions Forum, including supporting the wider implementation of Principles into Practice across Scotland, through funding from the Scottish Government’s Children, Young People, Families and Adult Learning Third Sector Fund.
