- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 4 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many land managers (a) have completed and (b) are yet to complete the approved training course for muirburn.
Answer
The Scottish Government understands from current training providers that 215 individuals have completed the online and practical course. We do not hold information on the number of land managers who are planning to complete the training.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 4 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Energy Skills Passport launched with the UK Government on 22 January 2025, whether it will make participation in the passport a statutory requirement for developers in the ScotWind process.
Answer
The Energy Skills Passport is an industry-led initiative supported by RenewableUK and Offshore Energies UK, with Scottish Government funding also contributing to its development. The initial version, launched in January 2025, is designed to support individual oil and gas workers by helping them identify transferable skills and training needs to transition into key offshore wind roles. The Passport is focused on workforce mobility between sectors and we will continue to engage with industry and other stakeholders, including trade unions, on its potential roles across Scotland's energy sectors.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the potential number of people who could be eligible for the new national throughcare service for prisoners released from (a) short-term sentences or (b) remand, what criteria or prioritisation methods will be used to determine who receives immediate support.
Answer
The new national service will ensure that an offer of support is available to all eligible individuals who are serving a short sentence (under 4 years), or being held on a period of remand.
As with the current Shine and New Routes Public Social Partnership services, the new service will be voluntary, and individuals will have a choice about whether they wish to sign up to the service.
Dedicated prison-based workers will provide initial support during the custodial environment and will contribute to effective multi-agency pre-release planning. Prior to liberation, individuals will be introduced to their community worker who will provide support on release.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 4 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what response (a) it, (b) SEPA and (c) Scottish Water has made to the Environmental Standards Scotland report, Storm overflows - An assessment of spills, their impact on the water environment and the effectiveness of legislation and policy, which was published in September 2024.
Answer
The Scottish Government will be responding to Environmental Standard Scotland’s (ESS) report by 4 March 2025, as requested by ESS. Scottish Water and SEPA have also been asked to respond to the report by the same deadline.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a full breakdown of the costs associated with the replacement for HMP Barlinnie, including any penalties for delays.
Answer
SPS are unable to publish the full breakdown of costs as disclosure would be commercially prejudicial to the management of the contract, and to the contractor.
SPS can confirm that the contract contains liquidated damages for any delays.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to harmonise the reporting of violent and abusive behaviour towards teachers and staff in schools.
Answer
The Scottish Government expects all incidents of violent and abusive behaviour towards staff to be recorded.
In Scotland our local councils employ education staff and we expect all local authorities to be ensuring that their schools have policies in place which determine clearly what action should be taken to address challenging behaviour and to best protect their staff in the workplace. This would include having processes in place to record violent and abusive incidents towards teachers and staff.
The joint relationships and behaviour in schools action plan includes an action to review all current processes for recording incidents, to identify potential means of streamlining processes and improving consistency. An update on the plan will publish in the coming weeks.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what impact adopting the BE FAST (balance, eyes, face, arms, speech, time) test could have on the number of additional strokes that could be detected quicker annually.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of additional strokes that could be detected by adopting BE FAST.
The Scottish Government’s position is that the current evidence base does not support a move to the use of BE FAST, and this is supported by Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland and Stroke Association, however we will regularly review this position based on the best available evidence.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 4 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33261 by Gillian Martin on 12 February 2025, whether it will provide the information requested regarding what (a) discussions and (b) meetings it has had with (i) expert organisations and (ii) the UK Government regarding the potential consequences for the UK’s future gas supply if the Jackdaw gas field was not to be developed for any reason, and whether it will publish the minutes of any such meetings, and, if no such discussions or meetings have taken place, whether it will confirm this.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-33261 on 12 February 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.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 4 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to tackle marine litter in each of the last five years, and what funding is planned in the draft Budget 2025-26.
Answer
Since 2021 the Scottish Government has made funding available to projects relevant to the issue of marine litter through Marine Fund Scotland Marine and fisheries grants - gov.scot Information on the funding provided each year for such projects is publicly available via Marine Fund Scotland: grants awarded - gov.scot.
Funding to be available in the 2025-26 financial year through the fund has not yet been announced.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much it estimates NHS Scotland has spent each year on respiratory medicine, including diagnosis, treatment and care, since the publication of the Respiratory Care Action Plan.
Answer
The information requested is complex and not held centrally.
All information on prescribed and dispensed items are published and categorised by the British National Formulary chapter, in both monthly open data files and as part of the annual Dispenser Payments and Prescription Cost Analysis which was last released on 8 October 2024. This can be accessed on the Public Health Scotland website at Dispenser payments and prescription cost analysis - Financial year 2023 to 2024 - Dispenser payments and prescription cost analysis - Publications - Public Health Scotland.