Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01556 on 4 August 2021. 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 .

I am meeting with the industry on a weekly basis to address the supply chain issues, which are due to a number of factors including the COVID-19 pandemic and EU Exit.

Data from the fortnightly Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) provides us with an insight into the impact on the construction industry in Scotland, for example:

• In Wave 34 of the survey (covering the period 28 June 2021 to 11 July 2021), 59.6% of Construction businesses reported that the prices of materials, goods or services bought in the last two weeks had increased by more than normal price fluctuations. The proportion of Construction businesses reporting that prices had increased more than normal has been rising since April 2021 (32.7% in Wave 29).
• In Wave 33 of the survey (covering the period 14 June 2021 to 27 June 2021), 50.1% of applicable Construction businesses reported that they were able to get the materials, goods or services they needed from the EU in the past two weeks, but 36.6% reported that the business had to change suppliers or find alternative solutions, and a further 13.3% reported that they had not been able to get the materials, goods or services needed. The proportion of Construction businesses reporting that they had been able to access materials has been declining since April 2021 (83.0% in Wave 29), and Construction businesses reporting that they had not been able to access materials has increased since April 2021 (8.1% in Wave 29).

The latest data from the Scottish Government analysis of the BICS is available at: BICS weighted Scotland estimates: data to wave 34 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Property transactions involving the sale of land and leases of 20 years and over are usually registered in the Land Register of Scotland. The register is managed and maintained by the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland as required by the Land Registration etc. (Scotland) Act 2012. The register contains information on the parties to registered deeds (the buyer and the seller) but not on the status of those parties (ie whether they are private sector or public sector).

The Scottish Government has committed to undertake a review of the Welfare Fund, including examination of its funding, administration, promotion, take-up and accessibility. The detailed scope, delivery and timescales of the review will be determined in due course. We intend to commence it during the first year of the new parliament.

Ear wax removal services are available through the NHS.

How to treat ear wax is a clinical decision; ear syringing is not the current preferred procedure and is no longer routinely provided by clinicians.

The NHS has continued to provide services to patients throughout the pandemic. However, due to the pressures of the pandemic some routine condition management has needed to be paused but only in those instances where it is safe to do so.

While the regulation of consumer protection is reserved to the UK Government, the Scottish Government supports this right for consumers in relation to faulty goods. It provides clarity to businesses about their obligations to their consumers and helps businesses to ensure that any complaints are handled quickly and easily. The UK Government published an Impact Assessment in January 2014 which estimated the net annual cost to UK businesses at £2.78m. No separate impact assessment was carried out for Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not hold data centrally on how many people have been referred by their GP to mental health services.

Public Health Scotland have provided the following table information showing the number of mental health inpatients referred by their GP for the calendar years 2016 to 2020, broken down by year of admission and NHS board of treatment. This information will not show referrals to non-statutory mental health services which routinely are not recorded. Patients will be counted multiple times if they have been admitted within the same board in different years, or different boards in the same year, or both. Complete figures for 2021 cannot yet be provided.

At its heart, Scotland’s Baby Box strongly signals our determination that every child, regardless of their circumstances, should get the best start in life by ensuring that every family with a newborn has access to essential items needed in the first six months of a child’s life. It’s a simple idea which helps to tackle deprivation, improve health and support parents during the first few months of their child’s life.

To ensure that Scotland’s Baby Box is delivered in as cost effective manner as possible, the box and its contents are bought in bulk aligned to Scotland’s birth rate to maximise efficiency savings and the operation and delivery of the Baby Boxes is streamlined to provide the best value for money while maintaining the highest quality of service. Any customisation of the box and its contents would result in a cost increase to the overall programme.

The Baby Box balances practical items, such as the clothing, changing mat, digital thermometer and bath & room thermometer with items designed to have a positive impact on parent-child interaction such as books, a baby wrap and a play mat to support attachment, early learning and play. The current box and its contents have been shaped by the evaluation of the initial pilot http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/06/8891 and ongoing feedback from health professionals and families.

The Scottish Government continues to monitor the Baby Box programme and has commissioned an independent evaluation of Scotland’s Baby Boxes which will be published later this year.

The timetable that we have set to fund all deferrals from August 2023 is realistic and ensures that the roll out of 1140 hours of funded early learning and childcare to all eligible children from August 2021 is not put at risk.

To progress implementation, the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) have agreed a Joint Implementation Plan under which local authorities will pilot early implementation of this obligation in 2021-22 and 2022-23. The local authorities who are piloting this approach from August 2021 will be: Angus; Argyll and Bute; Falkirk; Scottish Borders; and the Shetland Islands. The Scottish Government has committed £3 million to support the pilot authorities this financial year.

We have committed to working to increase the number of authorities implementing the obligation fully or partially from August 2022, to further increase our evidence base ahead of the legislation coming into force the following year.

The reusable nappy voucher was first included in Scotland’s Baby Box in April 2019. The number of nappies claimed each year was as follows:

2019 – 4912

2020 – 7192

2021 – 3128 (this is up to 02-07-2021)