Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-12875

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether minimum unit pricing has achieved its aims, in light of reports that 2021 saw the highest number of alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland since 2008.

We are currently in the process of evaluating minimum unit pricing (MUP) as a whole over its first five years of operation. Public Health Scotland will be producing a final report on MUP in 2023, which will inform our evaluation report which will be laid in Parliament and published in 2023.

We will review the final evaluation report from Public Health Scotland before drawing overall conclusions on whether the policy has achieved its aims.

Question reference: S6W-12874

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 13 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to alcohol-dependent people with mental health problems.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring people get access to person-centred support that is tailored to their needs. Through working directly with a wide range of stakeholders, which encompasses both NHS directors as well as Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) service leads and third sector organisations, a range of work is underway to ensure that any person that presents at any service with a mental health or substance use issue is offered support and guidance throughout their treatment.

This includes the recent Rapid Review of Mental Health and Substance Use Services; the development and implementation of standards for adult secondary mental health services, alongside the Healthcare Improvement Scotland Pathfinder project to design new approaches to care for people with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues.

The recently published summary of the 2021-2022 ADP annual survey reported that, over nine in ten (92%) ADPs routinely offer mental health support for people who use drugs or alcohol.

We will continue to work closely with local authorities, health and social care partnerships and people with lived experience to improve services and outcomes for people.

Question reference: S6W-12458

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the final recommendations from the Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 (STPR2).

The suite of final reports presenting the recommendations of the Second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) will be published on the Transport Scotland website on Thursday 8 December 2022. This represents a key milestone for strategic transport planning in Scotland. Setting out a 20 year framework for capital investment to drive the change we need to achieve the Scottish Government’s strategic vision and move towards Net Zero – the majority of the 45 recommendations contribute directly towards achieving emissions reduction.

This marks the culmination of over three years’ intensive work.

The evidence gathering and robust objective-led appraisal work feeding in to this review has been informed by stakeholder engagement from the very outset. The public have been provided with several opportunities for involvement, not least the three month statutory consultation on draft versions of the reports during January to April 2022. All responses to this have been carefully considered and used to inform refinement of the final recommendations.

The intention was to publish a Delivery Plan for these recommendations, alongside the final report. However, due to the current huge lack of certainty around available capital budget and fiscal policy over recent months, this has not been possible as yet. As such the Delivery Plan will follow in 2023, which will include more detail on prioritisation and delivery timescales, however, I am pleased to note that work is already underway on 38 of the 45 recommendations.

Question reference: S6W-12462

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a date set for the publication of the Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 (STPR2).

The suite of final reports presenting the recommendations of the Second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) will be published on the Transport Scotland website on Thursday 8 December 2022. This represents a key milestone for strategic transport planning in Scotland. Setting out a 20 year framework for capital investment to drive the change we need to achieve the Scottish Government’s strategic vision and move towards Net Zero – the majority of the 45 recommendations contribute directly towards achieving emissions reduction.

This marks the culmination of over three years’ intensive work.

The evidence gathering and robust objective-led appraisal work feeding in to this review has been informed by stakeholder engagement from the very outset. The public have been provided with several opportunities for involvement, not least the three month statutory consultation on draft versions of the reports during January to April 2022. All responses to this have been carefully considered and used to inform refinement of the final recommendations.

The intention was to publish a Delivery Plan for these recommendations, alongside the final report. However, due to the current huge lack of certainty around available capital budget and fiscal policy over recent months, this has not been possible as yet. As such the Delivery Plan will follow in 2023, which will include more detail on prioritisation and delivery timescales, however, I am pleased to note that work is already underway on 38 of the 45 recommendations.

Question reference: S6O-01698

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the final recommendations of the Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 will be published.

Question reference: S6W-12459

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when Transport Scotland and the UK Government will next meet to discuss the A75.

Question reference: S6W-12460

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether a timetable has been established for discussions between Transport Scotland and the UK Government regarding improvements to the A75.

Question reference: S6W-12331

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 5 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26208 by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 November 2019, how many hen harrier nests there have been on (a) RSPB and (b) non-RSPB reserves in each of the last five years, and what information it has on how many failed to have any chicks fledge, broken down by the reason for such failure.

Question reference: S6O-01645

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to Historic Environment Scotland to ensure heritage sites are fully reopened as soon as possible.

Question reference: S6W-12208

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 30 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that in Dumfries and Galloway some dentists have advised constituents that if parents/guardians register as private patients then their children will be registered as NHS patients in the same practice.

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