- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 10 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what trials and/or pilot schemes the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service plans to carry out to address the issue of unwanted fire signals in non-domestic properties, and what impact assessment of these plans has been published.
Answer
Changes to the response to automatic fire alarm signals are an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
SFRS will work closely with duty holders to prepare for the change of response which will be implemented in April 2023.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 10 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether the R100 Superfast broadband roll-out will be completed in the ML3 7XW postcode area by 30 June 2022.
Answer
Current build plans indicate that R100 contract build in the ML3 7XW postcode area is expected to be completed by 30 June 2022. However, as with all large infrastructure projects, these timescales can be subject to change, due to factors outwith our control.
In cases where timescales have to change, we will update the online checker at www.scotlandsuperfast.com as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 10 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many domestic home fire safety visits have taken place in each of the last 10 years and, if there has been a decline, (a) for what reason the number has reduced and (b) what impact this has had on the number of households at risk of fire.
Answer
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service statistics are publicly available on the services website: https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/about-us/who-we-are/statistics/ , where context on the figures is provided.
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 10 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-01103 by Michael Matheson on 21 July 2021, what subsequent meetings have been held with small brewers regarding the deposit return scheme.
Answer
Since 21 July 2021 representatives of the small brewing sector have met the Scottish Government on a number of occasions to discuss Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS); most recently, representatives of the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) discussed DRS with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy on 24 March 2022.
SIBA is also a member of the DRS System-Wide Assurance Group, which ensures that the views of small brewers continue to be heard as industry implements our DRS.
- Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 10 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to safeguard access to psychosocial professionals for people with (a) paediatric and (b) adult cystic fibrosis in the event that vacancies arise among these professionals.
Answer
Mental health and psychosocial support is an integral part of care for people who suffer from cystic fibrosis and the Scottish Government continues to invest in the mental health workforce to increase its capacity and capability. NHS Scotland’s Mental Health Nursing, Psychology and Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) staffing numbers were at a record high on 31 March 2022. The number of psychology staff has doubled (105.9%) and the number of staff within CAMHS has almost doubled (95.6%).
Our overall investment includes £9 million in 2021-22 for psychological services to grow the applied psychology and psychological therapies workforce. Further funding will be provided for 2022-23 to support services to provide psychological care to all clinical areas of care detailed in the psychological services and therapies standard.
The Scottish Government has committed to develop a long term Mental Health Workforce Plan in the first half of this Parliament to ensure that, by 2026, 10% of frontline NHS budget is invested in mental health with 1% directed specifically for children and young people.
More broadly, the Scottish Government is committed to working to improve outcomes for people with rare conditions, including Cystic Fibrosis. We are developing an Scottish Action Plan for Rare Disease based on the four priorities of the UK Rare Disease Framework: faster diagnoses, increased awareness, better care co-ordination, and access to specialist treatments and care.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 10 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how the proposed reduction in the number of fire investigators in the east and north of the country will impact on the quality of service provided.
Answer
Recruitment and staffing numbers are an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 10 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether ATMs at retailers’ premises will be exempted from non-domestic rates; how many ATMs will be affected by their removal from the valuation roll, and whether it will consider backdating refunds, in a similar way to that in Wales and England when ATMs were removed from the valuation roll.
Answer
The valuation of all non-domestic property, including sites of ATMs, is a matter for the Scottish Assessors who are independent of local and Scottish Government.
We are aware that Assessors have been considering the valuation of ATM sites and recently concluded that in most retail premises it is likely that such sites will be deleted from the Valuation Roll. Assessors are now commencing the process of identifying the ATM sites this will apply to.
Where a property is removed from the Valuation Roll, the ratepayer will be entitled to a refund of any overpaid rates back to the effective date of deletion.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07924 by Humza Yousaf on 27 April 2022, whether its active engagement with partners, including local government, has included any meetings with COSLA, and, if so, when any such meetings took place.
Answer
The Government has, as part of the aforementioned 'active engagement' been taking this work forward within normal business channels with COSLA.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 10 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Welsh Government’s plans to establish a support scheme to allow leaseholders to sell their property and where appropriate provide the option for them to either move on or rent the property back, which, reportedly, is to be funded by the Development Bank of Wales, what plans it has to establish such a scheme in Scotland, and whether it has explored the establishment of such a scheme with the Scottish National Investment Bank.
Answer
The Scottish Government is actively looking at a number of ways to support homeowners affected by unsafe cladding, which may include property purchase schemes. We will work with stakeholders and homeowners to find solutions that work in the unique Scottish context, which does not include leaseholders.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 10 June 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in connection with the recommendations of the Working Group on Mortgage Lending and Cladding, which reported in March 2021.
Answer
With the support of stakeholders across industry, the Single Building Assessment programme started in June 2021. All other recommendations are progressing and will further develop based on evidence from the Single Building Assessment pilot. The update to parliament on the 12 May 2022 provided more detail on progress: https://www.gov.scot/publications/update-cladding-remediation-programme-cabinet-secretarys-statement/ .