Seòmar agus comataidhean

ScotRail’s three-week public consultation provided passengers with the opportunity to have their say on the proposals for ticket office opening hours. The aim of this review, the first of its kind in over 30 years, is to make changes that will ensure the modernisation of Scotland’s stations and offer passengers a more efficient and effective service for the future. ScotRail has already provided assurances there will be no job losses.

Transport Focus – the independent passenger watchdog – was responsible for coordinating the associated consultation, collating responses, and providing its own view on the proposed changes. The Transport Focus findings, and ScotRail's response, were published by Transport Focus on 24 February.

I discussed the proposals when I met with the unions last month and will also discuss them with Transport Focus when we meet after Easter. Following that, I will consider the proposals, alongside the consultation findings and ScotRail’s response to the findings, before making any final decision.

Low Emission Zones regulations provide an exemption for Blue Badge holders, which includes both individual and organisational badges. Throughout the development of Scotland’s Low Emission Zones Transport Scotland have engaged with both the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland, and Disability Equality Scotland organisations to shape how the schemes will work.

Transport Scotland have completed an Equalities Impact Assessment, and held a public and organisational consultation with stakeholders in December 2021. This provided valuable feedback on the development of the National Blue Badge Exemption system, and Transport Scotland continues to work closely with the four local authorities (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow) and Disability Equality Scotland as this system develops.

Transport Scotland will continue to consult with relevant stakeholders, including local authority partners who will be operating the schemes going forward.

In setting our Public Sector Equality Duty Equality Outcomes for the 2021-2025 reporting period, we committed to improving and embedding inclusive communication within Government and across the wider public sector. We are working in partnership with public bodies, equality advocacy groups and people with lived experience to create national standards and best practice examples of inclusive communication, including the production of information in a BSL format.

In addition, we are improving how BSL users can access information. In response to the British Sign Language National Plan 2017 – 2023 , a Guide and Tool has been developed that lets BSL users know of upcoming research events, currently used by the Scottish Government’s Digital Directorate. The guide has been provided as an example to other researchers in the public sector. More details on this action can be found in the British Sign Language Progress Report 2021 .

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit continues to be delivered by the UK Government who decide which conditions should be prescribed for the purposes of the benefit. Once the Scottish Government commences delivery of Employment Injury Assistance, it will be able to consider which diseases and occupations should be prescribed for the purposes of entitlement.

The Scottish Government will undertake a public consultation on Employment Injury Assistance well in advance of delivery which will consider a range of issues relating to its delivery and administration.

Individuals who are impacted by long COVID may be entitled to Adult Disability Payment, the Scottish Government replacement for Personal Independence Payment, depending on their individual circumstances.

Using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to monitor and fine moving traffic would require local authorities to have the powers to enforce moving traffic violation. Local authorities currently do not have the powers for such enforcement. This would require a change to primary legislation and to date there has been no significant call for these powers from local authorities in Scotland.

In Scotland, moving traffic violations remain a matter for the Police.

The Scottish Government, in November 2021, issued a joint protocol for the examination of dogs suspected of livestock worrying and seized by Police Scotland under the 2021 Act. That offers guidance to veterinarians who may be asked to examine such dogs.

The Scottish Government considers that education is the key to ending livestock worrying incidents and the associated unnecessary suffering for all involved. While not solely focussed on livestock worrying, the Scottish Government undertook an awareness raising digital campaign, in partnership with the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in March 2021 to promote responsible dog ownership. The campaign was re-run in September and December 2021, to further emphasise the importance of training pet dogs correctly; and reminding dog owners of their legal responsibilities to keep dogs under proper control in order to prevent and reduce the risks of incidents occurring.

The Scottish Government supported the introduction of the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill, which gained Royal Assent on 5 May 2021, and accords with advice in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code on responsible behaviour for people walking dogs. These messages are promoted widely on social media by NatureScot as part of on-going communication campaigns promoting responsible behaviour in various outdoor settings.

The Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) has also been supporting the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021. In January 2022 they launched a national Livestock Attack and Worrying campaign with the slogan ‘Your Dog – Your Responsibility’ designed to educate and raise awareness about the new legislation amongst dog owners, whether new or experienced. This attracted significant media attention from TV, radio, written and social media forms with the campaign lasting 5 months until end of May 2022.

Numerous local Partnerships Against Rural Crime have supported the national campaign and kept focus on the new legislation by holding local launches. SPARC is promoting a second national launch to highlight the issue once more in the Autumn and will further promote the legislation at the agricultural events and shows it attend this year.

Student nurses entering Scottish Government funded degree programmes will increase by 9% in 2022-23, to a total recommended intake of 4536 students. This will be the 10 th successive increase in recommended student numbers, with the intake doubling over the last decade.

Every year, the Scottish Government undertakes a robust nursing student intake planning process to determine the target number of pre-registration students to which Scottish universities should recruit to in the following academic year to meet estimated future nursing workforce demands.

Posts are banded locally according to the procedure agreed in partnership. Banding is based on the information in the agreed Job Description, not on job title. A fully qualified and experienced District Nurse would normally be matched to a Band 6 profile, unless they also undertook significant leadership/management or delivered advanced clinical practise. However, information on specific banding outcomes is not held centrally.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07914 on 28 April 2022. 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

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to the inclusion of glass containers in our ambitious Deposit Return Scheme in view of the significant environmental and economic benefits that that will bring.