- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 26 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are currently working on the development of the proposed new energy efficiency ratings system to replace the current Energy Performance Certificate system, broken down by pay grade.
Answer
In the 2021 Heat in Buildings Strategy, the Scottish Government committed to reforming Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) to ensure they drive the energy efficiency improvements we need and to incentivise zero direct emissions heating. The need for this work was recently reemphasised by the Climate Change Committee. The team working on the development of the proposed new energy efficiency ratings system comprises of staff at the following Scottish Government Pay Grades:
1 x C2
1 x C1
2 x B3
1 x B2
This team is overseen by a member of staff at Senior Civil Service grade SCS1. Staff are not working solely on EPC metric development and have other responsibilities.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Patrick Harvie on 26 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement work has taken place with industry regarding the proposed reform of the Energy Performance Certificate rating system, broken down by (a) organisations engaged with and (b) any events that have taken place.
Answer
The Scottish Government has engaged extensively with industry regarding the proposed reform of the Energy Performance Certificate rating system. Engagement work over the past year has included, but is not limited to, the below events with the highlighted organisations.
Engagement has occurred in previous years. This includes through our earlier consultation in 2021, which incorporated workshop events which were open to stakeholders to attend as well as traditional responses.
We are intending to publish a second consultation containing our final proposals this summer, and will continue to engage with all stakeholders during this process.
DATE | NATURE OF ENGAGEMENT | ATTENDEES |
Monthly and ongoing | Scottish Government meetings, which include discussion of potential reform and implementation on the register. | Energy Saving Trust (Scottish Government’s EPC register host) |
13 June 2022 | Meeting to discuss early proposals | Heat pump installer |
10 October 2022 | Scottish Government presentation of EPC reform proposals and discussion | Climate Change Committee |
26 October 2022 | Scottish Government presentation of EPC reform proposals as part of a traditional and protected buildings workshop | Attendees included among others: Professional bodies for surveyors and architects Historic Environment Scotland Energy efficiency charity |
8 November 2022 | Scottish Government presentation of proposals and reform discussion | Company developing energy efficiency software |
22 November 2022 | Scottish Government presentation of EPC reform proposals as part of a wider regulations stakeholder workshop session | Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers Energy efficiency advocacy groups and charities representing various interests Energy company EPC Approved Organisation |
1 December 2022 | Scottish Government presentation of EPC reform proposals as part of a wider regulations stakeholder workshop session | Energy efficiency advocacy groups and charities representing various interests Consumer Scotland Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel Professional body for architects Local Energy Scotland Energy company |
12 December 2022 | Meeting to discuss metric proposals with the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing post 2020 (EESH2) review subgroup | Housing association membership body Housing associations Architect |
13 December 2022 | Meeting to discuss EPC reform proposals | Consumer Scotland |
10 March 2023 | Scottish Government EPC reform presentation and discussion | EPC Approved Organisations |
23 March 2023 | Scottish Government presentation to Local Authority Area Based Schemes Officers Day | Attendees included among others: Local authorities Energy efficiency charity |
4 April 2023 | EPC reform proposals meeting | EPC Approved Organisation |
6 June 2023 | Scottish Government presentation and Q&A at Elmhurst conference | Approx. 150 attendees from energy assessor community |
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18028 by Kevin Stewart on 30 May 2023, how many of the 26 new buses that have space for transporting bikes, purchased with support from the Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme and the Scottish Zero Emission Challenge Fund, will operate on routes in Aberdeenshire.
Answer
Of the 26 new buses that have space for transporting bikes there are 13 planned to operate on routes in Aberdeenshire.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing mandatory additional support needs training for (a) teachers, (b) visiting specialists and (c) pupil support assistants.
Answer
The Additional Support for Learning Act places duties on education authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. It is for individual authorities to determine the training required for all staff to ensure pupils reach their full potential.
All initial teacher education programmes must align with the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s Standard for Provisional Registration. The Standard sets out that student teachers are required to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of additional support needs and to take account of learners with such needs.
The Scottish Government is working closely with local government partners to improve the experience of children and young people with additional support needs at school, implementing the recommendations of the 2020 additional support for learning review, including those relating to the professional learning of school staff. In November 2022, we published an updated action plan and a second progress report . A further update is due to be published in May 2024.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the recruitment of specialists in menopause.
Answer
The recruitment of specialists in menopause is a matter for individual health boards as the employer, depending on their service need.
Through the Women’s Health Plan, we want all women to have timely access to menopause support and services and there is now a specialist menopause services in every mainland health board and a ‘buddy’ support system in place for the Island health boards.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 21 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how many specialists in menopause are currently working in each NHS board.
Answer
Scottish Government do not hold this information centrally. Individual Health Boards would need to be contacted to provide a breakdown of menopause specialists employed by each Health Board. There is a specialist menopause service in every mainland NHS Board, with a buddy system in place for the Island Boards.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 16 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to introduce Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which are currently in place in England.
Answer
In Scotland, children and young people's needs are met by planning for their learning and support through an individualised educational programme or Additional Support Plan. These set out targets for learning and the support to be provided. For children and young people who have complex or multiple needs, which require significant support from education and another agency or agencies, a statutory co-ordinated support plan (CSP) may be required. The purpose of the CSP is to support co-ordinated multi-agency planning to meet pupils' needs.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2023
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 22 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 22 June 2023
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether prescriptions for testosterone for women going through menopause should be made available for all women in every NHS board in Scotland.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17049 on 10 May 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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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 June 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the medication,
Androfeme, should be made available for treatment of menopause for women in
Scotland, and what discussions it has had with the UK Government in relation to
this matter.
Answer
The regulations for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines are currently reserved to the UK Government and are the responsibility of the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). For a medicine to be routinely prescribed, it firstly needs to receive a licence from the MHRA. It is the responsibility of individual companies to apply to the MHRA for a marketing authorisation (licence). The application process requires a company to provide data demonstrating the quality, safety and efficacy of the medicine.
The Scottish Government has not had any discussions with the UK Government on the licensing of testosterone for women in perimenopause or menopause. AndroFeme ® is not licensed for the treatment of symptoms of menopause in the UK. The prescribing of an unlicensed medicine is a clinical decision by prescribers directly responsible for individual patients. Both its use and the oversight of the patient’s care are the responsibility of the prescribing clinician.
