Chamber and committees

Scottish Rail Holdings oversees Caledonian Sleeper services on behalf of Scottish Ministers and it advises that the temporary reduction in Sleeper services between Aberdeen and London is to enable the release of train carriages for necessary and planned heavy overhaul and modification works.

Scottish Rail Holdings oversees Caledonian Sleeper services on behalf of Scottish Ministers and it advises that the regular Sleeper service of six times a week between Aberdeen and London is currently scheduled to recommence in February 2025.

During the short period of reduction in Aberdeen sleeper services it will be possible for passengers to use regular evening and morning ScotRail Aberdeen services, providing connections with the Caledonian Sleeper services at Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The Scottish Government does not collate data on dog attacks. There is no central database within Scotland or the UK that provides data on dog attacks by type/breed of dog.

However, Public Health Scotland collects data provided by NHS Health Boards on the number of inpatient and day case admissions to hospital where a diagnosis of dog attack (bite or strike) was recorded.

I would refer you to the answer given to question S6W-24486 on 24 January 2024 for the available data from 2004 to 2022.

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.

Local authorities are responsible for the development and delivery of flood protection schemes in Scotland. Decisions on the allocation of funding for flood resilience are made jointly by Scottish Ministers and COSLA leaders, informed by SEPA flood risk assessment and a subsequent prioritisation process.

SEPA has categorised all viable flood protection schemes put forward by local authorities for the 2021 Flood Risk Management Plans. The Ballater scheme, as put forward, has been assessed as category 3. There are 28 flood protection schemes in category 1 or 2, and 25 in category 3.

Since 2008 Scottish Government has made £42 million available each year to local authorities to invest in flood risk management. Scottish Government has also committed an additional £150 million over the course of this parliament.

The Scottish Government and COSLA have convened a working group that will consider the future funding and governance model for flooding, including the approach to these 53 schemes.

Aimmune Therapeutics, the manufacturer of Palforzia®, had indicated an intention to make a resubmission to the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), however to date this has not been received. The decision on whether to submit, and the timing of that submission, is entirely for the manufacturer of the medicine to make. If they do resubmit, information on the specific timelines for the reassessment will be available via the search facility available on the home page of the SMC’s website here. There is a fast-track resubmission option, which reduces the normal assessment timeline.

In the meantime, Health Boards have procedures in place using the Peer Approved Clinical System “PACS Tier Two” process, for clinicians to request the use of licensed medicines on a ‘case-by-case’ basis for individual patients, when the treating clinician considers that there would be significant clinical benefit for a patient.

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a UK Government scheme that is paid for by energy suppliers and administered by Ofgem. It is a requirement of the ECO scheme that installers meet national retrofit standards and provide a guarantee. The UK Government has published advice for homeowners about their consumer rights, if insulation has been wrongly installed or the quality of workmanship and materials is unacceptable. 2.0_Green_home_energy_consumer_guide_FINAL_links.pdf

The design of the ECO scheme is set out in regulations approved by the Westminster Parliament and as directed by UK Ministers. Consumer protection, as well as regulation of the financial services sector and business regulation more generally are reserved matters for the UK Government. Consumer compensation schemes will therefore be a matter primarily for the UK Government to consider.

Scottish Ministers have repeatedly raised our concerns and proposed changes to the ECO scheme to the previous UK Government.

The Scottish Government’s Reaching 100% (R100) programme is delivered through three key strands of activity – the over £600 million R100 contracts (North, Central and South), the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (R100 SBVS) and continued commercial coverage which includes emerging technologies such as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite connections.

Our address checker at www.scotlandsuperfast.com shows the most recent digital connectivity plans and timescales for residential and business properties across Scotland that are scheduled to receive an improved broadband connection via the R100 contracts. It is not possible to show digital connectivity timescales for the R100 SBVS as this is a demand-led scheme, which means it is up to eligible property owners or residents to decide whether they wish to secure a connection in this way.

In the context of unauthorised work and listed buildings, Historic Environment Scotland’s role is advisory. Historic Environment Scotland has no legal powers in relation to enforcement and listed buildings in general, nor in ensuring that consultation occurs or that the minimum works needed to make a dangerous building safe are carried out. Legal powers related to enforcement and listed buildings lie with the planning authority and, in some circumstances, Scottish Ministers.

The review of the Preparing Scotland guidance has been completed by officials within Civil Contingencies Division in early 2024 as initially planned. Due to a number of competing demands on the time of responder agencies, and a range of other consultations and requests for participation in working groups etc, the draft document has not yet been circulated for consultation and approval. This decision has also been influenced by the fact that the existing guidance is still current, valid and fit for purpose and therefore there is no immediate disadvantage or danger in postponing the circulation in favour of other work. It is expected to consult on the refreshed guidance by summer 2025.