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The information requested is not held centrally. Statistics on patients waiting for pulmonary rehabilitation are not held by Public Health Scotland (PHS). Waiting times statistics relating to specific conditions are not held centrally by the PHS Waiting Times Team.

A number of our existing commitments already contribute towards this goal and will ensure that we deliver a just transition, with economic and social opportunity shared across the country.

For example, the recent Programme for Government outlined our commitment to help three islands become fully carbon neutral by 2040. We are currently engaging with stakeholders to ensure the voices of islanders are heard from outset. This builds on previous commitments, such as the Island Communities Fund, which has supported businesses and community groups to build sustainable island economies.

We are also investing at least £1.8 billion over this Parliament to decarbonise Scotland’s homes and buildings, helping us eradicate poor energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty. This commitment will benefit communities across the country, including rural communities where we know fuel poverty is a particular concern.

The Scottish Government remains committed to maintain or exceed the environmental standards in place upon EU exit. Provisions in the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 give a discretionary power to align devolved law with EU law. The Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party’s Shared Policy Programme also commits that, where practicable, we will stay aligned with new EU measures and policy developments.

However, the UK Internal Market Act 2020 risks undermining devolved decision-making across a wide range of areas, including environmental policy. The Act’s market access principle means that despite decisions we may make in Scotland to protect and advance the high standards we enjoyed as part of the EU, Scotland could be compelled to accept goods and services coming from other parts of the UK regardless of differing standards.

The Scottish Government have previously been made aware of this issue and earlier this year investigated the it further. Our investigation established that this was a historical, localised issue in the Aberdeenshire area where they had not been applying the guidance fully. Two years ago they revised their internal processes to ensure assessments were carried out on applications made by organisations seeking a Blue Badge in compliance with Scottish Governments Blue Badge guidance.

We are currently undertaking a review of the guidance we provide to Local Authorities to improve the process for organisations applying for a Blue Badge and to make it clear and consistent across the country. We are also seeking to ensure that the online application form is more robust and provides organisations and Local Authorities with all the necessary information to elicit a more efficient process.

General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) do not have a contract with the Scottish Government to provide General Dental Services (GDS). They are independent contractors who make arrangements directly with the NHS Board to provide GDS in their area.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the current number of specialist teaching staff vacancies. The results of the most recent teacher vacancy survey, undertaken in September 2019, are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/teacher-vacancy-survey-2016-to-2019/

The number of teachers by subject is shown in Table 3.

The 2016 to 2019 vacancy surveys were jointly administered by the Scottish Government and COSLA. The surveys were suspended in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. Vacancies are now advertised on “myjobscotland” which allows for easier continual monitoring by local authorities in line with their responsibilities for teacher employment.

The Scottish Government believe that transport plays a crucial role in supporting a green and fair recovery and that in the face of the climate emergency we need to shift away from new road projects that encourage more people to drive, and instead focus on maintaining roads, improving safety and providing a realistic and affordable alternative through investing in public transport and active travel. This is set out in the shared policy programme element of the agreement with the Scottish Green Party.

Future investment in our transport network will be set out in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review and will align with the sustainable mode and investment hierarchies. In the shared policy element of the agreement we state that during this parliamentary session, new roads projects will normally only be taken forward where they reduce the maintenance backlog; address road safety concerns or adapt the network to deal with the impacts of climate change or benefit communities such as bypassing settlements. We will not build road infrastructure to cater for forecast unconstrained increases in traffic volumes.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role the A1 plays in providing access to key markets, jobs and services between the south east of Scotland and north east England, and beyond. The Borders Transport Corridors Study, published in March 2019, identified intervention on the A1 within its 21 recommendations and further appraisal work is being down through STPR2.

The appraisal process for STPR2 is considering the performance of all options against the transport outcomes we are seeking, and against the Transport Planning Objectives, which are aligned to our National Transport Strategy priorities and outcomes. Therefore, we need to consider the social and economic benefits and impacts based on performance against these objectives, and against the five Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria, to determine overall Value for Money. Also underpinning STPR2 is the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy where we will aim first to reduce the need to travel unsustainably, make better use of and enhance existing infrastructure, before investing in new capacity. This hierarchy is also central to the Infrastructure Investment Plan. STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

Until the appraisal process is completed, it is not possible to make individual decisions on options being considered including improvements to, or dualling of, the A1 south of Dunbar.

The NHS Scotland already has in place the electronic transfer of prescriptions between general practice and community pharmacy.

Our NHS Recovery Plan and Programme for Government commits to investing in developing new digital solutions such as ePrescribing and eDispensing to make the prescribing process paperless which will free up capacity for healthcare professionals so that they can see more patients and making it easier for patients to access their medicines quickly and safely.

The timeline is a matter for Lord Hardie. Updates on the publication of his Report will be provided on the Inquiry website at the appropriate time, a link to which is included below. 

Home Page - The Edinburgh Tram Inquiry

The Scottish Household Survey 2017 shows that there has been a steady increase in the number of people using food waste recycling caddies, rather than throwing food out with general waste. Less than half (48%) of households now dispose of food waste with their general rubbish. The proportion of households making use of local authority-provided food caddies was 55 % in 2017

In response to (b), the duty to segregate food waste in the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012 covers approximately 80% of Scotland’s population. The latest figures are from September 2015 and can be found in Zero Waste Scotland’s report: How Much Food Waste Is There in Scotland? , published in 2016, showing that over 1.5 million Scottish households had access to food waste collection.

The upcoming review of the Food Waste Reduction Action Plan in addition to the development of a Routemap to deliver our ambitious 2025 waste and recycling targets will consider improvements to the data collection and monitoring relating to food waste.