Seòmar agus comataidhean

The full list of the savings generated, and new commitments made, through the Emergency Budget Review was outlined in the EBR document and published on the Scottish Government website. The Deputy First Minister wrote to the Finance and Public Administration Committee in September providing a line by line analysis of the first phase of these savings.

In addition the nature of each line item and its effect on the Scottish Government Budget was outlined in the Guide to Autumn Budget Revision document provided to the Committee. Within this document an analysis of the items included within the ABR is included along with detail of the transfers expected to be included within the Spring Budget Revision.

The Scottish Government regularly reviews its plans for public awareness campaigns. We do not intend to run a public awareness campaign for deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, venous thromboembolism and thrombosis at this time.

Decisions to prioritise one population group over another for vaccination are not taken lightly, nor are they straightforward. That is why our prioritisation decisions have been, and will continue to be, guided by the independent expert advice provided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and senior Clinicians.

NHS Scotland will never ask someone to pay for the flu or COVID-19 vaccines if they are eligible. If they are not eligible for a free flu vaccine then they may be able to get vaccinated for a small fee at their local pharmacy. Please note it is not possible for anyone to pay for the COVID-19 vaccination, and there are currently no plans to implement this as an option.

The 2022-23 Autumn Budget Revision, and the associated guide, details how all Barnett Consequentials and other funding movements have been formally allocated to date.

The net funds available for deployment following the conclusion of the Autumn Budget Revision are £94 million. However all of these funds are being held against a number of pressures on the Scottish Government Budget, including the conclusion of some public sector pay agreements and the costs associated with resettlement of Ukrainian refugees.

The Spring Budget Revision will detail the final Scottish Budget allocations, utilising all funding that remains available.

The impact of the reallocations in the Emergency Budget Review, including public sector pay, will have a significant bearing on the 2023-24 Scottish Budget. Further details of the effect of these considerations on proposed portfolio allocations will be published within the Scottish Budget document in December.

As the Deputy First Minister made clear in parliament, given the inflationary pressure on our budget it is currently difficult to identify at this stage where underspends will emerge.

Full details of all 2023-24 funding assumptions, including the Scotland Reserve, will be detailed in the Scottish Budget document when it is laid before parliament in December.

A full breakdown of the implications of the Emergency Budget Review (EBR) measures on the Scottish Budget was included within the guide to the Autumn Budget Revision (ABR) provided to the Finance and Public Administration Committee.

Of the initial £560 million line items included within the Deputy First Minister’s letter to the Committee in September, £369 million is included within the ABR as either a return of budget or a funding change. The balancing figure of £191 million are reductions to previously unfunded pressures which have emerged since the Scottish Budget was published and savings which will come through the SBR exercise.

The new commitments detailed in the EBR document published earlier this month are also reflected in the ABR position. The additional savings outlined will be processed, where necessary as part of the Spring Budget Revision.

(a) CalMac Ferries carry out bi-annual timetable consultations with nominated ferry groups ahead of each timetable period (summer/winter). During this community consultation the groups are expected to liaise with their respective communities and submit the consensus view from that community.

(b) On Serco NorthLink Ferries (SNF) services, island communities can influence changes to both the passenger and freight vessel timetables through regular stakeholder engagement with SNF and Transport Scotland, such as the Shetland and Orkney External Transport Forums, or they can contact SNF directly with any proposals.

The National Audiology Review Group continues its independent review of services having most recently convened on 25 October. The Cabinet Secretary will shortly be meeting with the Review’s Chair for an update on their progress and their developing recommendations.

The review is pursuing four workstreams encompassing the lived experience, governance, quality assurance and education and will fully report in the new year.

The Scottish Government believes that the independent contractor model of general practice is the model preferred by most GPs and is committed to maintaining it to ensure general practice remains an attractive profession (the BMA’s “The future of general practice” survey 2015 found that 82% of GPs supported maintaining the status quo).

It is for Health Boards to decide who to contract with to provide primary medical services, making use of such resources as the Health and Care Experience Survey which provides an indication of satisfaction rates across a range of local services, including GP practices, in Scotland as they do so.