Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Information on how many NHS dental consultations were emergencies is held with the individual dentist. However, the overall number of NHS dental consultations can be found on Public Health Scotland at: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/dental-statistics-fees-and-treatments/dental-statistics-fees-and-treatments-statistics-as-at-march-2020/ .

As set out in our Programme for Government in 2020, we are working with local authorities, the deposit return scheme administrator and potential investors to explore options that will unlock reprocessing investments and to ensure that we manage more of our own waste within Scotland. This has included an assessment of volumes of materials, including plastics, collected for recycling.

The latest annual statistics from Public Health Scotland show that uptake of cervical screening is still lower in the most deprived areas of Scotland, compared to the least deprived areas. We recognise that there is further work required to tackle this issue, and that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the importance of this work. We have therefore committed £2 million over the next two years to build a programme of evidence-based, sustainable and scalable projects that tackle inequalities in a systemic way.

The Scottish Government is also supporting work to explore the potential introduction of self-sampling into the screening programme, which could be an important tool to widen access to the programme and tackle inequalities. Allowing people to take the test in their own home could overcome some of the barriers that prevent people taking up screening, such as accessibility issues, embarrassment or previous trauma. The UK National Screening Committee is evaluating research ahead of making a recommendation on its use, and we have established a working group to contribute evidence and plan for implementation so that we can act quickly following any recommendation.

The British & Irish Lions rugby match was a flagship event approved by the Scottish Government through an events gateway process. Flagship events are internationally significant events which maintain Scotland’s longer-term profile as a host of major events, with an eye to recovery from the pandemic, and with appropriate Covid-19 mitigations in place. There are a very small number given the quite high bar of international significance.

Scottish Rugby submitted a comprehensive spectator proposal that was considered by Scottish Government Clinicians and the Chief Medical Officer before it was approved to enter the gateway process by the First Minister. The proposal for 25% capacity at Murrayfield was based on a fixed seating plan with seats sold in singles which required an exception for a reduction in physical distancing. Clinicians were satisfied with the comprehensive and robust plans that Scottish Rugby and the British Lions had in place and with the public health measures to help keep people safe. The proposal was considered at local level by City of Edinburgh Council at Event Planning & Operations Group Meetings which was also attended by others including Police Scotland and NHS Lothian.

It was made clear that fans should take a lateral flow test before attending to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Flagship events provide an opportunity to monitor and learn from events operating with reduced physical distancing and a comprehensive range of mitigations like maximising points of entry and staggered arrival times to ensure that fans could attend safely for this outdoor event. The Scottish Government and event organisers will use this knowledge to support the wider restart of events across Scotland.

Couples can attend together for all NHS IVF appointments, subject to local risk assessments and physical distancing requirements, which provide the best protection for patients and staff and ensure that services continue to be provided as the Covid-19 pandemic continues.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00813 on 14 July 2021. 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

We do not hold this information centrally. However, we do have a close collaborative relationship with the owner of the electricity network in the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Power Distribution (SPD).

SPD has developed and published Distribution Future Energy Scenarios (DFES), which consider various decarbonisation routes to achieve Scotland’s Net Zero targets. These incorporate a 100% transition of cars / small commercial vehicles to full Electric Vehicles (EVs), including between 240,000-310,000 in Edinburgh by 2050.

SPD’s DFES anticipates growth in demand from customers on its Edinburgh distribution network to double by 2050, with 40% of this related to growth in EVs, as well as heat demand. Meeting this extra demand will need a combination of traditional network reinforcements but also flexibility from other energy resources (e.g. generators and battery storage).

SPD’s high level estimate is that this will require between £150-400 million investment in its Edinburgh network by 2050. The actual scale of investment will ultimately be driven by the technologies adopted by customers and the ways in which they are used.

SPD is currently preparing a draft business plan for investment across all of its distribution networks. The Scottish Government will continue to work with SPD, as well as with Scotland’s other network owners and Ofgem, to ensure that our energy and climate change commitments and targets are fully reflected in these plans and the investment that they will require.

Covid 19 has exacerbated, and brought into full focus, the existing inequalities that exist within Scotland. Ensuring equitable access to health services and improving the health outcomes for specific groups within our society, including the homeless population, is a crucial aspect of our post-Covid recovery work.

It is essential to ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness are able to access the right care at the right time. We are taking a multi-disciplinary approach across health, homelessness and frontline services in order to strengthen partnerships and to improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness, particularly for those with more complex needs.

The joint Scottish Government /COSLA ‘Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan’, includes plans for a ‘no wrong door’ approach to accessing support and services for those experiencing homelessness, as well as plans for a new duty for public bodies, including health services, to help prevent homelessness. We are also taking steps to break down the silos between homelessness and health services, including through funding and supporting the development of the Housing First model for those with more complex needs, and through funding a Healthcare Improvement Scotland project to identify the learning from the joint working across homelessness and addictions services that has been adopted during the pandemic.

Validated information on referrals to NHS dentals hospitals is not held centrally.

However the member may find it useful to know that information relating to outpatient activity including total number of attendances by NHS Board and location of treatment can be found in the Acute Hospital Activity publication using the link below.

https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/4991/table-1-outpatient-activity-consultant-led.xlsx.

Invasive cervical cancer audits have been carried out annually by Health Boards for at least the last 20 years, although a new national methodology to standardise the information collected was introduced in 2014. These audits review the screening histories of people who develop invasive cervical cancer.