- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 20 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what the definition of a "family farm" is in its consultation paper, Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation.
Answer
The consultation document puts forward the following criteria for the purpose of defining a landholding as 'large-scale':
a. A fixed threshold of 3000 hectares
b. Land that accounts for more than a fixed percentage of a data zone (or adjacent data zones) or local authority ward(s) designated as an Accessible Rural Area or Remote Rural Area, through our six-fold urban/rural classification scheme (please refer to: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-urban-rural-classification-2016/pages/2/
c. Land that accounts for more than a specified minimum proportion of a permanently inhabited island.
The proposal to set the fixed threshold at 3000 hectares for the purpose of defining a landholding as 'large-scale' reflects a suggestion made by the Scottish Land Commission that the 'aim should be to establish a threshold that would ensure that family farms and small businesses would not fall in scope, but that modest estates that could pose risks [of harm to the public interest] would'.
Consultation on our proposals for the next Land Reform Bill is ongoing. We will form a view on measures to include in legislation, and what definitions might be required, in the light of the responses we receive.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-06242 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 February 2022, how much it estimates it will cost to "update when necessary" the laptops, Chromebooks and tablets given to every school child in Scotland.
Answer
We continue to work with local authorities on plans to ensure every school-aged child has access to a device and connectivity by the end of this parliamentary term. This will include consideration of processes and costs to update devices when necessary.
- Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to establish a National Support Panel to provide support and expertise to health and social care partnerships, as recommended by the working group on complex care and delayed discharge in its report, Coming Home Implementation.
Answer
We have set out Scottish Government’s and COSLA’s commitment to implementing the key recommendations set out in the Coming Home Implementation report, which are essential to achieving our aim to significantly reduce delayed discharge and inappropriate out-of-area placements for adults with learning disabilities and complex care needs by March 2024.
Scottish Government are committed to working with local Health and Social Care Partnerships to achieving this aim and the National Support Panel will be established as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the Islands Energy Strategy.
Answer
As stated in the answer to S6W-10716 on 20 September 2022, work to develop an Islands Energy Strategy was delayed during the pandemic. In the interim period there have been significant changes to the policy landscape, including commitments to take forward an Energy Strategy Just Transition Plan for Scotland and the Carbon Neutral Islands Project. An Islands Energy Strategy will follow and build on these pieces of work in 2023 allowing alignment with Scotland's national plans. Stakeholder engagement on is ongoing. 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 .
- Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 20 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government which indicators it currently uses for the housing and regeneration indicators, as set out in its housing and regeneration outcomes framework; on what date each indicator (a) was last updated and (b) is due to be updated, and what the status is of any work to update each indicator.
Answer
The Scottish Government published an update to the housing and regeneration outcomes indicators on 16 June 2020. The `Sources, Thresholds & Updates` tab of the master spreadsheet details dates that each indicator was last updated. This spreadsheet also shows each indicator that is used by the Scottish Government.
Work is underway to update indicators with the latest available data where available, and will be published before 9 November 2022. However, some data sources do not have available data for more recent years to allow for the associated indicators to be updated. This is for a number of reasons, including the impact from coronavirus and resulting restrictions, and other changes on data collection. Affected indicators will be detailed in the publication.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 20 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the written evidence, including the recommendations, of the Scottish Private Nursery Association submitted to the Education, Children and Young People Committee in connection with its meeting on 25 May 2022.
Answer
The Scottish Government provided an evidence paper to the Education, Children and Young People Committee ahead of its meeting on 25 May 2022. This paper covers many of the issues subsequently raised in the written evidence submitted by the Scottish Private Nursery Association (SPNA) for that session.
The SPNA separately shared their written evidence with Scottish Government officials directly. Officials provided a detailed response to the SPNA on 3 August 2022. I would be happy to share this, and would invite the member to contact my office to request a copy.
Regular engagement with the childcare sector is a vital part of the Scottish Government’s approach to policy development and monitoring delivery of the 1140 expansion, and I am grateful to the SPNA for sharing their members’ concerns.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with AstraZeneca, which is a manufacturer of tixagevimab–cilgavimab, also known as Evusheld, regarding how to ensure that patients in Scotland are able to access this preventative treatment for COVID-19.
Answer
The Scottish Government has had very constructive discussions with AstraZeneca on Evusheld ® for the preventative treatments for COVID-19. However, throughout the pandemic, a UK-wide approach to the procurement of therapeutics has been taken and has proven vital to allow the UK to have the buying power to secure significant numbers of therapeutics in a competitive global market. A UK-wide approach has also been taken on the development and implementation of clinical prescribing policies for COVID-19 therapeutics. This has ensured patients across the UK have had equal access to safe and effective medicines for COVID-19.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the reported progress of the Lyme disease vaccine candidate VLA15 being developed by Pfizer and Valneva, what support it is giving to the development of this vaccine.
Answer
The Lyme disease vaccine candidate VLA15 was developed in Austria and, as such, is not directly supported by Scottish funding. The Scottish Government is however regarded as preferred customers for Valneva, and should the decision be taken to procure Lyme Disease vaccines from Valneva, the Scottish Government will receive preferential access and pricing. This is in recognition of the support provided to Valneva by Scotland.
Scottish Enterprise have supported Valneva Livingston with funding packages for the following vaccines, all of which have received grant support:
- Japanese Encephalitis
- Zika
- Chikungya
- Covid-19
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 20 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-10087 and S6W-10089 by Maree Todd on 16 August 2022, whether it will provide the dates of when the meetings that discussed these issues took place.
Answer
I have a weekly portfolio meeting, usually held on a Monday, with officials and clinical advisers, including the Chief Medical Officer, during which any updates regarding the monkeypox outbreak in Scotland have been, and will continue to be, discussed.
As outlined in the answer to S6W-10089, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care attends regular meetings with his counterparts in the UK and other Devolved Administrations to ensure that the Scottish Government is represented in relation to public health incidents which require a coordinated 4 Nations response. The last meeting of the UK Health Ministers Forum was on 16 June 2022. The UK Health Ministers Forum has now been replaced by an Inter-Ministerial Group meeting which is expected to meet for the first time in mid-October.
- Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 August 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 September 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) private operations and (b) diagnostic procedures have been commissioned by the NHS from the private sector in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
Non-NHS provider figures relate to patients treated in non-NHS locations such as private hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, and care homes. Patients who receive treatment at a private (independent) hospital which is paid for by the NHS board should be recorded within the SMR by the relevant NHS board.
The following table presents the procedure information that has been supplied to Public Health Scotland (PHS).
Table 1: The number of procedures performed by Non-NHS Providers.
Financial Year | 8 Key Diagnostic Tests | Other procedures stated to be diagnostic and/or including a biopsy | Other procedures | Total Procedures |
2011-12 | 119 | 66 | 1663 | 1848 |
2012-13 | 486 | 112 | 5693 | 6291 |
2013-14 | 1267 | 113 | 7087 | 8467 |
2014-15 | 1298 | 67 | 7457 | 8822 |
2015-16 | 1053 | 80 | 7535 | 8668 |
2016-17 | 446 | 65 | 2827 | 3338 |
2017-18 | 440 | 234 | 3360 | 4034 |
2018-19 | 144 | 181 | 3382 | 3707 |
2019-20 | 175 | 322 | 4189 | 4686 |
2020-21p | 429 | 269 | 3861 | 4559 |
Source: SMR00, SMR01, Public Health Scotland, extracted June 2021,
Diagnostic Tests Monthly Management Information, Public Health Scotland.