- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Ben Macpherson on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many playing fields have been sold by local authorities in each year since 1999.
Answer
Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities, separate from the Scottish Government. As such, the information requested is not held by the Scottish Government and would have to be obtained directly from individual local authorities or from COSLA.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many public contracts have been awarded by (a) it and (b) other bodies, to third sector organisations, in each year since 2007, and what the total value is of third sector contracts awarded each year for the same time period.
Answer
The Scottish Government is able to provide details of contracts awarded by itself to third sector organisations however, without disproportionate time, cost and extensive review of many thousands of individual contractual agreements we are unable to provide data for other Public Bodies.
The data provided has been taken from Public Contracts Scotland (PCS), the Scottish Government's advertising portal. The data provided start from 2010 (when PCS was established), and are reliant on suppliers self-selecting their third sector status.
Details of contracts-frameworks awarded by the Scottish Government to third sector organisations are contained in the following table:
Financial Year | No of Contracts | Value of contracts | No of frameworks suppliers | Value of frameworks |
2010-11 | 0 | £0 | 0 | £0 |
2011-12 | 5 | £590,703 | 2 | £7,299,250 |
2012-13 | 7 | £433,892 | 11 | £5,315,000 |
2013-14 | 10 | £3,479,867 | 7 | £2,554,589 |
2014-15 | 10 | £2,851,200 | 1 | £3,737,510 |
2015-16 | 10 | £7,926,938 | 0 | £0 |
2016-17 | 15 | £3,760,417 | 10 | £4,306,961 |
2017-18 | 24 | £108,463,866 | 13 | £3,046,000 |
2018-19 | 35 | £7,991,836 | 5 | £12,000,000 |
2019-20 | 51 | £8,599,361 | 6 | £1,710,233 |
2020-21 | 40 | £11,726,655 | 0 | £0 |
2021-22 (to date) | 5 | £912,548 | 0 | £0 |
Total | 212 | £156,737,283 | 55 | £39,969,543 |
Please note the cumulative value of contracts-frameworks, are for the lifetime of the agreement (these are not annual figures).
The values shown are anticipated at the point of contract-framework award. Actual spend may vary dependant on factors such as usage of the agreement.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce the illegal trade in puppies.
Answer
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 were approved by the Scottish Parliament on 10 February 2021 and will come into force on 1 September 2021. These regulations are concerned with modernising the licensing of dog, cat and rabbit breeding activities, pet selling - including the trade in young dogs, the operation of animal sanctuaries and animal rehoming activities.
Additionally, the Scottish Government works closely with a number of animal welfare organisations, other UK Government departments, the veterinary sector and enforcement agencies on the Puppy Trade Working Group to disrupt the activities of unlicensed and/or low welfare breeders and educate the public about how best to buy a puppy safely.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have presented with alcohol addiction issues in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
The information requested is publically available from PHS. This release provides information on alcohol-related inpatient and day case activity within general acute and psychiatric hospitals in Scotland. The release covers general acute hospital activity for the financial years 1981 to 1982, until 2019 to 2020 and psychiatric hospital admissions from 1997 to 1998 until 2018 to 2019. Due to limited data completeness the psychiatric hospital admissions were not updated for the financial year 2019 to 2020.
The most recent publication is available here Alcohol related hospital statistics - Scotland financial year 2019 to 2020 - Alcohol related hospital statistics - Publications - Public Health Scotland.
More detailed information on alcohol treatment will become available for future years following the full implementation of the DAISy system which went live from 1 December 2020.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on (a) how much of the reported £200 million for rail improvement works as part of the Aberdeen City Region Deal to reduce journey times between Aberdeen and the central belt has been spent, (b) what it has been spent on, (c) how much of any remaining funds it plans to spend on the railway between Aberdeen and Dundee, and (d) what time saving has been achieved on the route between Aberdeen and Dundee.
Answer
By way of an update against the progress of the Aberdeen to Central belt rail project:-
(a) £1.68 million has been spent on this project to date.
(b) This funding has been used i) to identify the signalling and infrastructure interventions that enable the required capacity enhancements and journey time savings, and ii) on commencing the sifting process to select the options that, within the budget, will achieve the maximum benefits.
(c) the remaining amount of £198.32 million will be spent on delivering the enhancements that are identified at the option selection stage as providing the maximum benefits for the north east.
and (d) journey times savings achieved between Dundee and Aberdeen up to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic equated to an average of three minutes northbound and four minutes southbound.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Scottish National Party manifesto commitment, whether it will provide additional funding to NHS Grampian to help to re-open Insch War Memorial Hospital, and, if so, by what date the additional funding will be made available.
Answer
NHS Grampian’s current closure of Insch War Memorial Hospital is a temporary measure due to pressures resulting from the pandemic. Health and social care services continue to be delivered to the people of Insch and its surrounding areas.
Future use of the hospital will be shaped by the strategic needs assessment (SNA) of health and social care provision and services in Insch and the surrounding areas, which is currently underway. In consultation with the local community, the SNA will look at how health and care services can be improved and adapted to develop options for service delivery models that best meet the current and future needs of the local population. Further information on the SNA, including outline timetable is publicly available via: https://engage.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/insch-strategic-needs-assessment .
Over the next decade the Scottish Government will invest £10 billion in health infrastructure, which will include support for renewal or upgrading of primary and community facilities. The SNA that Aberdeenshire Integration Joint Board is carrying out will inform plans for investing in the facilities serving Insch and the surrounding communities.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to facilitate a full return to in-person teaching at colleges.
Answer
Drawing on the expert advice provided through the Covid-19 Advisory Sub-Group on Universities and Colleges, we have been working intensively with student bodies, institutions and trade unions to now have published guidance, which supports the wider resumption of in-person learning and student activities for the next academic year. This focuses on the reduction and management of risk and good practice for achieving this, whilst institutions are also asked to ensure measures go further than the minimum baseline where that is necessary to keep people safe.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what the guidelines are for physical distancing in college and university laboratories.
Answer
Physical distancing requirements were removed on 09 August when all areas in Scotland moved beyond Level 0, although some precautionary measures will continue to be in place. The cross-sectoral guidance for laboratories and research facilities has been replaced by a single piece of safer workplaces guidance.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on quarantine requirements for international students.
Answer
Requirements for entering Scotland are currently aligned on a Four Nations basis and differ depending on whether the individual arrives from a red, amber or green listed country.
All arrivals are required to provide a negative Covid-19 test in the three days prior to travel, they are then required to undertake the following actions:
- Red – studying in the UK is currently one of the allowable reasons for entering Scotland from a red-list country. International students over 18 years old arriving from a country on this list, or who have been in a red list country in the 10 days prior, are required to enter managed quarantine for 10 days.
- Amber – International students arriving from amber-list countries, or who have been in an Amber list country in the 10 days prior, are required to isolate in their place of residence for 10 days, additionally they are required to take a Covid-19 test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8 of their 10 day isolation.
- Green – International students arriving from green-list countries are not required to isolate unless the result of a COVID-19 test taken on day 2 after arriving back in Scotland is positive.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessments it has carried out regarding the impact of the COVID-19 guidance for the performing arts and venues sector, which was issued on the 10 November 2020, particularly on smaller venues and performers.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the severe impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on performing arts and venues, with the necessary restrictions meaning that many activities have had to be suspended. The effects of these restrictions on the performing arts sector has been considered in the various Business and Regulatory Impact Assessments (BRIA) in relation to the impact of the pandemic. These BRIAs have been informed by engagement with relevant businesses.
The latest BRIA , agreed by Ministers on 24 June, considered the available evidence and presented reasonable views of likely costs, benefits and impacts of the measures set out in the regulations and guidance. It was recognised that the limitations on performing arts venues are part of an overall system to balance suppression of the virus while minimising wider harm to Scotland’s health and wellbeing, as well as minimising the wider social and economic harms associated with the measures.
The Scottish Government has recently provided an additional £25 million to businesses in the culture sector, via a second round of the Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund and the Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund, to help mitigate the impact of these necessary restrictions.