Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00871 on 5 July 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 refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00871 on 5 July 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 refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00871 on 5 July 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.

Consumer protection remains reserved to the UK Government but through advice and advocacy, we are doing all we can with them to support consumers.

Consumer Scotland will have a general function of providing consumers advocacy and advice with a view to reduce harm to consumers in Scotland. The board was formally appointed on 1 July 2021.

Any specific complaint should be directed to the consumeradvice.scot consumer helpline funded by the Scottish Government.

In 2020/21 the key focus of the National Transition Training Fund (NTTF) was supporting those individuals and sectors affected by the economic impact of Covid-19. As part of this, a number of projects offered support for skills needs linked to the transition to net zero. This included wind turbine safety training, green construction provided through the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, and heat in buildings training such as the installation of heat pumps. Delivery of the Year One projects continues in colleges and universities until the end of the academic year and we will report on the training provided and its outcomes when the full year’s data is available.

In Year Two, NTTF has a broadened remit to address the economic impact of both Covid-19 and Brexit and also to support emerging skills needs to support the transition to net zero.

Of the initial 25 projects in Year Two announced by the First Minister on June 16 2021, a number will support transition, with details set out in the following table:-

We worked closely with the Scottish FA, Glasgow City Council, Police Scotland and other partners on preparations for UEFA EURO 2020, including the four matches at Hampden Park and the Glasgow Green Fan Zone.

The Scottish Government understand the concerns that some expressed in relation to the lack of catering available at Hampden, especially in light of the extended period of time spectators are required to be in the stadium.

Unfortunately, concessions stands were not in operation for the EURO 2020 matches at Hampden as a result of the venue overlay required in response to Covid 19 operational planning considerations. This is to ensure that physical distancing was possible in concourses when people are moving to and from their seats on entry and exit and when going to the toilet.

However, free drinking water was provided and spectators were allowed to bring a small amount of food (e.g sandwiches, snack bars, chocolate bars, crisps, fruit) into the stadium.

UEFA asked that the food was packaged in clear bags that were provided to spectators at the start of the entry procedures to the stadium. Each spectator was allowed to take one bag into the stadium and spectators were not able to bring bottles, cans or any form of drinks containers into the stadium. The merchandising stalls were all positioned out with the stadium, within the secure perimeter and had no impact on the mitigations in place within the stadium.

The application of necessary mitigations, and the actual experience at the event was monitored on an ongoing basis.

I appreciate how difficult postponement of treatment has been for people with chronic pain. We want to ensure people with chronic pain can access appropriate support, however we are aware of the challenges facing specialist pain services as they continue to remobilise during the pandemic.

We remain committed to ensuring that Health Boards resume a full range of specialist pain services as quickly as it is safe to do so and in September 2020 we published the COVID-19 Recovery Framework for NHS Pain Management Services to support Boards in this process. As set out in the Framework, we recognise that pain has a significant impact on people’s quality of life, and Health Boards are expected to triage cases locally based on clinical need and in line with advice from expert clinical organisations, including the Faculty of Pain Medicine and the British Pain Society. Furthermore, the Framework for Clinical Prioritisation published in November 2020 outlines that people awaiting treatment who are experiencing worsening or existing pain should be considered for prioritisation in line with the principles of active waiting list management.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00914 on 5 July 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.

The National Advisory Committee for Chronic Pain (NACCP) meets quarterly, with the most recent meeting taking place on the 26 May, and outputs from its discussions are used to update Ministers as required and inform the ongoing development of the new Framework for Chronic Pain Service Delivery which is intended for public consultation later this year.

The Committee provides advice to the Scottish Government to inform national policy. As set out in its Terms of Reference, the NACCP is an advisory group which seeks to achieve consensus based on the shared knowledge and experience of the members on an equal basis. The membership of the Committee comprises representatives from the Scottish Government, NHS services, clinical, third-sector and research sectors, and following a review last year, an increased number of people with lived experience of chronic pain.

In addition to the individual people with lived experience who provide input as members of the NACCP, officials have also consulted the wider Chronic Pain Patient Reference Group which is supported by the Health and Social Care Alliance. In advance of the Framework being finalised officials will work with the Alliance to identify opportunities to consult with people with lived experience of chronic pain.

The Scottish Government engages closely with Historic Environment Scotland (HES) on an ongoing basis on its work to develop and deliver protect historic buildings from the effects of climate change.

HES’s Corporate Plan is agreed with Ministers and includes a commitment to respond to the challenges of climate change by better understanding, managing and mitigating its impacts on the historic environment. A link to the plan is provided below:

• https://www.historicenvironment.scot/archives-and-research/publications/publication/?publicationId=1f65f457-a602-4ddc-af61-aa2500933d61

In delivering Scotland’s strategy for the historic environment, Our Place in Time (OPiT), HES chairs the Climate Change Working Group. The group’s first major output was A Guide to Climate Change Impacts on Scotland’s Historic Environment , which summarises the risks and hazards facing Scotland’s historic environment and offers routes to take action, to implement adaptation measures and enhance resilience to climate change. A link to this guide is provided below:

• https://www.historicenvironment.scot/archives-and-research/publications/publication/?publicationId=843d0c97-d3f4-4510-acd3-aadf0118bf82

HES has published a number of other key strategy documents, recognising the challenges facing Scotland’s historic environment as a result of climate change and setting out routes to take action, implement adaptation measures and enhance resilience to climate change. HES also publishes a range of research and guidance for traditional and historic building owners and managers to support energy efficiency and climate change adaptation.

The Scottish Government and HES have also worked collaboratively in partnership on a range of projects delivered through the Scottish Government’s Adaptation Scotland programme, including projects which provide key resources for those managing climate change impacts on the historic environment.