- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 22 September 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to decarbonise the North Berwick-Edinburgh railway line.
Answer
The North Berwick to Edinburgh rail route is electrified, and therefore is already providing zero emission transport. The services have been upgraded by making use of this government’s significant investment in the new, green electric Class 385 trains for Scotland.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 22 September 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with representatives of sports bodies, other than those representing football, ahead of its announcement regarding its plan to introduce COVID-19 vaccine passports at certain events.
Answer
Ministers and officials are engaging regularly with sectors affected, including the wider sports sector, to ensure that a workable and proportionate vaccine certification scheme is developed.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 September 2021
To ask the Scottish Government when it will distribute the first funds under the ten-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray.
Answer
We will work collaboratively with partners, communities and other stakeholders to take forward the ten-year £500m Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray. The delivery of the Fund will exemplify our co-design and co-delivery approach that will be supported by a programme of broad engagement in the area. This Fund is a new commitment which will require detailed policy design work and implementation planning. We will provide further information on the process in due course.
The Just Transition Fund will support and accelerate energy transition, create good, green jobs and maximise the region’s future economic potential. We are determined to tackle climate emergency and mitigate the impacts of the transition on communities across Scotland, and we will work at pace to deliver our sectoral plans for a just transition.
- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 September 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of employees of (a) the National Theatre of Scotland, (b) the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, (c) Scottish Ballet, (d) the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, (e) Scottish Opera and (f) Creative Scotland are paid the National Living Wage.
Answer
All employees of Scotland’s National Performing Companies, which the Scottish Government funds directly and includes (a) the National Theatre of Scotland, (b) the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, (c) Scottish Ballet, (d) the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, (e) Scottish Opera and (f) Creative Scotland are paid at least or more than the National Living Wage.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 September 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what the projected outcomes and targets are for the ten-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray.
Answer
We will work collaboratively with partners, communities and other stakeholders to take forward the ten-year £500m Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray. The delivery of the Fund will exemplify our co-design and co-delivery approach that will be supported by a programme of broad engagement in the area. This Fund is a new commitment which will require detailed policy design work and implementation planning. We will provide further information on the process in due course.
The Just Transition Fund will support and accelerate energy transition, create good, green jobs and maximise the region’s future economic potential. We are determined to tackle climate emergency and mitigate the impacts of the transition on communities across Scotland, and we will work at pace to deliver our sectoral plans for a just transition.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 September 2021
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how and (b) to whom it will distribute the ten-year £500 million Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray.
Answer
We will work collaboratively with partners, communities and other stakeholders to take forward the ten-year £500m Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray. The delivery of the Fund will exemplify our co-design and co-delivery approach that will be supported by a programme of broad engagement in the area. This Fund is a new commitment which will require detailed policy design work and implementation planning. We will provide further information on the process in due course.
The Just Transition Fund will support and accelerate energy transition, create good, green jobs and maximise the region’s future economic potential. We are determined to tackle climate emergency and mitigate the impacts of the transition on communities across Scotland, and we will work at pace to deliver our sectoral plans for a just transition.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 22 September 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what targets it has set for the uptake of naloxone kits, made available to the public.
Answer
We believe that Naloxone should be available to anyone who might witness an overdose. Our overall aim is to widen the access to it as much as possible.
Since the inception of the NNP the Scottish Government has commissioned Public Health Scotland (PHS) to report on take-home naloxone (THN) kit distribution using monitoring data supplied by NHS Boards, this report is produced quarterly. The last report (covering 1 January to 31 March 2021) stated that coverage was now estimated to be 57.47% (an increase of around 1.5% compared to the previous quarter – 56.04%).
International evidence suggests that focus should not only be on the distribution but also on encouraging carriage and accessibility of Naloxone.
To improve awareness of naloxone, and to ensure people would recognise the signs of a drug overdose, we launched a nationwide marketing campaign on International Overdose Awareness Day (31 August), in partnership with Scottish Drugs Forum.
- Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the potential impact of COVID-19 vaccine certification on people who were recorded, following an investigation via the Yellow Card Scheme, as having had an adverse reaction to their first dose, and did not therefore receive a second dose for medical reasons.
Answer
We are developing an approval process for medical exemptions. It is important to say that the number of people for whom vaccination cannot be safely completed with the right support will be very small. Reasons for exemptions would be medical contraindications that might include severe anaphylactic reaction across the range of vaccines and those receiving end of life care. The detail of how this will work will be finalised and published before implementation.
- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 September 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what progress the National Partnership for Culture has made in establishing a measuring change group "to inform progress towards realising the national outcome for culture and the delivery of the culture strategy", as set out in the 2020 Culture Strategy for Scotland.
Answer
The National Partnership for Culture established a Measuring Change Group in August 2020. The Group has met on several occasions since then, most recently in August 2021.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has undertaken of the potential economic impact of introducing COVID-19 vaccine passports.
Answer
Certification provides a targeted and proportionate means to reduce risk while maximising our ability to keep open certain settings and events where transmission is a higher risk. If the choice is between sectors and settings being closed and a limited certification scheme being used to keep them open, we believe that it is right to make a choice in favour of a limited certification scheme. We are working closely and at pace with sectors to finalise a proportionate, effective and robust scheme for each setting before implementation. There are a number of operational and logistical issues which we are working through together. All software, apps and paper copies of certificates will be free to use. Businesses will be able to use an app free of charge to scan the codes used on all certificates and there will be options for venues to integrate the verifier functionality into their own systems, as the source code is open source. Relevant impact assessments, including a BRIA (Business & Regulatory Impact Assessment), will be published when we lay the regulations.