- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 31 October 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Norwegian Government (a) ministers and (b) officials, regarding any potential impact on its climate targets of the development of Rosebank oilfield, since 1 January 2021.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not engaged in any discussions with Norwegian Government ministers or officials regarding the Rosebank oilfield.
We are committed to a just energy transition for the North Sea. Collaboration with our Nordic partners on this transition – including in relation to offshore wind, Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage, port infrastructure and hydrogen – is a key area of activity for the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 31 October 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of (a) its and (b) each of its agencies' vehicle fleet is comprised of zero-emission vehicles, and what information it has on how this compares with other public bodies.
Answer
a) Presently, Scottish Government's overall fleet is comprised of 69% ultra-low and zero emission vehicles. Zero emission vehicles make up 26% of the total Scottish Government fleet.
b) Data held by Transport Scotland on the % of zero emission vehicles in Scottish Government agency fleets at the end of 2022 is summarised in the following table.
Executive Agencies | Zero Emission % |
Accountancy in Bankruptcy | No Fleet |
Disclosure Scotland | No Fleet |
Education Scotland | Data Not held |
Forestry and Land Scotland | 4% |
Scottish Forestry | 8% |
Scottish Pensions Agency | No Fleet |
Scottish Prison Service | 2% |
Social Security Scotland | 50% |
Student Awards Agency for Scotland | Data Not held |
Transport Scotland | 50% |
The data available also indicates that at the end of 2022 approximately 12% of Scottish public sector fleet vehicles were zero emission.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 31 October 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to its £500 million strategic investment to help create thousands of green jobs and deliver the full economic potential of offshore renewables projects, as announced on 17 October 2023, whether it will propose the scheduling of time for a ministerial statement, or use other appropriate means, to update the Parliament on its plans.
Answer
It is important that we take the time to work closely with industry, with investors and with our partners across the public and private sectors to ensure that we get our approach to this right. This process is already well-underway and we will update parliament once it has been completed.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 31 October 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle racist incidents in the NHS.
Answer
There is no place for racism in the NHS and in Scottish society as a whole.
We have been clear to Health Boards that incidents of racial harassment must be taken seriously and fully investigated. In 2020 we launched the national NHSScotland Bullying and Harassment Policy to support staff affected by these issues. This includes information on sources of confidential advice and support.
We have also been clear that all instances of violent and aggressive behaviour, including hate crime, should be recorded and if it is a serious incident, then it should be escalated it to the Police, as quickly as possible.
The Scottish Government has a programme of work underway to integrate anti-racist/anti-discriminatory approaches and develop networks of allies across the NHS. We established the NHS ethnic minority forum in 2021 to amplify the voices of ethnic minority staff across the health service and tackle issues of systemic racism. We are working with the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights to develop anti-racist training resources for staff, by 2024. We are also working with NHS Chairs and Chief Executives to ensure they have anti-racist and wider equality objectives, including meaningful action on diversity and inclusion.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 31 October 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many hospital admissions there have been as a result of deliberate self-harm by people aged (a) under 16 and (b) 16 and over, in each year since 2012.
Answer
The Scottish Government will publish a dedicated self-harm strategy and action plan by the end of 2023, with the aim of ensuring people who self-harm, or who are at risk of self-harming, receive effective and compassionate support. This builds on our investment of £1.5m (since 2021) in the Self-harm Network Scotland , which is showing positive outcomes in supporting people who self-harm and those who care for them.
Research evidence, including insights from people with lived experience, confirms that often people who self-harm do not seek support from statutory services. We also know that for many people who attend hospital for self-harm treatment will not need to be admitted. Furthermore, there are differences in recording practices between clinicians and Health Boards. These factors mean the data on self-harm admission in hospitals is currently incomplete and unreliable, and for these reasons the data on self-harm received by Public Health Scotland from inpatient and emergency care settings is not routinely published.
Addressing these data issues will be a key priority in our self-harm strategy and a priority of the action plan will be to review, and improve data, including in hospital settings, to drive improvements in support and service responses for people who self-harm.
Number of admissions diagnosed with intentional self-harm in Scottish NHS Acute Hospitals, broken down by age category and calendar year of admission, 2012 - 2022. |
Year | Ages 5-15 | Ages 16+ |
2012 | 414 | 14,012 |
2013 | 683 | 14,575 |
2014 | 746 | 13,486 |
2015 | 760 | 13,269 |
2016 | 767 | 14,086 |
2017 | 843 | 15,188 |
2018 | 805 | 15,779 |
2019 | 901 | 16,673 |
2020 | 1,122 | 16,618 |
2021 | 1,565 | 15,093 |
2022 | 1,590 | 11,484 |
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 31 October 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recommendation 4 in the report, Fit for the Future: developing a post-school learning system to fuel economic transformation, which states that the Scottish Government should “establish a clear template for regional skills planning”, including the need to “recognise the central role of providers, particularly the huge potential of colleges in planning for and addressing skills needs in their regions”, what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding (a) their role in regional skills planning and (b) any action they have already taken on the matter since the report’s publication.
Answer
The Scottish Government is developing the approach for implementing the priorities set out in the Purpose and Principles for Post-School Education, Research and Skills, which addresses some of the recommendations by James Withers, including on national and regional skills planning.
As I stated in my opening remarks in the debate about Scotland’s skills system on 25 th October, I am keen to engage widely on the approach to implementing change as we narrow in on the potential routes to reform.
Local Authorities, colleges and employers, alongside other partners, have an important role in regional skills planning and I will engage with them in the coming weeks to gather their views and discuss this matter.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 31 October 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-16001 by Kevin Stewart on 24 March 2023, whether it will provide an update on how many health and social care partnerships have implemented its guidance on the provision of wheelchairs on free, short-term loan.
Answer
Since 24th March, a further five HSCPs have now implemented guidance on the provision of short-term wheelchair loans, taking the total to thirteen. A further eight are in the early implementation stage.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 31 October 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what assessment it has made of any additional revenue raising tools, such as ticket levies on large music events and areas, to support grassroots music venues and the talent pipeline.
Answer
The Scottish Government values our culture sector and the contribution of the grassroots music industry to the cultural and economic offer in Scotland. I met with Music Venue Trust on 20 September to discuss the challenges faced by grassroots music venues, and their proposal to develop a ticket levy. I recommended that the Music Venue Trust asks the Cross-Party Group for Music to convene an industry roundtable to discuss the proposal.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Christina McKelvie on 31 October 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what plans it has to support grassroots music venues across Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government fully values the important contributions that grassroots music venues provide for Scotland and recognise the role venues play in skills development and the talent pipeline. I met with the Music Venue Trust on 20 September to better understand how we can further support the music sector and grassroots music venues. The outcomes of this meetings are included in my answer to question S6W-21872 on 20 October 2023. 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: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 October 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 31 October 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has reviewed the current distribution and transmission network infrastructure standards and guidance, including those for vegetation management and overhead line designs, to identify any economic and efficiency improvements that could increase network resilience to severe weather events.
Answer
The Energy sector is reserved to the UK Government and therefore the resilience of the UK’s energy network is the responsibility of the UK lead Government department, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The Scottish Government contributed to the Storm Arwen Ofgem review and supported the recommendation that work is undertaken by the Energy Emergencies Executive Committee (E3C) to review current distribution and transmission network infrastructure standards and guidance, including those for vegetation management and overhead line designs, to identify economic and efficient improvements that could increase network resilience to severe weather events.
Any further information relating to progress of this recommendation is a matter for Ofgem.