Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16574 on 19 April 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

The Scottish Government moved swiftly to meet with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) after the Members debate on the FBU DECON Campaign on 19 January 2023. In addition to regular discussions with the SFRS Chair and Chief Officer, the former Minister for Community Safety met with the SFRS at their Headquarters on 21 February 2023 to discuss current actions that the SFRS are taking and also future plans to further protect firefighters from contaminants. Officials are also in close contact with the SFRS on an ongoing basis on these issues.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken any specific assessment of the impact of delays in ferry replacement on island economies.

The ferries network has seen significant improvements in the last decade a result of the 2013 Ferries Plan. Scottish Government and Transport Scotland are keenly aware of the importance of reliable ferry services upon which our island communities depend. With 6 major vessels currently in construction, and more vessel replacement projects ongoing, the future ferries network will be more reliable and resilient bringing travel to and from the islands communities up to meet their needs.

The Scottish Government provided £25 million of funding in 2020-21 to local authorities across Scotland to tackle digital exclusion, resulting in over 72,000 pupils receiving a device to support their learning.

Individual local authorities across Scotland have also undertaken their own digital inclusion schemes and have invested in devices from their own budgets. Information from them indicates that up to 280,000 devices have been distributed to learners across Scotland (including the 72,000 funded by the Scottish Government).

The Scottish Government budget for 2023-24 for Active Travel is £189.2 million as follows. This is a step change increase from the 2022-23 budget, particularly in capital investment, as we progress towards the commitment to invest at least £320 million or 10% of the transport budget on active travel by 2024-25. This investment has a particular focus on improving the quality and range of active travel infrastructure where people can walk, wheel and cycle safely and confidently; and also funds access to bikes schemes and programmes to encourage more people to use active travel on day to day journeys. In turn these support key priorities in our second National Transport Strategy and second Strategic Transport Projects Review.

This is an operational matter for Network Rail and ScotRail and as such Transport Scotland does not hold the information requested.

The commissioning of NHS national services is the responsibility of NHS National Services Division (NSD), a sub division of NHS Services Scotland (NSS).Eligible patients for magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) for essential tremor can be referred to NHS Tayside in conjunction with the University of Dundee.

At present, no new application has been received to designate MRgFUS as a national specialist service to NHS Tayside. NSD will continue to work with the MRgFUS team in NHS Tayside in the meantime.

For those people who have been prescribed lifesaving equipment at home, such as home hemodialysis, any reimbursement of energy costs would be the responsibility of the NHS Board. In relation to home oxygen concentrators, the energy costs are covered by a contract with NHS National Services Scotland (NSS), part of NHS Scotland and delivered by Dolby Vivisol. As such, reimbursement of energy costs for running home oxygen concentrators are made to patients by Dolby Vivisol.

Our Fuel Insecurity Fund (FIF) was first established in late 2020, as part of the wider Winter Support Fund, delivered via trusted third sector partners, to help households struggling with their energy costs who were at risk of severely rationing, or self-disconnecting entirely because they could not afford their energy costs.

The First Minister, has confirmed the Scottish Government will now build on the doubling of the Fuel Insecurity Fund announced last year, to now triple it to £30 million for 2023-24. The Fund is a critical plank in our support to people who are struggling with their energy costs. It continues to provide a lifeline to households who are at risk of self-rationing or self-disconnecting their energy use.

This will be delivered in 2023-24 by third sector partner organisations, specifically the Fuel Bank Foundation (FBF), Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), Advice Direct Scotland (ADS) and the Wise Group. Whilst core staff costs will be provided to Energy Action Scotland, as Scotland’s National Fuel Poverty charity.

FBF and ADS have to date from FIF funding, provided direct financial assistance, up to a limited ceiling, as a short-term crisis support to disabled people for help with their energy costs related to lifesaving medical equipment in their homes.

In light of the current impact of the cost crisis on disabled people, the former Minister for Equalities and Older People approved an immediate priorities plan and set up a Short Life Working Group to focus on progressing this work. The first meeting of this group took place in March 2023 and the group will meet four more times between now and May 2024. Although out of scope for the SLWG, further updates will be provided to them on the analysis of the energy costs and reimbursement of lifesaving equipment at home.

Remuneration for the incoming Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Rail Holdings will be published, in due course, on the Salary Publication section of the Scottish Rail Holdings website:-

Who we are — Scottish Rail Holdings

The previous Minister for Community Safety met with the FBU on 2 February 2023. This meeting, which included Professor Anna Stec of the University of Central Lancashire, was specifically to discuss issues around the FBU DECON campaign including firefighter health screening, the SFRS estate and budgets.