Seòmar agus comataidhean

The generation, transportation and supply of electricity is reserved to the UK Government with regulatory functions carried out by the independent energy regulator for GB, Ofgem.

My officials are engaging closely with network companies and Ofgem to gather further information on the detail of the determinations which are draft at this stage.

We are dedicated to ensuring value for money for consumers which is a key objective. Our consultation response will consider the risks and impact the Draft Determinations have on achieving net-zero targets.

The Draft Determinations are subject to an eight-week consultation with networks and wider stakeholders and will close on the 25 th of August, after which Ofgem will consider all provided evidence. Ofgem’s Final Determinations are expected to be finalised in December 2022.

The Scottish Government publish official statistics on the prison population on an annual basis. The most recent annual statistics were published on the 23 June 2022 covering the financial year 2020-21 [1]. The official statistics provide information on the average daily remand population, and the number of individuals held on remand over the course of the financial year. A summary of time held by legal status (untried, convicted awaiting sentence, and sentenced) is also provided.

The annual statistics are a compilation of data collected over the full financial year from the Scottish Prison Service prisoner records system. To produce the statistics, the data needs to be processed into a longitudinal analytical dataset. This process has not yet commenced for 2021-22, so the Scottish Government does not currently hold the data requested.

[1] Justice Analytical Services, Scottish Prison Population Statistics 2020-21

https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-prison-population-statistics-2020-21/ .

As of close of business on 27 June 2022 a total of 426,397 cards had been issued under the Young Persons Scheme (YPS). This includes the number of cards that have collected a travel product from the Transport Scot Pass Collect mobile application held by Transport Scotland and data supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO). NECPO support the 32 local authorities by assisting with the integration of various national and local public services on the National Entitlement Card (NEC) and are the joint controller with local authorities of this data.

One of the objectives of the YPS is to reduce household outgoings to aid children, particularly those living in poverty. Transport Scotland is undertaking an evaluation of the Scheme to assess its success. As a first step, a baseline study was undertaken prior to the scheme going live and a Baseline Data Report was published on 24 June 2022.

The report stated that as incomes decreased bus use increased for most journey purposes, with those on the lowest incomes most likely to use the bus. In addition, as income reduced the proportions of income spent on a child’s travel tended to increase.

The cost of travel and transport was noted as being a key reason why some children and young people were missing out on opportunities, including social and leisure activities as well as educational, work opportunities and support/respite services. Between 51% (for health care) and 80% (for daytime social activities) of respondents felt that the YPS would allow them to travel more often to their current destinations, and/or to access new destinations.

The evaluation is ongoing and will compare conditions at intervals up to five years after project implementation to assess the outcomes and impact of the scheme on children, young people and their families.

As of March 2022, there were 916 LEZ compliant taxis in Edinburgh and 465 in Glasgow. For non-compliant taxis, there were 359 in Edinburgh and 954 in Glasgow.

Recognising that some occupations were restricted by capacity and age due to the physical demands of those roles, the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 set a pension age of 60 for those in uniform services. The definition of such personnel was restricted to police, fire and the armed forces (Hutton Inquiry).

Unlike those uniform groups, prison officers do not have a dedicated pension scheme as they are members of the Civil Service pension scheme, which is a reserved matter for the UK Government. The Scottish Government opposed the attack on public pensions following the Hutton Inquiry and in particular the requirement for prison officers to carry out frontline operational duties including control and restraint until the age of 68.

SPS do not assess age to determine whether a prison officer is capable of carrying out their duties but recognises that front line staff work in a very challenging environment and are committed to a person centred approach to all employees and their circumstances. SPS has arrangements in place to support staff who may no longer be able to fulfil the physical demands of their role and these cases are managed in accordance with the circumstances of each individual.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any research being carried out specifically on the potential for resistance from the use of veterinary medication in wild red grouse.

However, Moredun Research Institute are currently leading on a Strategic Research Programme project on ‘Strategies to promote sustainable parasite control and reduce anthelmintic usage’.

The aims of the research, which started in April this year, include:

• Investigate measures to minimise environmental impacts of anthelmintics whilst maintaining/boosting productivity and livestock efficiency

• Understand the tension between environmental benefits of livestock grazing vs impacts of treatment with anthelmintics

• Evaluate environmental implications of alternative strategies for animal health and welfare, specifically worms and fluke, and requirement for anthelmintic treatment

The Scottish Government is clear that any woman with concerns about Essure must be taken seriously and any complications arising from it must result in appropriate care being given.

With this in mind, the Chief Medical Officer wrote to GPs and secondary care clinicians on 30 June 2022 to raise awareness of the Essure device and its potential complications, and to stress the importance of a consistent approach and clear treatment pathway for any women experiencing complications as a result of this device. The letter has been published here .

Women who suspect the device may be related to symptoms they are experiencing, such as persistent pain, should in the first instance be encouraged to talk to their clinicians about what steps may be appropriate. It is expected that any woman presenting to general practice with symptoms or who wishes removal, should be referred to gynaecology specialists for investigation of symptoms, following local pathways.

The Scottish Government is aware that Optima Health, Police Scotland’s occupational health and employee assistance programme providers, have advised that there are no issues in terms of availability of appointments at present.

Our website at www.scotlandsuperfast.com is the main means of publicising the R100 programme, of which R100 SBVS is a key component - information is largely updated in-house with more extensive changes commissioned, as and when required.

In addition, we have publicised R100 SBVS via the press, social media, and through continued stakeholder engagement activity across Scotland – including informing all registered suppliers of the extension to the interim voucher portion of R100 SBVS. We have received extensive coverage and reach across local and national media outlets and social media at no cost.

In March 2021, we distributed postcards to around 30,000 SBVS-eligible properties across Scotland. This activity cost around £12,900 plus VAT.

Expert advice from virologists and epidemiologists within Scottish Government and the Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA), shows that avian influenza is circulating widely in wild bird populations. There are very few effective interventions that will prevent the spread of the disease in wild birds. However, the Scottish Government, NatureScot and APHA have put in place a response plan which aims to:

• Ensure effective triage and testing is in place. This intelligence is used to link wild bird movements into national risk assessments and biosecurity measures, and identify any new species contributing to wider infection pathways.
• Provide advice on disposal of diseased carcases of wild birds.
• Monitor impacts on colonies/mortalities.
• Provide advice on access restrictions for bird ringing, research, licensable activities and land management activities.
• Develop future conservation/management plans for species affected by HPAI.

With regards specifically to geese; following the suspension of licences for goose management as I outlined in my response to S6W-09329 on 15 July 2022 and in all cases where licences to manage geese with lethal control were suspended, NatureScot made offers of support with non-lethal scaring to protect grass crops. That support generally was in the form of a contribution towards the purchase of scaring equipment such as gas guns and other bird scaring equipment.

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 .