- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the community needs assessments carried out on Cowal and Rosneath public ferry routes in the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services contract.
Answer
The contents of the report remain under consideration by Ministers and Transport Scotland. The report will be published once that process has been completed.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged:
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how it will support local authority leisure services to (a) develop and (b) deliver community-based rehabilitation services.
Answer
As set out in the Once for Scotland Rehabilitation Approach, good rehabilitation happens when health care, social care, leisure and third and independent sectors work together to support individuals to access the right kind of rehabilitation for them, at the right time.
The Approach describes the standards expected of NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships, working together with these partners, to develop and deliver community-based rehabilitation services using their collective resources. We also encourage and support self-management to help improve individuals’ functional abilities and live well with long-term conditions.
- Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to promote coordination between schools and mental health services.
Answer
The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is a top priority for the Scottish Government.
We continue to provide £16 million a year to ensure that every secondary school has access to school counselling services. Our guidance makes clear that local authorities should consider how links between schools, and their local community health and social services, and relevant third-sector organisations can be made to ensure a holistic child-centred approach.
The Scottish Government is also providing local authorities with £15 million per annum to deliver community-based mental health and wellbeing supports and services for children and young people. Our supporting Framework for this funding advocates a whole-system approach and makes clear that community supports and services should work closely with schools to ensure that there are clear and streamlined pathways to support for children and young people, and that local partnerships should be explicit about how different services should work together.
It is a matter for local authorities to decide how services work together in individual areas.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has frozen the Nature Restoration Fund.
Answer
The Nature Restoration Fund has not been frozen.
The competitive strand of our Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) is currently supporting more than 65 projects, and has offered support to over 200 projects, collectively worth more than £15 million, delivering exciting on the ground activity to protect and restore Scotland’s biodiversity. You can view the Nature Restoration Fund story map to see the range of projects supported across Scotland.
There has been a tremendous response across Scotland in terms of applications to the NRF such that the capital budget for delivery projects in 2024-25 is currently fully committed. NatureScot are, however, accepting applications to the NRF for development projects and for delivery projects starting in April 2025 (up to one year).
In addition, the Edinburgh Process strand of the NRF has so far directed over £17 million to support nature restoration projects directed by local authorities and our National Parks. A further £5 million of funding will be provided in 2024-25.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what options are available for early retirement under the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme (STPS), and how any such options impact the final pension amount that a teacher receives.
Answer
There are three early retirement options available to members of the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme who have reached normal minimum pension age:
- Premature Retirement is an option if a member is made redundant or retires in the interest of efficiency. The pension would be actuarially reduced because the member is retiring early and employer must agree to make up the shortfall to the full pension amount. Therefore, there is no impact on the final pension amount the member receives.
- Voluntary Early Retirement is where the member chooses to receives an actuarially reduced pension. The benefits are reduced to take into account the fact the pension will be paid over a longer period of time than a normal retirement pension.
- Phased Retirement allows members to take up to 75% of their pension while reducing their working commitment. To do this, members must reduce their pensionable salary by at least 20% for a minimum of 12 months. Any percentage of pension benefits taken before normal pension age would be subject to an actuarial reduction.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made towards the adoption of a single clinical pathway for coeliac disease.
Answer
Following the launch of a new national evidence-based pathway for coeliac disease in 2018, we expect all Health Boards to fully implement the Coeliac Disease Pathway in Scotland to improve under diagnosis, time to diagnosis and to ensure dietetic person-centred support for people living with this condition so that they can take control and manage its impact on their health and quality of life.
Our £70 million Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan is increasing capacity and supporting workforce training. This also includes a commitment to promote and implement guidelines for non-biopsy diagnosis for coeliac disease, which is expected to reduce waiting times for diagnosis for this condition.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether the recent teacher pay settlements impact the future value of teacher pensions, and, if so, what steps are being taken to mitigate any potential negative effects.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not consider there are any potentially negative effects of the recent teacher pay settlement on the future value of teachers pensions. The impact will be taken into account as part of the 2024 scheme actuarial valuation which measures the costs of the benefits being provided and informs the future contribution rates to be paid by employers in order to ensure sustainability.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will urgently seek to revise the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2024, which was laid before the Parliament on 28 March 2024 and is due to come into effect on 24 May 2024, in light of reported concerns that it will lead to irreversible heritage loss in conservation areas as a result of it designating uPVC windows as a permitted development where they are defined as "substantially the same" as existing windows, and such a definition being too vague.
Answer
The Scottish Parliament Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee considered the negative instrument on 14 May and agreed to make no recommendations. The legislation comes into force on 24 May 2024.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures the smooth transition for teachers moving between the Scottish Teachers' Superannuation Scheme (STSS) and the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme 2015 (STPS 2015), in order to avoid any loss of pension benefits.
Answer
The value of members’ benefits accrued in the Scottish Teachers’ Superannuation Scheme (STSS) are protected by transitional protections on moving to the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme 2015. These protections include a Final Salary Link which provides that members’ final salary pension from the STSS is based on their pensionable salary at the point they finally retire and not at the point they transition to the 2015 Scheme.
- Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 May 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 23 May 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of rising living costs, whether it is considering any measures to increase the pension payments for current retirees who are members of the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme (STPS).
Answer
Pensions in payment from the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme are protected against inflation and are adjusted each April in line with the Consumer Prices Index. In April 2023, pensions increased by 10.1% and in April 2024 by a further 6.7%.