Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-27687

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on how the Scottish National Investment Bank's £50 million investment in the Ardersier Port will benefit (a) the local area, (b) industry and (c) its climate ambitions.

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on how the Scottish National Investment Bank's £50 million investment in the Ardersier Port will benefit (a) the local area, (b) industry and (c) its climate ambitions.The Scottish National Investment Bank has invested £50 million in Ardersier Port alongside a similar £50 million investment from the UK Infrastructure Bank. This investment follows a £300 million capital commitment from Quantum Capital - the largest private sector port investment for offshore wind to date. The project aligns with the Bank’s net zero mission.

As a result, Ardersier Port is expected to become of strategic importance in supporting the growing offshore wind industry over the coming years. Once operational, the facility will significantly increase the offshore wind port capacity, to support the transition to net zero in Scotland and the UK. As one of the largest industrial regeneration projects in the Highlands in decades, it will re-establish the port as a major local employer, supporting and creating hundreds of jobs. At full capacity it is estimated that the site has potential to enable around 3,000 jobs and reskilling opportunities for the local area.

The global transition to net zero offers enormous economic opportunities for Scotland. Offshore wind is at the heart of both our energy and economic policy. We have made a commitment to invest up to £500 million over 5 years to anchor our offshore wind supply-chain in Scotland. This will support market certainty, helping to create a highly productive, competitive economy, providing thousands of new jobs, embedding innovation and boosting skills. Investments like Ardersier show the Scottish public sector can play a key role in building market confidence and anchoring core parts of the global offshore wind sector in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-03519

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what engagement it has carried out with businesses regarding Scotland's constitutional future.

Question reference: S6W-15641

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what further progress has been made regarding Moray maternity services since December 2022.

I am delighted to be able to confirm that, following an intense period of scrutiny, that I am approving the plan for Integrated Maternity Services for the North, with consultant-led obstetric services at Dr Gray’s hospital. This is supported by an initial commitment of £6.6m to support implementation. I am also pleased to report that Linda de Caestecker, as lead for the external assurance panel has agreed to continue her involvement for at least the next 12 months as Boards move forward with implementation. The collaboration and innovation from NHS Grampian and NHS Highland on this plan provides a solid platform to build from as we look to strengthen maternity services in the north in a safe and sustainable way.

Question reference: S6O-01953

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of baby boxes that have been distributed since the scheme began.

Question reference: S6W-15257

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 February 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its consultation document on the development of future grant support for forestry that the Minister for Environment and Land Reform announced in her opening statement in the parliamentary debate on Forestry’s Contribution to Net Zero Scotland, on 9 November 2022.

Question reference: S6O-01851

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it provides support to victims of violent crime in the pre-trial period.

Question reference: S6W-13362

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the publication, Neurological Conditions: estimating the prevalence in Scotland of selected conditions using General Practice and Hospital Admissions datasets, of those with a diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and in the GP practice dataset, how many were children whose age when the extract was taken was (a) under 5, (b) 5-11 and (c) 12-17.

This publication’s Supporting Documents include a spreadsheet file titled ‘General Practice recorded diagnoses’. Table 4 in this spreadsheet shows GP recorded diagnoses of neurological conditions, by sex and age. For each neurological condition shown, it gives the number of GP recorded diagnoses by sex in the following age bands: 0-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19. This data is shown in the following table. In some cases small numbers have been suppressed to help maintain patient confidentiality. We do not have data apportioned to the exact age bands in the question.

Number of people diagnosed with ME/CFS by sex and age group

	Age 0-4	Age 5-9	Age 10-14	Age 15-19
Female	-	7	16	115
Male	*	*	27	77

(-) indicates a zero value

(*) indicates values that have been suppressed due to the potential risk of disclosure and to help maintain patient confidentiality

Please note that that these figures do not cover the whole of Scotland. The general practices whose data are included represented 72.7% of registered patients at the time of the data extract.

Question reference: S6W-13363

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the publication, Neurological Conditions: estimating the prevalence in Scotland of selected conditions using General Practice and Hospital Admissions datasets, of those with a diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and in the GP practice dataset, what proportion were (a) female and (b) male.

This publication’s Supporting Documents include a spreadsheet file titled ‘General Practice recorded diagnoses’. Table 4 in this spreadsheet shows GP recorded diagnoses of neurological conditions, by sex and age, for each neurological condition shown . In some cases small numbers have been suppressed to help maintain patient confidentiality. Taking into account the suppression of small numbers, the approximate split of diagnoses for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is as follows: (a) Female – 69% (b) Male – 31%.

Please note that that this percentage breakdown draws on figures which do not cover the whole of Scotland. The general practices whose data are included represented 72.7% of registered patients at the time of the data extract.

Question reference: S6W-13361

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the publication, Neurological Conditions: estimating the prevalence in Scotland of selected conditions using General Practice and Hospital Admissions datasets, for what reasons there are no data on the prevalence of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) from (a) NHS Highland and (b) NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Question reference: S6O-01714

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it last engaged with the UK Government on the subject of EU replacement funding with respect to the rural affairs portfolio.

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