Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-09316

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 6 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will match the amount of grant funding that it offers to farmers and crofters through its Agriculture Transformation Fund with that of the UK Government’s Slurry Infrastructure grant.

The full amount of the Agriculture Transformation Fund of £5 million, which is part of wider transformative actions including the National Test programme, has been allocated to the Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grant Scheme (SACGS) 2022 which will provide support for low emission slurry spreading equipment and slurry store covers only. Support for slurry infrastructure is offered through the Agri-environment Climate Scheme (AECS) which provides support to farmers and crofters within the SEPA identified priority catchments. Retaining the arrangements for the slurry storage options under AECS reflects the overall capital picture for 2022-23 which is more constrained than in previous years.

Agriculture is devolved and it is for each part of the UK to develop policies for its own circumstances. We will continue to support the rural economy with stability and simplicity until 2025 and we remain committed to supporting active farming and food production with direct payments. EU Exit means we no longer have long-term certainty of funding and unilateral choices imposed by HM Treasury provide insufficient replacement EU budget. The support offered reflects this position and the available budget.

Question reference: S6W-09317

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 6 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government’s Slurry Infrastructure grant offering funding of between £25,000 and £250,000, for what reason its Agriculture Transformation Fund only offers grants up to £20,000 towards slurry infrastructure investment.

The full amount of the Agriculture Transformation Fund of £5 million has been allocated to the Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grant Scheme (SACGS) 2022 which has been designed to focus support on low emission slurry spreading equipment and slurry store covers that are proven to lower ammonia emissions and reduce adverse impacts on water quality resulting from the storage and spreading of livestock slurry and digestate. The amount of grant on offer has been based on standard costs and is set at a level that is proportionate to the costs of the eligible equipment.

Agriculture is devolved and it is for each part of the UK to develop policies for its own circumstances. We will continue to support the rural economy with stability and simplicity until 2025 and we remain committed to supporting active farming and food production with direct payments. EU Exit means we no longer have long-term certainty of funding and unilateral choices imposed by HM Treasury provide insufficient replacement EU budget. The support offered reflects this position and the available budget.

Question reference: S6W-09349

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many schools requested copies of the commemorative book for Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee for their pupils, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-09347

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps were taken to promote the offer of a free commemorative book on Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee to school children in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-09686

Asked by: Gillian Martin, MSP for Aberdeenshire East, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 July 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Humza Yousaf on 6 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address long waits for planned care.

We know that long waits have grown as a result of the pandemic, which is why we now need to focus on treating people that are waiting too long for treatment. That is why I am announcing a new set of targets for NHS Scotland to address the backlog of planned care, including some of the most ambitious targets in the UK. The targets are to eliminate:

two year waits for outpatients in most specialities by the end of August 2022
18 month waits for outpatients in most specialities by the end of December 2022
one year waits for outpatients in most specialities by the end of March 2023
two years waits for inpatient / daycases in most specialities by the end of September 2022
18 month waits for inpatient / daycases in most specialities by the end of September 2023
one year waits for inpatient / daycases in most specialities by the end of September 2024

These targets are very ambitious and will require a strong focussed approach to successfully achieve them. However it is important to note that a small number of patients will be unable to have their procedure within these timeframes for personal or clinical reasons.

Patients will be offered appointments as local to them as possible but some may be offered alternatives outwith their local health board area to reduce waiting times, for example, the Golden Jubilee University National Hospital or at National Treatment Centres as they become operational over the next year.

The approach will build on the success of the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CFSD), which was established to drive innovation and introduce new ways of delivering care that will create additional capacity for inpatient, day case and outpatients.

The National Clinical Prioritisation Framework was also updated last month to provide flexibility in managing waiting lists, to ensure any patient waiting over two years is prioritised and treated, as well as those who require urgent clinical care.

Funding for the new drive will come from the £1 billion allocated for the NHS Recovery Plan.

Question reference: S6W-09368

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 6 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the updated draft fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4), and whether it will consult on the updated draft NPF4 once it is published.

On 22 June I wrote to the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee, confirming that I now intend to lay a revised NPF4 in the Scottish Parliament in the autumn. This is in order to ensure there is sufficient time to give full consideration to the detailed responses submitted during the consultation period and to ensure that the finalised version is robust for the important role NPF4 will have in the planning system. Once we have assessed the scale of changes to be made following the public consultation and Scottish Parliament scrutiny of the draft NPF4, I will be in a position to decide whether further consultation is necessary.

Question reference: S6W-09290

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 6 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to ensure that newly qualified teachers are able to secure a post in their own, or a nearby, local authority.

Local authorities are responsible for the recruitment and deployment of their staff. They have the autonomy to provide incentives to attract teachers to their area, and we know some have offered initiatives like free housing for an extended period.

During their probation year, Newly Qualified Teachers on the Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) choose five local authorities where they are willing to work to complete their probation year, and are allocated a place balancing their choice with local need.

Question reference: S6W-09631

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-09632

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-09423

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 June 2022
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 July 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the Short Life Food Security and Supply Taskforce will publish its short-term recommendations.

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