- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the investigation by the BBC programme, Panorama, into pregnancy advice centres outside the NHS giving misleading information about abortion, which found that more than a third of these services gave misleading medical information or unethical advice, and sometimes both, what its response is to Stanton Healthcare East of Scotland obtaining charitable status to operate a pregnancy advice centre in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government believes all women in Scotland should be able to access timely abortion care without judgment, should they require it. We would encourage all women wanting advice on an abortion or considering options for their pregnancy to contact their NHS Board, who can help offer advice or signpost them to other appropriate services.
The Scottish Government respects the fact that many individuals and organisations do not support abortion and may wish to discuss alternatives with patients, where patients request this. However, we expect all organisations to provide clear information for clients about the nature of the services they provide.
Decisions on the registration of charities in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Charities Regulator OSCR, which is independent of the Scottish Government. Concerns about the actions of a charity should be raised with the charity trustees in the first instance and then with OSCR. If there is any evidence to suggest that Stanton Healthcare East of Scotland has provided any misleading or unethical advice, the Scottish Government would be happy to discuss this and, if appropriate, share any relevant evidence with OSCR.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Royal College of Nursing Scotland report, The Nursing Workforce in Scotland, published in May 2023.
Answer
The Scottish Government welcomes the publication of the RCN Scotland report, The Nursing Workforce in Scotland, and notes the report's recommendations.
On 21 February 2023 we announced that a Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce had been established to build on efforts to make Scotland the best place for nurses and midwives to work by developing plans for recruitment and retention. The Nursing Workforce in Scotland Report, and its recommendations, will be considered by the taskforce as a part of its work.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 30 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-17423 by Patrick Harvie on 9 May 2023, how much funding has been allocated for the loans to date, and whether it has a target for the number of private rented sector landlords that it hopes will use the scheme.
Answer
The Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme was launched in April 2020 to support landlords with the cost of installation for energy efficiency improvements, renewable systems and energy storage systems.
The funding allocated for the scheme is set out in the following table:
Allocated Budget for Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan Scheme |
Year | Allocated Budget |
2020 - 2021 | £1,000,000 |
2021 - 2022 | £500,000 |
2022 – 2023 | £500,000 |
2023 – 2024 | £500,000 |
The scheme is demand led and as such, there are no specific targets set for the usage of the scheme.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 30 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16779 by Patrick Harvie on 27 April 2023, where there are any specific anticipated functions for local authorities to deliver elements of the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) delivery plans, such as communication, coordination, monitoring and complaints, what funding will be made available for the fulfilment of any such functions that is commensurate with the cost.
Answer
Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES) are at the heart of a place based, locally-led and tailored approach to the heat transition in Scotland. These local strategies will underpin an area-based approach to heat and energy efficiency planning and delivery. LHEES will set out the long-term plan for decarbonising heat in buildings and improving their energy efficiency across an entire local authority area.
LHEES guidance is framed around what can be delivered now given the existing policy and funding landscape, and sets out requirements for the first iteration of LHEES published by the end of 2023. LHEES will evolve as the Scottish Government introduces future standards and regulation, as well as new delivery and funding programmes.
The Scottish Government is providing multi-year funding of £75,000 to each local authority to support the development and delivery of their LHEES. Local authorities are able to decide how they allocate this funding including for related functions beyond the development of the Strategy and Delivery Plan.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 30 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many (a) police and (b) fire stations contain asbestos, and whether it will list them.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.
Responsibility for the management of the (a) police estate is for Police Scotland, which is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority; and (b) the fire estate is for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
Meeting health and safety requirements across their estates continues to be a high priority for both Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with (a) Coeliac UK and (b) other patient representatives regarding any challenges in relation to the under-diagnosis of coeliac disease.
Answer
In 2018, a new national evidence-based pathway for coeliac disease was launched across four health boards (NHS Lothian, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Tayside). It was funded by Scottish Government’s Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP) and co-produced in partnership with key stakeholders including Coeliac UK, and people living with coeliac disease and clinicians.
Recently, Maree Todd MSP, the then Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health & Sport attended ‘Coeliac Disease: The Challenge of Underdiagnosis’ in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 9 March 2023. The event was supported by Coeliac UK and included a presentation from a patient representative.
- Asked by: Sandesh Gulhane, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 30 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the finding by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland that black and minority ethnic people in Scotland are 4.8 times more likely to be compulsively sectioned during times of crisis than their white counterparts.
Answer
We know the pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing structural inequalities within our society, putting some communities and groups within the population disproportionately at risk for more adverse impacts on their mental health. That is why we have committed to making the mental health of these groups a priority.
We have established an Equality and Human Rights Forum to help influence and deliver measurably improved outcomes for minority ethnic groups. The forum will set out actions to address racialised mental health inequalities in the upcoming Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Delivery Plan and will build on our existing work.
We are also considering the report from the Scottish Mental Health Law Review which included recommendations to improve monitoring and address ethnicity in rates of detention and compulsory treatment. We intend to set out our initial response to the report, including priority actions, by summer 2023.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 30 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many of its buildings do not have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least band C, and whether it will list them.
Answer
There are 17 owned buildings on the Scottish Government Core Estate. 11 have EPC ratings lower than C.
Thainstone Court | Inverurie | B |
St Andrew's House | Edinburgh | C |
Victoria Quay | Edinburgh | C |
Longman House | Inverness | C |
Cameron House | Oban | C |
Marine Laboratory | Aberdeen | D |
Saughton House | Edinburgh | D |
Tweedbank | Galashiels | D |
Cadzow Court | Hamilton | D |
Freshwater Laboratory | Pitlochry | D |
Tankerness Lane | Kirkwall | E |
Scorrybreac | Portree, Isle of Skye | E |
Balivanich | Isle of Benbecula | F |
10 Keith St, Stornoway | Stornoway | F |
Governor's House | Edinburgh | G |
SASA | Edinburgh | G |
Strathbeg House | Thurso | No EPC Available |
All EPC certificates are available to download online
Home (scottishepcregister.org.uk)
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 30 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16779 by Patrick Harvie on 27 April 2023, whether there will be a national public communications programme to ensure that the general public understand the proposed upcoming changes to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) requirements, and what role Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) delivery plans will play in any such programme.
Answer
This year we will publish a Public Engagement Strategy setting out how we will raise public awareness and understanding of the changes we all need to make to our home heating to meet the net zero targets by 2045.
We will need to communicate in a coordinated way across all levels, including nationally and through trusted grassroots and local messengers.
This will include taking a place-based approach through working with local government to communicate to the public what the transition will mean for them, informed by upcoming Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategy Delivery Plans. This will help to ensure that people know whether they can expect to connect to a local heat network or will need to install renewable technologies such as a heat pump, the steps involved and how they can access any support available. We will use a range of tactics to achieve this, including multi-channel marketing and community engagement initiatives.
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 30 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to improve awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17797 on 17 May 2023. 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