- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many drug-related deaths there have been in each year since 2010, broken down by (a) local authority ward and (b) Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) data zone quintile.
Answer
Published information on drug-related (or drug-misuse) deaths can be obtained from the National Records Of Scotland website - Drug-related Deaths in Scotland in 2021 | National Records of Scotland (nrscotland.gov.uk). Information on Local Authority Wards is information that is not held.
The following tables provide the information by Local Authority.
All drug misuse deaths by Local Authority
| Council Area | Year |
| | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | |
| Aberdeen City | 62 | 56 | 44 | 52 | 54 | 46 | 45 | 26 | 24 | 16 | 29 | 31 | |
| Aberdeenshire | 31 | 33 | 26 | 23 | 24 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 21 | 9 | 19 | 10 | |
| Angus | 17 | 14 | 21 | 13 | 18 | 13 | 17 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | |
| Argyle & Bute | 9 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 4 | |
| City of Edinburgh | 109 | 92 | 96 | 95 | 84 | 90 | 69 | 71 | 64 | 57 | 48 | 47 | |
| Clackmannanshire | 15 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 1 | |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 35 | 22 | 35 | 20 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 6 | |
| Dundee City | 52 | 57 | 72 | 66 | 57 | 38 | 36 | 31 | 24 | 39 | 32 | 22 | |
| East Ayrshire | 38 | 36 | 41 | 29 | 24 | 29 | 14 | 17 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 11 | |
| East Dumbartonshire | 16 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | |
| East Lothian | 16 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | |
| East Renfrewshire | 6 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | |
| Falkirk | 38 | 37 | 41 | 43 | 16 | 30 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 10 | |
| Fife | 70 | 65 | 81 | 64 | 66 | 45 | 44 | 46 | 39 | 38 | 34 | 35 | |
| Glasgow City | 311 | 291 | 279 | 280 | 192 | 170 | 157 | 114 | 103 | 121 | 117 | 94 | |
| Highland | 35 | 33 | 11 | 36 | 24 | 19 | 24 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 21 | 6 | |
| Inverclyde | 16 | 33 | 33 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 10 | 13 | 20 | 17 | |
| Midlothian | 23 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 19 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 7 | |
| Moray | 17 | 10 | 12 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 3 | |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| North Ayrshire | 39 | 39 | 41 | 38 | 25 | 32 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 19 | 16 | 12 | |
| North Lanarkshire | 80 | 94 | 95 | 72 | 53 | 49 | 42 | 33 | 38 | 38 | 27 | 36 | |
| Orkney Islands | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| Perth & Kinross | 20 | 34 | 25 | 30 | 19 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 3 | |
| Renfrewshire | 50 | 67 | 45 | 50 | 38 | 42 | 19 | 30 | 13 | 26 | 24 | 19 | |
| Scottish Borders | 17 | 18 | 16 | 22 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Shetland Islands | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| South Ayrshire | 23 | 31 | 26 | 15 | 12 | 24 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 8 | |
| South Lanarkshire | 101 | 91 | 68 | 58 | 49 | 64 | 31 | 34 | 37 | 29 | 34 | 26 | |
| Stirling | 16 | 31 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 7 | |
| West Dunbartonshire | 28 | 29 | 32 | 20 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 17 | 18 | |
| West Lothian | 32 | 32 | 23 | 25 | 22 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 10 | 19 | 13 | 12 | |
The number of drug-related deaths by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) data zone quintile is not information that is held, but the following table provides the rate.
Drug misuse deaths in Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) Quintiles, age-standardised death rates per 100,000 population, 2010-2021
| | | Quintile 1 (most dep) | | | | |
| | | | | | Quintile 5 (least dep) |
| year | Scotland | Quintile 2 | Quintile 3 | Quintile 4 |
| 2010 | 9 | 22.7 | 9.6 | 7.3 | 3.7 | 1.9 |
| 2011 | 10.9 | 25.3 | 13.5 | 9.4 | 3.9 | 3 |
| 2012 | 10.9 | 27.6 | 13.4 | 7.7 | 3.9 | 2.2 |
| 2013 | 9.9 | 23.3 | 13.3 | 7.4 | 4.3 | 1.9 |
| 2014 | 11.5 | 32.1 | 11.7 | 6.8 | 5.2 | 2.6 |
| 2015 | 13.3 | 34 | 16.1 | 9.5 | 4.8 | 3.1 |
| 2016 | 16.4 | 41.6 | 21.2 | 11.5 | 6.6 | 2.5 |
| 2017 | 17.7 | 46.4 | 22.1 | 13 | 5.7 | 3.2 |
| 2018 | 22.5 | 62.1 | 26.8 | 16.1 | 6.9 | 3.6 |
| 2019 | 24.4 | 68.5 | 30.6 | 14.2 | 8.2 | 3.5 |
| 2020 | 25.2 | 68.5 | 30.7 | 16.8 | 9.3 | 3.7 |
| 2021 | 25.0 | 64.3 | 34.3 | 18.3 | 7.4 | 4.2 |
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards have not been following up with everyone who has had a near-fatal overdose, as described on page 44 of the Drug Deaths Taskforce's July 2022 final report Changing Lives.
Answer
According to Supplementary Report to the Benchmarking Report published on 2 August 2022 the following areas are yet to fully implemented MAT 3:
NHS Shetland - Shetland ADP area
NHS Grampian - Moray ADP area
NHS Highland - Argyll & Bute ADP area
MAT 3 states that ‘Each service within the drug treatment system should have a documented procedure to identify and follow-up people at high risk of severe drug-related harm, including death’. These areas are as follows:
In January 2023 the Scottish Government will be publishing a formal response to the Taskforce report – Changing Lives – which includes an action to address inconsistencies in implementing near-fatal overdose (NFO) pathways under MAT standard 3.
Additionally, local areas have been directed by Ministers to have standards 1-5 implemented by April 2023. The Government continues working with identified areas to support them to progress the implementation in line with this timeframe.
- Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on any new gas power stations with carbon capture and storage, in light of the reported concerns about the carbon capture and storage industry in The Carbon Capture Crux: Lessons Learned report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
Answer
The Scottish Government supports the development of Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage as a decarbonisation infrastructure for hard to decarbonise sectors. Its deployment must enable decarbonisation at pace and cannot be used to justify unsustainable levels of fossil fuel extraction or impede Scotland’s just transition to net zero. Scottish planning policy states that the construction of new thermal generation power stations may be acceptable where that proposal includes or commits to carbon capture and storage. Any application made to the Scottish Ministers for the construction and operation of such power stations in Scotland is determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account responses from key consultees and representations made by members of the public, and in light of careful consideration of the benefits and environmental impacts of the proposal.
- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make an assessment of whether rewilding on deep peat caused by a lack of management risks reducing (a) carbon sequestration and (b) populations of ground nesting bird species.
Answer
There are different forms of active management of vegetation on deep peat including muirburn, cutting and grazing.
As far as muirburn is concerned, NatureScot published research earlier this year which reviewed the evidence on the impacts of muirburn on wildfire prevention, carbon storage and biodiversity: NatureScot Research Report 1302 - Reviewing, assessing and critiquing the evidence base on the impacts of muirburn on wildfire prevention, carbon storage and biodiversity | NatureScot
Following on from the research, the NatureScot Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) have been asked to provide advice on the circumstances under which muirburn, including muirburn on peat could be permitted under licence, and where it would not be appropriate.
The Scottish Government will take in to account evidence from the NatureScot research and the SAC advice alongside information provided by stakeholders.
Further information on impacts of grazing and cutting are available in NatureScot guidance:
https://www.nature.scot/doc/peatland-action-peatland-management-guidance-grazing-and-muirburn
https://www.nature.scot/doc/guidance-muirburn-code#Cutting
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12034 by Michael Matheson on 28 November 2022, whether the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council's Collaborative Framework Charter includes within its scope a specific workstream to develop a windfarm support service operation vessel design and build programme in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government has been working closely with the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council’s Collaborative Framework Working Group, which is comprised of all active offshore wind developers in Scotland, the enterprise agencies and ORE Catapult, to develop a Strategic Investment Model (SIM). The SIM will deliver on the commitments in the Collaborative Framework Charter, and facilitate timely, strategic investment through the pooling/sharing and coordination of funds linked to supply chain commitments associated with the ScotWind projects. The Strategic Investment Model is expected to be finalised in the coming weeks, with further detail to be announced in early 2023.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what lessons it can learn from the reported use of an expert working group during the introduction of the UK Aggregates Levy, and whether it will consider establishing a similar working group during the introduction of a Scottish Aggregates Levy.
Answer
The Scotland Act 2016 empowers the Scottish Parliament to legislate for a devolved tax to replace the UK Aggregates Levy. This is an environmental tax that aims to reduce extraction of primary – fresh or new – aggregate, mainly crushed rock, gravel and sand, used as bulk fill in construction.
The Scottish Government is progressing work to develop a devolved replacement for the UK levy. Consistent with the Scottish Approach to Taxation, set out in Scotland’s Framework for Tax, we will continue to consult and engage with stakeholders via a range of channels and fora to help inform this work.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether guidance regarding the pharmacological and psychological management of benzodiazepine dependency has been finalised, following the interim guidance made available in 2021, and, if this is the case, whether it will publish this.
Answer
The guidance on the pharmacological and psychological management of benzodiazepine dependency published by the Drug deaths Taskforce has now been endorsed as the most up-to-date guidance available and will be updated following further research currently being undertaken and following engagement with prescribers.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government which railway stations across Scotland have access to Passenger Assist services.
Answer
The ScotRail Passenger Assist Service is available at all stations in Scotland, whether stations are staffed or unstaffed for all or part of the day. The ScotRail website provides details on how Passenger Assist can be requested and obtained.
Details can be found via the following link:- Accessible travel | ScotRail .
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils have received swimming lessons as a percentage of the school population in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The information you have requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people receive at least two hours of physical education per school week in primary schools, and at least two 50-minute periods of physical education per school week in secondary schools - between secondaries 1 and 4.
Under the provisions of Curriculum for Excellence schools and education authorities have the flexibility to decide upon the content of their lessons at the local level by taking into account the needs and circumstances of all children and young people in attendance. This includes taking decisions locally about the content of their PE lessons, where they can offer swimming lessons to their pupils if they wish to do so.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 December 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS Scotland patients in each NHS board have been referred for surgical treatment in the rest of the UK in each of the last five years.
Answer
This information is not held centrally. Public Health Scotland do not hold the information that would allow us to identify individuals who have been referred to other countries within the UK.