Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-10613

Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, whether it will outline the process and/or guidance for offering an alternative vaccine at the patient’s request.

All eligible individuals will be offered a safe and effective vaccine that has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and in line with Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice. JCVI have consistently said that ‘simplicity is the cornerstone of a successful public health vaccination programme’ and allowing a choice of vaccine is not possible for logistical and planning reasons.

For Winter 2022, the JCVI has advised using Moderna and Pfizer bivalent vaccines that target the original and Omicron strains of Covid-19. For those with specific allergies, or conditions which contraindicate these vaccines, an alternative is available in exceptional circumstances. If an individual has concerns about a medical condition or allergy then they should highlight this to the local vaccinator who would be best placed to advise.

Question reference: S6W-10987

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether proposed SQA strike action will affect students who are awaiting the results of an appeal in order to enter into university and other higher education destinations.

SQA delivered a priority appeals process for learners requiring the outcome of an appeal for immediate progression to university, college, training or employment this year. These appeals were completed on 5 September and students informed of the outcomes.

Further industrial action has been averted following SQA’s unions accepting a pay offer on 23 September, and SQA is currently reviewing the remaining appeals with the aim of completing these by the end of October.

Question reference: S6W-10996

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will take in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023 to support the social enterprise sector.

The Scottish Government’s Social Enterprise Strategy was launched in 2016 and sets out a wide-ranging, ambitious and long-term programme to develop the potential of Scotland's social enterprise sector.

The latest Social Enterprise Action Plan was published on 24th March 2021 and covers the period 2021-24 and is available at: Social enterprise: action plan - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

In 2021-22 we spent over £7M in supporting social enterprise and expect to spend over £6M in 2022-23. £15M was distributed through COVID support funds in 2021-22.

Funding is provided to third sector organisations, including social enterprises, from across Scottish Government portfolios and is not collated centrally.

Question reference: S6W-10988

Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 27 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will allow individual schools to consider student exam appeals due to any delays resulting from proposed SQA strike action.

Question reference: S6W-10796

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 27 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds regarding the value of each local authority's reserves in real terms in 2022-23, and how this compares with the equivalent value in 2006-07.

The information regarding the value of each local authority's reserves in real terms in 2022-23, and how this compares with the equivalent value in 2006-07 is set out in the following table.

LOCAL AUTHORITY RESERVES

	2006-07 Real Terms	2022-23 Real Terms	2006-23 Change Real Terms	2006-23 Change Real Terms
Local Authority	£m	£m	£m	%
Aberdeen City	19.9	66.8	46.8	235.1
Aberdeenshire	23.7	76.7	52.9	223.0
Angus	22.2	41.2	19.0	85.9
Argyll & Bute	33.9	73.0	39.1	115.3
Clackmannanshire	4.3	12.9	8.5	196.9
Dumfries & Galloway	39.5	79.8	40.3	101.9
Dundee City	11.4	39.3	28.0	246.6
East Ayrshire	27.7	49.9	22.1	79.8
East Dunbartonshire	9.2	22.7	13.4	145.1
East Lothian	7.7	18.4	10.7	138.4
East Renfrewshire	9.5	45.3	35.9	379.1
Edinburgh, City of	25.9	173.1	147.1	567.0
Eilean Siar	13.8	19.4	5.6	40.4
Falkirk	24.5	37.8	13.3	54.2
Fife	12.9	141.6	128.7	999.8
Glasgow City	16.0	114.7	98.7	616.2
Highland	40.6	57.5	17.0	41.8
Inverclyde	23.5	29.4	5.9	25.1
Midlothian	13.2	11.5	-1.7	-12.7
Moray	16.2	32.1	15.9	98.6
North Ayrshire	14.3	65.4	51.1	356.8
North Lanarkshire	21.9	123.5	101.6	463.7
Orkney	22.4	28.2	5.8	26.1
Perth & Kinross	38.8	46.1	7.3	18.9
Renfrewshire	28.1	78.4	50.3	179.4
Scottish Borders	19.5	41.0	21.5	110.5
Shetland	0.0	189.5	189.5	N/A
South Ayrshire	-0.7	18.3	19.0	N/A
South Lanarkshire	5.2	71.1	65.9	1271.4
Stirling	9.0	45.6	36.6	407.9
West Dunbartonshire	4.2	12.6	8.4	202.3
West Lothian	5.8	20.5	14.7	255.0
Scotland	564.1	1883.2	1319.1	233.9

NOTES:
1. Local Authority General Fund Reserves for 2006-07 and 2022-23
2. Source: LFR 00 for final, audited 2006-07 figures;
POBE 2022 2022-23 budget estimate figures
3. The Real Terms figures were calculated using the HM Treasury GDP Deflators
dated 23 March 2022.

Question reference: S6W-10639

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the experiences of people living with blood cancer will be reflected in its new cancer strategy.

A public consultation was held early in the process of developing the new strategy. Over 250 responses were received, which are being independently analysed and will be reported in the Autumn. We are also holding a series of workshops with people with lived experience of cancer in September 2022 to help us gain further insight into the consultation responses and hear directly about peoples’ experiences of cancer. Respondents include those with blood cancers and blood cancer charities.

In addition, we are holding meetings with third sector representatives including those working on blood cancers. All their views will contribute to the evidence that will inform the new cancer strategy.

Question reference: S6W-10653

Asked by: Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 29 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of ScotRail passenger journeys have been made with (a) an ordinary fare and (b) a season ticket since January 2022, broken down by month.

Question reference: S6W-10999

Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 27 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has verified the process used by Circularity Scotland to calculate producer fees for the proposed Deposit Return Scheme.

Question reference: S6W-10694

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much money has been spent from the Bus Partnership Fund to date.

£25.8m has been allocated to date through the Bus Partnership Fund (BPF) and has been awarded to support local authorities, in partnership with bus operators and Regional Transport Partnerships, to deliver bus priority infrastructure.

Funding has been awarded through the BPF for Partnerships to undertake the projects outlined in Table 1 below. The approach in the first year of the Fund was to deliver infrastructure already identified that could be constructed in the short term. This includes making permanent previously temporary projects that Transport Scotland funded to help passengers and operators during Covid through our Bus Priority Rapid Deployment Fund (BPRDF).

Given the limited number of projects that were ready to implement we also provided funding for business development in the form of Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) studies and Outline Business Cases (OBC). This essential work will enable Partnerships to identify more projects that provide the most benefit for passengers, businesses and communities across Scotland while ensuring value for money.

Table 1: Bus Partnership Fund awarded projects as at September 2022

Partnership	Project Description
Fife Bus Partnership ‎ (Central North East Fife)	Leven and Kirkcaldy - Permanence of Bus Priority Rapid Deployment Fund (BPRDF) projects
	Cupar to Kirkcaldy Corridor – Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) study
	Cupar to Kirkcaldy Corridor – Outline Business Case (OBC)*
	Glenrothes to Leven corridor - STAG
	Glenrothes to Leven corridor - OBC*
	St Andrews to Kirkcaldy corridor - STAG
	St Andrews to Kirkcaldy corridor - OBC*
Fife Bus Partnership ‎ (West Fife)	Carnegie Drive, Dunfermline - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	Cowdenbeath to Kincardine - STAG
	Cowdenbeath to Kincardine - OBC*
	Dunfermline to Ferrytoll - STAG
	Dunfermline to Ferrytoll - OBC*
Tayside Bus Alliance	Bus priority corridors - STAG to evaluate 20 corridors
North East Bus Alliance	North Corridor (Ellon to Gathdee) - STAG
	North Corridor - OBC*
	North West Corridor (Inverurie to Aberdeen) - STAG
	North West Corridor - OBC*
	West Corridor (Westhill to Aberdeen) - STAG
	West Corridor - OBC*
	South Corridor (Stonehaven to Aberdeen) - STAG
	South Corridor - OBC*
	City Centre - STAG
	City Centre - OBC*
	Aberdeen Rapid Transit - STAG
	Aberdeen Rapid Transit - OBC*
	South College Street - Improvement works
Glasgow Bus Partnership	Hope Street - Upgrade to a bus avenue
	Howard Street - Improved waiting areas and placemaking
	Paisley Town Centre - Junction Improvements for bus priority
	Paisley Road West - STAG
	Maryhill Road - STAG
	Dumbarton Road - STAG
	Pollokshaws Road - STAG
	Great Western Road - STAG
	Wider Bus Strategy - STAG
Forth Valley Bus Alliance	Stirling to Falkirk - STAG
	Glasgow Road - STAG
	Grahams Road - STAG
	A9/A872 - STAG
	A908/B9096 - STAG
Edinburgh and South East Scotland	Bus Strategy - STAG
	North Corridor - OBC*
	West Corridor - OBC*
	Orbital Routes - OBC*
	Orbital Routes - Rationalising bus stops
	A1 Bus Lanes - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	A90 Bus Lanes - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	A89 Eastbound Bus Lane - Permanence of BPRDF project
	A8 Westbound Bus Lane - Permanence of BPRDF project
	A71 Hermiston Park & Ride signals for bus egress - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	Newcraighall/Kaimes/Gilmerton Bus Lanes - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	Melville Dykes/Hillhead Junction - Permanence of BPRDF projects
	Musselburgh and Prestonpans - Permanence of BPRDF projects
Ayrshire Bus Partnership	Two Urban Traffic Control extensions on Three Towns Corridor to prioritise buses
	Feasibility study - Pennyburn Roundabout bus lane extension
	Feasibility study - John Finnie Street prioritisation signals
Highland BSIP ‎ (Inverness)	Completion of BPRDF Rose Street Bus Link
	Raigmore - Bus gate
	Rose Street - Bus lane enforcement camera
	Barn Church Road - Bus lane
	Millburn Road - STAG appraisal
	Millburn Road - OBC/Design*
	B9006 - STAG appraisal
	City Centre - Traffic light bus prioritisation for cross-city routes
	A82 between Shore Street and Rose Street - STAG
	North Kessock – STAG
	North Kessock - OBC/design*
Highland BSIP ‎ (Fort William)	Blar Mhor - Bus-only link between health centre and new residential development
	Upper Achintore - Bus-only link between new residential development and Lochaber Road
	Fort William STAG
Argyll & Bute	Oban Signalised Junctions for bus priority
Argyll & Bute	George Street/Dunollie Road - Consultation, Traffic Regulation Orders and Delivery
Midlothian	STAG for: A6094 Whitecraig-A6094 Eskbank ‎ B6392 Eskbank to A772 Gilmerton Junction ‎ A7 Gorebridge to A7 Danderhall ‎ A6094 Eskbank to A701 Straiton
West Lothian	STAG for: Alderstone Road: Physical priority, bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications
	Almondvale: Bus priority, junction modifications, parking controls
	Deans: Bus priority, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications, parking controls
	Knightsridge: Revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements
	Ladywell: Revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications
	Craigshill: Revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements
	Dedridge: Revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements
	Civic Centre: Junction modifications
	Kirkton Campus: Bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications
	A705: Physical bus priority, bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications
	Bathgate / Boghall: Physical bus priority, bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications, parking controls
	A89 west of Bathgate: Bus priority signals, parking controls
	Harthill / Whitburn: Bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, parking controls
	A7066/B792 Interchange: Junction modifications
	Uphall / Broxburn: Bus priority signals, revised bus stop layouts/stop improvements, junction modifications, parking controls

* subject to approval to proceed from previous stage

Question reference: S6W-10591

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 27 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff vacancies there currently are in pulmonary rehabilitation services.

The requested information on how many staff vacancies there currently are in pulmonary rehabilitation services is not centrally available.

The Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) service is run by a team of specialists which includes but is not limited to:

• Physiotherapists

• Pulmonary Rehabilitation Practitioners

• Assistant Pulmonary Rehabilitation Practitioners

The service is run for people who are having difficulty managing symptoms associated with a diagnosed breathing problem.

Information on how many Physiotherapist vacancies there are can be found in the following link: NHSScotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence

Month	Ordinary Fare (%)	Season ticket (%)
January	88.7	11.3
February	87.5	12.5
March	87.3	12.7
April	90.4	9.6
May	90.6	9.4
June	89	11
July	89.6	10.4
August	90.8	9.2

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