- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment NatureScot made of how the Memorandum of Understanding with Hampden & Co, Lombard Odier Investment Managers and Palladium would support a just transition to net zero, and whether it will publish any such assessment.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15876 on 24 March 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 .
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions NatureScot had with Hampden & Co, Lombard Odier Investment Managers and Palladium regarding making guaranteed minimum community benefit payments to local communities arising from the increased investments to be made, and on any clawback from increased land values that may arise from the investments envisaged.
Answer
As the intention is to work with existing land owners, NatureScot do not anticipate that the investment will contribute to increased land values as a result of the sale or purchase of land. However, investing in natural capital may increase land values as it improves the condition of the land and subsequently increases the potential for land managers to generate revenue from the sale of ecosystem services. This is an unavoidable outcome of delivering our nature restoration targets.
Community benefits, such as those referred to, will be explored during the design phase of the project.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Network Support Grant Plus coming to an end in March 2023, how it plans to keep bus fares “at more affordable levels and networks more extensive”, as committed to in its Programme for Government 2022-23.
Answer
The Network Support Grant Plus was always a temporary fund to support operators to recover from the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic. It has been extended on two occasions since June 2022. Scotland, like the rest of the UK, operates a de-regulated bus market due to decisions taken by the UK Government in the 1980s. This means that bus operators must return to a commercially sustainable model, and adapt their networks to account for the new travel patterns.
Notwithstanding, the Scottish Government continues to provide support through the Network Support Grant, which keeps fares more affordable and networks more extensive than would otherwise be the case. I have committed to review all funding to bus operators to ensure it is delivering best value to the taxpayer. This review will include an exploration of further conditionality being applied to Government subsidy in future.
- 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, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings of a survey by the Medical and Dental Defence Union Scotland (MDDUS) that one third of junior doctors cannot access nutritious food at work and say that this contributes to burnout, whether it plans to introduce standards in NHS Scotland similar to NHS England's National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15841 on 24 March 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 .
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what the term of time is over which the Memorandum of Understanding between NatureScot and Hampden & Co, Lombard Odier Investment Managers and Palladium exists before it expires.
Answer
The Memorandum of Understanding has no fixed term and can be terminated at any time by NatureScot.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether NatureScot, by signing the Memorandum of Understanding with Hampden & Co, Lombard Odier Investment Managers and Palladium, and making disclosure of significant amounts of information relating to it and its operation confidential, has placed an obligation upon itself not to disclose any such information on the basis of it being commercially confidential.
Answer
While some detailed financial and legal information between investors and project land managers will be confidential between those parties, NatureScot’s agreement with partners will remain subject to normal information management obligations, including Freedom of Information. NatureScot will disclose all information in line with those requirements.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether every NHS board has adopted the coeliac disease clinical pathway, and, if this is not the case, which NHS boards are yet to adopt it.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information. This is a matter for Health Boards locally.
- Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the impact of ScotRail’s current fare freeze on the bus industry.
Answer
As part of the Scottish Government’s response to the ongoing cost of living crisis, ScotRail fares were frozen until the end of March 2023 to support rail users.
The ScotRail fares freeze has been implemented alongside the extended support for the bus industry through the Network Support Grant Plus (NSG+). The recent extension of NSG+ included a fares freeze for participating bus operators until the end of March 2023. This was part of a cross-modal package of support, which includes the freeze on ferry fares on the Northern Isles and Clyde & Hebrides ferry networks until October, to keep public transport fares stable both in level and relative to each other.
Given this and the continuing uncertainty around recovery paths following the pandemic, we have not specifically examined the impact on the bus sector of the ScotRail fares freeze. Transport Scotland has, however, kept regular track of demand across modes. Throughout 2022-23, bus and rail demand have moved closely in step with each other, other than where rail demand was impacted by industrial action.
This situation will change with the introduction of the removal of peak rail fares trial during the next financial year. Transport Scotland is putting steps in place to include the impact of the pilot on the bus system as part of the evaluation of the trial.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the recently agreed Memorandum of Understanding, what consultation (a) NatureScot, (b) Hampden & Co, (c) Lombard Odier Investment Managers and (d) Palladium had with the Scottish Land Commission; what agreement was reached on how they would assist the community consultation processes envisaged, and whether the (i) Scottish Land Commission and (ii) NatureScot will be paid by private investors for any assistance given to them.
Answer
NatureScot approached the Scottish Land Commission to provide advice so that the design of the investment meets the expectations for community engagement, benefit and ownership that are set out in the Scottish Government’s Interim Principles for Responsible Investment in Natural Capital. Neither the Scottish Land Commission nor NatureScot will be paid by the investors for their advice.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many people in Scotland are estimated to be living with coeliac disease, and, of those, how many are undiagnosed.
Answer
The Modernising Patient Pathway Programme Coeliac Disease Pathway Test of Change Final Report, September 2020 estimates that the incidence of diagnosed Coeliac Disease is 1% of the population in Scotland with 7-8 people remaining undiagnosed for every person diagnosed.