Seòmar agus comataidhean

The review of the Scottish Government patient travel guidance is a substantial exercise for the Scottish Government and NHS Boards and, regrettably, has been delayed due to prioritisation of our ongoing response to Covid and remobilisation of services. The review will take full account of the matters raised by Members, and will be taken forward as soon as possible.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10404 on 20 September 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

Tree Planting is a critical element of the Scottish Government’s plans to tackle the climate emergency and help achieve a net-zero Scotland.

Although data on land use prior to woodland establishment is not available, tree planting takes place on a range of land types, including agricultural, former agricultural, sporting, conservation, restored land, on golf courses and in association with built and infrastructure development.

Official statistics show that 82,840 hectares of new woodland was created in Scotland in the last decade.

The programme board is chaired by senior Scottish Government officials and comprises representatives from SEPA, Cosla, Solace and Zero Waste Scotland.

The board regularly reports to Scottish Ministers, and is supported by an advisory group which is composed of industry and local authority representatives.

The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme (SSIP) Lead conducts a review process and meets with all NHS boards to understand the provision of stroke services and create a local action plan to improve performance where needed.

We recognise that the Scottish Stroke Care Standards are challenging for the service and expect Stroke Managed Clinical Networks and Health Boards to work together to drive forward quality improvement programmes of work to achieve these.

The Office for National Statistics confirmed Scottish Canals as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) effective from April 2020. Scottish Canals has a responsibility to ensure that it conducts its core business of maintaining and improving Scotland’s canal network and is resourced by the Scottish Government to do so. Since 2019, the Organisation’s capital Grant in Aid allocation has increased by 87% and this is enabling the Organisation to plan, progress and successfully complete projects of large scale as an NDPB.

Scottish Canals also retains the ability to operate commercially when appropriate and work is currently being undertaken by the Organisation to analyse the success of its investment activities in recent years. This analysis will be shared with the Scottish Government in due course alongside recommendations to Ministers on how the Organisation takes forward its investment activities as an NDPB.

The retail handling fee is intended to ensure that the obligation to operate a return point is cost neutral for retailers. It is for Circularity Scotland Ltd (CSL) to manage this in a way that meets the needs of obligated businesses across Scotland.

Throughout the pandemic, a UK-wide approach to the procurement of therapeutics has been vital to allow the UK to have the buying power to secure significant numbers of therapeutics in a competitive global market. This approach has ensured patients across the UK have had equal access to safe and effective medicines.

Evusheld ® was developed and tested before the emergence of the Omicron variant, and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) conditional marketing authorisation outlined some remaining questions, including how effective Evusheld ® is against Omicron and the duration of its effect against current circulating variants. As a result, there is currently no established supply arrangement for Evusheld ® in the UK. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is carrying out further testing on the effectiveness of Evusheld ® against the Omicron variants which involve “live virus” tests taking place in the lab (“in vitro”). These tests are important because they provide certainty of the effectiveness of Evusheld ® against circulating variants and avoid the risk of introducing new variants through viral mutations.

The Scottish Government continues to closely monitor the outcome of further research to ensure that any decisions to make Evusheld ® available to patients in Scotland in the future are based on the best available evidence.

Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone with liver disease is able to access the best possible care and support and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and person-centred.

Although the Scottish Government has not directly undertaken any analysis into the impact of geographical variation in primary care pathways for the early detection of liver disease, we are aware of the work currently being conducted by one of our partners, British Liver Trust, who are gathering evidence on how best to improve the management of chronic liver disease in primary care.

Like all Non-Departmental Public Bodies, Scottish Canals are required to seek approval from the Scottish Government for funding proposals above agreed threshholds. This ensures that larger projects are both affordable and in the best interests of wider public funds spend.

Proposals relating to Stockingfield Bridge will be subject to this process and will require Scottish Government approval before any undertaking can be made. I have yet to receive such a proposal from Scottish Canals but will of course give any such proposal full consideration.