- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with ChargePlace Scotland regarding the roll-out of its new payment system and any issues that it has caused to drivers.
Answer
The ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) operator is contractually obliged to continually improve the quality of the service for drivers. This includes a necessary shift from monthly billing to pay-as-you-go payment for charging using the CPS card or mobile app. This enables an experience akin to how drivers pay for petrol and diesel at traditional forecourts and has been widely welcomed by users. This has necessitated the migration to a new payment service provider (PSP).
Transport Scotland officials and the CPS operator have held regular discussions about future enhancements, including the planned roll-out of the new PSP. Following the launch of the new PSP on 24 April this year, the CPS operator immediately notified Transport Scotland about the emergence of a technical issue which impacted less than 1% of CPS users. The CPS operator has provided regular briefings to Transport Scotland on the cause, impact and corrective actions, including advanced notice of the resolution that was implemented on 10 May.
The CPS operator will provide Transport Scotland with a detailed report on the issue, Transport Scotland officials will also meet senior managers from the CPS operator to discuss key lessons learned.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 29 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-25868 by Mairi McAllan on 4 March 2024, whether it will provide an update on when in summer 2024 it will publish its Green Industrial Strategy.
Answer
The global transition to net zero offers enormous economic opportunities for Scotland. Our Green Industrial Strategy will set out how the Scottish Government will help businesses and investors to realise these opportunities. We will confirm when our Green Industrial Strategy will be published in due course.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 29 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the updated Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan, as set out in its Programme for Government 2023-24.
Answer
As the Government has previously set out, we intend to strategically align green skills policy and planning behind our wider net zero and economic growth priorities so that it is fulsome, integrated and better reflects the pervasive issue of skills planning. We will therefore integrate the next phase of our work on green skills into the Just Transition Plans and other planned activity, rather than through a separate CESAP update.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported issues caused by the new ChargePlace Scotland payment system, what action it is taking to prevent a similar situation arising again.
Answer
In accordance with the ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) contract, the CPS operator will provide Transport Scotland with a written report outlining the cause, impact and actions take to rectify the issues which recently affected less than 1% of CPS members. The report will also detail steps that will be taken to mitigate the risk of future occurrences. Transport Scotland officials will meet senior managers from the CPS operator to discuss key lessons learned.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what the timeframe is for the contract with SWARCO to operate ChargePlace Scotland, and what provisions are in the contract with SWARCO, including in relation to early termination for poor performance.
Answer
The current ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) framework agreement is due to end February 2025 with the call-off contract running until mid-2026. The framework agreement, which includes provisions for the circumstances in which early termination would be appropriate, have been published on Transport Scotland’s public facing website: ChargePlace Scotland Framework Agreement 2021 | Transport Scotland.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on phase 2 of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB2) funding; a list of successful applicants to the fund, and whether it has any plans to introduce a future funding stream targeted to smaller community transport operators.
Answer
Final applications to the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund (ScotZEB2) were received in January 2024. An announcement about the outcome of the applications is expected in the near future.
To date, through ScotZEB 1 and the previous two rounds of the Scottish Ultra Low Emissions Bus Scheme, the Scottish Government has provided £113 million capital funding for 548 public service zero emission buses. There are currently no plans to introduce further direct funding programmes for zero emission buses. ScotZEB 2 has been designed to support bus and coach operators, manufacturers, local authorities, financiers and the energy sector to make the market for zero-emission vehicles and infrastructure commercially self-sustaining without further funding from the government.
Unlike previous schemes, school buses, community buses, and tourist and private-hire coaches were eligible for inclusion in ScotZEB 2 in addition to public service buses. ScotZEB 2 was preceded by a market transition scheme in 2022-23 which provided financial support to SMEs to assess their options to decarbonise their vehicles, allowing them to participate in the development of consortia bidding for ScotZEB 2 funding.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 29 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) guidance and (b) policies are in place to safeguard against any unpaid individuals being deployed to perform duties and roles that would normally be undertaken by NHS employees.
Answer
NHS Boards have a responsibility for ensuring they have the right workforce in place at all times to provide safe and high quality patient care.
There is a long history of volunteer services in NHS Scotland, and we are thankful to those who chose to volunteer. Volunteer services are not however there to replace the core workforce, and we expect all NHS Boards to have policies and procedures in place to ensure that volunteers are used appropriately, and only specifically for volunteering services. Volunteers are subject to the same safety checks as NHS staff, including PVG and Disclosure.
- Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the phenomenon know as wind theft where larger turbines built near existing turbines impact on the electricity generated.
Answer
The selection of a site and the configuration of wind turbines is a matter for the wind farm developer. This process involves comprehensive analysis to ensure the most suitable placement and design for wind turbines. Developers may have to balance the benefits of a compact site, which can minimise construction cost, and the gains from maximising energy capture from greater separation distances.
Policy 11: Energy of National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) states that potential cumulative impacts are important considerations in the decision-making process. All applications are subject to site-specific assessments.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 29 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-27215 by Angela Constance on 13 May 2024, whether it will provide a breakdown of the figures by (a) remand and (b) convicted population, also broken down by those aged (i) under 16, (ii) between 16 and 18 and (iii) between 19 and 21.
Answer
On the morning of 6 May 2024 there were 192 people under the age of 21 held in the prison estate, and a further 96 aged 21. This population is broken down by index offence group, age group and legal status as defined in the question in the following table.
The age categories as defined expand the population subgroup previously analysed. We have therefore provided age groups (iii).a) the 19-20 age group and (iii).b) 21-year-olds.
The legal status categories provided differ from our normal presentation as specified in the question. The group "(a) remand" includes only untried prisoners, while group "(b) convicted" includes both those serving a sentence and those convicted awaiting sentencing (which would normally be included in the "remand" category in our statistical outputs).
Where individuals in custody are accused or convicted of multiple offences, these are summarised by index offence. This is the offence for which they have received the longest sentence or, where they are on remand, which would on average receive the longest sentence. Some offences cannot be classified in this way because the charges originate in other jurisdictions or because the data required was not available at the time the snapshot was taken.
Age Group | Index Offence Group | (a) Remand (Untried only) | (b) Convicted (Awaiting Sentence & Sentenced) | Total |
(i) under 16 | Age Group Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |
(ii) between 16 and 18 (inclusive) | Group 1: Non-sexual crimes of violence | 10 | 12 | 22 |
| Group 2: Sexual crimes | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Group 3: Crimes of dishonesty | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Group 4: Damage and reckless behaviour | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Group 5: Crimes against society | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Group 6: Antisocial offences | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Age Group Total | 14 | 21 | 35 |
(iii).a) 19-20 (inclusive) (to match S6W-27215 total) | Group 1: Non-sexual crimes of violence | 25 | 59 | 84 |
| Group 2: Sexual crimes | 6 | 19 | 25 |
| Group 3: Crimes of dishonesty | 1 | 13 | 14 |
| Group 4: Damage and reckless behaviour | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Group 5: Crimes against society | 10 | 7 | 17 |
| Group 6: Antisocial offences | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Group 8: Road traffic offences | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Group 77: Other Jurisdiction Charge | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Could not be classified | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Age Group Total | 46 | 111 | 157 |
(iii).b) additional population to 21 (inclusive) | Group 1: Non-sexual crimes of violence | 8 | 29 | 37 |
| Group 2: Sexual crimes | 8 | 16 | 24 |
| Group 3: Crimes of dishonesty | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Group 5: Crimes against society | 9 | 13 | 22 |
| Group 6: Antisocial offences | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Group 7: Miscellaneous offences | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Group 8: Road traffic offences | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Other Jurisdiction Charge | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Could not be classified | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Age Group Total | 27 | 69 | 96 |
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 13 May 2024
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 29 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to improve access to real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rt-CGM) systems for people living with (a) type 1 and (b) type 2 diabetes.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people with diabetes to receive the best care, treatment and support. This year, we are investing £8.8 million of additional funding to support increased provision of Hybrid Closed Loop Systems (CLS) to those living with Type 1 diabetes in Scotland. The focus will primarily be on providing access to all children with Type 1 diabetes who want a CLS but will also allow us to continue increasing access to adults.
For people living with Type 2 diabetes, there is clear evidence on when real-time continuous glucose monitors should be offered. Guidelines for Type 2 diabetes ensure that people are able to access a variety of treatments and where appropriate, this is primarily focused on lifestyle support. We understand that demand for technologies is increasing and we will continue to assess where need is unmet.