Seòmar agus comataidhean

There are approximately 1.5 million new trees planted alongside the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. No further tree planting is planned other than replacement planting which may be required in future where insufficient numbers of trees have become established to satisfy the environmental objectives and the Indicative Landscape Design.

All new planting schemes on the trunk road network include a 5-year establishment period throughout which regular inspections are undertaken by professional landscape architects and by the landscape contractor. These inspections assess the establishment of the plants and determine any specific maintenance required, including the replacement of any failed material.

The trunk road operating companies assume responsibility after this period and are required to annually assess and report on all planting and other vegetation within their area of operation and to recommend management interventions as appropriate, such as pruning and thinning etc.

Following completion, all major road schemes are monitored and assessed through the Scottish Trunk Road Infrastructure Project Evaluation (STRIPE) procedure to determine whether the scheme objectives have been met and to assess how well the scheme has been implemented, including the planting element.

The Aberdeen Western Peripheral Road/Balmedie-Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) section of the A90 is managed on behalf of Scottish Ministers/Transport Scotland by the Design Build Finance and Operate (DBFO) company Aberdeen Roads Limited (ARL). The associated landscaping areas are included in the Agreement with ARL. Around 1.5 million trees were planted. The project is in year 4 of the 5 year Establishment Period. As the name suggests the Establishment Period is designed to closely monitor plant development and take action if appropriate to address tree plant establishment failures.

During the Establishment Period ARL’s appointed specialist landscape architect is required to undertake inspections of the tree planting 6 times in year one, 4 times in year 2, and 3 times for each of years 3, 4 and 5. On completion of the Establishment Period the landscaping enters the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) phase when annual inspections are required. The O&M period ends in 2047.

Following each inspection the landscape architect makes recommendations which are carried out by ARL and which could include tree tube/guard removal as the trees develop as well as identifying opportunities to enhance biodiversity and reduce pesticide application. Other work carried out over the last 4 to 5 years includes weed control, grass cutting in amongst those trees, pruning of damaged branches and re-staking of trees.

The appointed Contracting Authority (Jacobs consultants) receive annual reports and undertake joint inspections to ensure the contractual requirements are being fulfilled. Jacobs subsequently advise Transport Scotland of progress and discuss any matters as necessary.

The Scottish Driving Assessment Service is the NHS service which covers Scotland, and all driving assessments are carried out at the SMART Centre at the Astley Ainslie Hospital in Edinburgh, which is where the service’s static assessment rigs and fleet of adapted vehicles are based. The Centre is operated by NHS Lothian on behalf of the other NHS Boards.

The Scottish Government is grateful to everyone who takes the time to volunteer to give blood.

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) adjusted the donor health check questionnaire in April 2022 so that all donors are now asked the same questions.

It is necessary to know if a donor is pregnant to ensure the safety of donors. In addition, if a donor has received certain fertility treatments they are unable to donate for patient safety reasons. Although these questions will not be relevant for many donors – male and female - the donor health check questionnaire is the most practical and appropriate way of asking sensitive questions in a busy donor environment.

In response to some concerns raised about men being asked these questions, SNBTS will be amending the form to make clear that if the pregnancy questions are not applicable then all donors should simply tick ‘NO’. This change is likely to be implemented this summer.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15683 on 21 March 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

NHS Grampian is the only Health Board to trial technology ahead of the Deposit Return Scheme launch. In total NHS Scotland Assure has provided £1,000 to off-set the costs incurred by the Health Board for the trial.

Scottish Ministers’ powers relating to inspection of educational establishments and services are set out in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. Inspections of educational establishments are carried out by HM Inspectors.

HM Inspectors develop and maintain a set of specific inspection and review guidance which describes how HM Inspectors work in particular sectors or areas of provision. This is published on Education Scotland’s website.

In common with all major health infrastructure projects, existing equipment will be transferred from the current sites and this will be supported by investment in new equipment. The Full Business Case identified a required capital budget for equipment of £14 million. So far, the procurement of equipment to date remains within budget and no additional funding has been requested by NHS Grampian.

The procurement of much of the required equipment will however not be completed until much closer to the operational date. The impact of inflation and in some cases availability of supply in the current market is a recognised risk across all capital projects. The Scottish Government will liaise closely with NHS Grampian to ensure that any emerging pressures on the equipment budget are managed appropriately.

Once the Board has committed to follow the recommendations of the NDAP, the responsibility for doing so remains solely with the Board. The NDAP action plan was agreed locally in discussion with the NDAP team and Graham Construction. A tracker was developed which was worked on with these partners in a collaborative method to agree with the NDAP team when actions were closed and with NHS Grampian’s construction partners Graham Constructions, about actions that were to be developed and closed during the Stage 4 construction phase. Internal governance of this process has been led through the Baird and ANCHOR Project Board and onwards to the Board of NHS Grampian as required.