Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36274 on 17 April 2025. 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.

GP practices in Glasgow, and elsewhere, must meet minimum standards for their practice premises which comply with their obligations under the Equality Act. This includes taking such steps as are reasonable to provide for ease of access to the practice premises and ease of movement within the practice premises for all users of the practice premises (including wheelchair users) and to provide adequate sound and visual systems for the hearing and visually impaired.

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde is responsible for ensuring that its GP practices are meeting their contractual obligations.

Scotland is not alone in experiencing falling birth rates, which is a trend across many high-income countries. This has significant implications for the sustainability of our economies, communities and public services. We want to ensure that Scotland is the ideal place to raise a family, and while deciding to have a child or not is rightly a personal decision, we are identifying and addressing barriers to people starting or expanding families in line with their intentions, through the delivery of Scotland’s Population Strategy.

Our 2022 ‘Attitudes to Family Formation’ research highlighted a range of key factors such as housing and economic pressures driving decisions around family formation in Scotland. In mid-2023, the Ministerial Population Taskforce requested that further research be undertaken to increase the Scottish Government’s awareness of family friendly policies which had been developed and implemented in different countries, including interventions implemented in Nordic countries. A paper was discussed at the December 2024 meeting of the Taskforce which explored initial learning from this research exercise.

This early stage, exploratory research aimed to consider the broader international context and responses to trends around birth rates. As such, implications for costed implementation of interventions in Scotland have not yet been considered. The next steps for this workstream will include further research into parental leave uptake and its impact on fertility decisions. Outputs from this work will be considered accordingly by Scottish Ministers.

The Office of the Chief Statistician published guidance for public bodies in Scotland on the collection of data on sex and gender in 2021. This guidance recommends that statistics producers should collect data that best serves the needs of users in their specific context, an approach which aligns with the guidance published by the Office for Statistics Regulation in 2024.

The Office of the Chief Statistician published guidance for public bodies in Scotland on the collection of data on sex and gender in 2021. This guidance recommends that statistics producers should collect data that best serves the needs of users in their specific context, an approach with aligns with the guidance published by the Office for Statistics Regulation in 2024.

Operational decisions are rightly a matter for Police Scotland. They use a range of existing powers under road safety and antisocial behaviour legislation to take appropriate action in response to the illegal use of off-road vehicles. This includes various initiatives which take account of local need such as local engagement, increased and targeted patrols at hot spot areas, use of off-road vehicles for pursuit where it is safe to do so. We are aware that drones have been used operationally by Police Scotland and it is their decision when they are utilised.

We continue to consider ways forward in partnership with Police Scotland and Local Authorities for tackling vehicle nuisance and related safety issues.

Each year Transport Scotland, through its Operating Companies, undertakes a review of collisions on the trunk road network to identify cluster sites, or routes with recorded personal injury collisions that may be worthwhile of further investigation.

Whilst the Toll of Birness junction was not, itself, identified for further investigation through the 2023 annual assessment, it was agreed, following a request from the Council, to include the A90 Toll of Birness junction within an investigation being undertaken by Transport Scotland’s Operating Company for the North East, Amey.

The scope of Amey’s investigation covers an accident, investigation and prevention study of the A90 from its junction with the A952 at the Toll of Birness to the junction to the A975 south of Longhaven.

An Accident Investigation and Prevention Report shall set out;

(a) Nature and cause of accidents, and

(b) Propose remedial work to help remove identified causes of and prevent accidents occurring again.

The proposed remedial work shall be backed by relevant evidence showing an expected accident reduction factor for that type of mitigation measure.

The report is currently in draft and will be completed by Amey in April/May 2025. There are no plans to publish the study.

The process for agreeing fees for undertaking such works are set out within the NMC Contract where Ordered works are submitted and agreed between the two parties at pre-agreed rates. The relevant rates and prices shall be used with estimated quantities to develop the Estimated Bid Value.

Any further design or construction work recommended within the report will be included in Transport Scotland’s Trunk Road Casualty Reduction programme of works and will be subject to available funding and competing priorities.

Transport Scotland is a statutory consultee in the planning process and continues to engage constructively with both developers and/or their agents around developments allocated in Aberdeenshire Council’s 2017 Local Development Plan, and the necessary mitigation measures required to offset any potential traffic impacts on the trunk road network.

The Council’s Plan allocated approximately 1,200 houses within Mintlaw, as well as a number of smaller allocations. The Plan also allocates land for over 1,400 houses plus extensive employment in Peterhead, with a further 1,000 houses allocated in Fraserburgh, again with areas of employment land. All of these planned developments have the potential to impact on the operation of the A90(T) and A952 corridors, and significantly affect the performance of the Toll of Birness junction.

At this time, through existing planning conditions, Aberdeenshire Council has effectively imposed an infrastructure capacity of 200 houses across the allocated sites within Mintlaw until such a time as the Toll of Birness Junction has been upgraded.

Transport Scotland has been clear and consistent in its engagement with all parties, in that Aberdeenshire Council and/or developers will be required to fund and deliver improvements to the Toll of Birness Junction as a result of development.

Nestrans commissioned a separate appraisal of the A90(N) / A952 Road Corridor. This study includes identifying issues and opportunities within the transport infrastructure system and evaluating potential short to medium term road improvements on the A90 north of Ellon.

The Scottish Government is undertaking a wide range of actions to tackle single use plastics and plastic packaging beyond the Environmental Protection (Single Use Plastics Products) (Scotland) Regulations 2021.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging is being implemented this year on a four nations basis. It will move the full cost of dealing with packaging waste from households away from local taxpayers and councils to the producers, applying the ‘polluter-pays principle. Packaging EPR will also incentivise businesses to reduce excess packaging, to design and use packaging that is easily recyclable, and encourage use of reusable and refillable packaging.

We are also working closely with industry and the other UK governments to introduce a Deposit Return Scheme for single use PET plastic and metal drinks containers in October 2027. The introduction of the scheme will help to reduce litter, increase recycling, and will make a contribution to a more circular economy.

Scotland was the first part of the UK to introduce legislation to prohibit the sale and supply of single-use vapes. From litter on our streets, to the risk of fires in waste facilities, single-use vapes are an increasing issue, with up to 26 million disposable vapes consumed and thrown away in Scotland in 2023. The Environmental Protection (Single-Use Vapes) (Scotland) Regulations will ban these environmentally harmful products in Scotland from 1st June 2025.

The Scottish Government has also consulted on a proposal to introduce a minimum charge on single-use drinks cups to tackle the significant environmental impact of these items. Proposals were developed with input from a diverse advisory group, including business, retail, equalities groups, consumer groups, and local authorities.

Finally, we are working across the four nations to put an end to pollution caused by wet wipes containing plastic, with legislation forthcoming.

Enforcement of the ban on single-use plastics is undertaken by local authority enforcement officers. Enforcement officers are authorised by local authorities to exercise powers in the Regulations in order to determine whether an offence is being committed. This includes the power to enter premises to investigate. The full powers are contained in Regulation 15.

Enforcement officers report cases to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, who are responsible for prosecuting the offences in the Regulations.

The Environmental Protection (Injurious Articles) (Fixed Penalty Notices and Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 also make provision for a fixed penalty notice procedure in relation to offences under the Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Scotland) Regulations 2021.

Research into the implementation of the Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 is nearing completion and will be published in the near future.

The following table provides the amount of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) consumed by the MV Glen Sannox for the period covering December 2024 until March 2025.