- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the costs associated with maintaining and updating registers held by Registers of Scotland, and whether these are expected to change in the future.
Answer
Registers of Scotland is a non-Ministerial Public Body answerable to the Scottish Parliament.
The work of the Registers of Scotland is demand led, depending on the volume of activity in the housing market. RoS is continuously working to improve its efficiency and thereby keep its running costs as low as possible. The costs of running RoS are largely covered by the fees charged for its services, and that is expected to remain the position.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 21 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS specialty training places are projected to be offered in the next five years.
Answer
The allocation of medical specialty training places is made annually to ensure it meets the needs of the healthcare workforce, recognising that completion of specialty training can take a minimum of 3 to 8 years depending on the specialty. This process is overseen by a group of senior representatives from the Scottish Government, NHS Education for Scotland, professional bodies, and Health Boards. Based on workforce data and service demands, the group makes recommendations to Scottish Ministers regarding any changes needed, including the potential expansion of training places in specific specialties.
- Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 21 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is to taking address the presence of "drug dens" in Glasgow.
Answer
We are working in partnership with other stakeholders, including Police Scotland, to reduce the presence of public injecting and other antisocial behaviour (eg drug house or location) across Scotland including Glasgow, by offering safer alternatives, combined with strong law enforcement measures. This includes harm reduction initiatives, community engagement and enforcement actions by Police Scotland to ensure safer communities. We are committed to tackling all antisocial behaviour and want everyone to be, and feel, safe in their homes and communities.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 21 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the reasons for the reported reduction in Foundation Year 2 doctors proceeding directly into NHS specialty training over the last decade.
Answer
Progression data from the General Medical Council shows that 90% of trainees have obtained a specialty training post in the UK within three years of completing the Foundation Programme. It is likely that overall numbers taking up a specialty training place for cohorts 2022, 2023 & 2024 (albeit not immediately after completing foundation training) will increase over the coming years.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 21 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what review it has carried out of the adequacy of NHS specialty training places available to meet future workforce demands.
Answer
The Scottish Shape of Training Transition Group undertakes an annual review of medical training establishments and makes recommendations to Scottish Ministers on the need to create additional training places in order to meet increased demand and future anticipated consultant need.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 21 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to transition its vehicle fleet to low-emission or zero-emission vehicles.
Answer
The Scottish Government is fully committed to the decarbonisation of its vehicle fleet. To support this, a replacement strategy has been in operation since 2015 to replace end of life vehicles with zero or ultra-low emissions vehicles where possible.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated in its draft Budget 2025-26 for (a) the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund, (b) Places for Everyone projects, (c) the National Cycle Network, (d) People and Place projects, (e) regional transport partnerships and (f) Bikeability Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Budget for 2025-26 has been set at £63.4 billion. The recent draft budget allocated and indicated a value of £4 billion for the Transport portfolio, which includes £188.7 million for Active and Sustainable Travel. This investment is intended to:
Make it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle
Improve connections to our public transport network
Support resilient and efficient bus services
We cannot authorise allocations to specific programmes until the budget has passed. All values at this time are indicative, and we therefore cannot confirm the amount that may or may not be allocated to the specific projects mentioned until the new financial year.
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 17 January 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33199 by
Mairi Gougeon on 15 January 2025, what data Forestry and Land Scotland collects
on the final destination of venison sold to its commercial partners.
Answer
It is not possible for FLS to maintain and hold data on the final destination of venison that it sells beyond keeping records of sales to meat processing establishments. Final destinations for venison is a decision for downstream businesses in the supply chain.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 21 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how the reported trend in Scotland of Foundation Year 2 doctors delaying NHS specialty training compares with the rest of the UK, and what its response is to the findings of this comparison.
Answer
UK data from the General Medical Council (GMC) shows that the reported trend of Foundation Year 2 doctors delaying NHS specialty training in Scotland is similar to the trend in the UK as a whole. There are a number of possible (and complex) explanations for this trend but progression data from the GMC shows that 90% of trainees have obtained a specialty training post in the UK within three years of completing the Foundation Programme.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2025
-
Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 21 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of NHS specialty training places was filled in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
Details are as follows:
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
Posts Advertised | 1195 | 1224 | 1149 | 1108 | 1074 | 1131 | 1154 | 1204 | 1282 | 1053 |
Posts Filled | 1132 | 1150 | 1068 | 1039 | 1030 | 1042 | 980 | 968 | 1001 | 976 |
Fill Rate | 95% | 94% | 93% | 94% | 96% | 92% | 85% | 80% | 78% | 83% |