Seòmar agus comataidhean

Prestwick Airport Station is owned by Prestwick Airport therefore it is not operated by ScotRail albeit passenger services do call there. Therefore, while Ministers and aviation officials routinely engage with representatives of Glasgow Prestwick Airport, discussions did not centre on ScotRail coming into public sector control at any point, including the period December 2019 and March 2022.

During this timeframe there was, however, appropriate consideration by Transport Scotland and ScotRail in the context of the transition from Abellio ScotRail to ScotRail Trains Ltd.

The Programme for Government (PfG) 2021 commits to expanding medical school places by at least 100 per annum over this lifetime of this Parliament and doubling the number of widening access places. The medical undergraduate intake for 2022-23 has been set at 1317, of which it is anticipated that 1,239 students will be Scots/UK/ROI or Gibraltar and 78 will be international including EU. This intake represents an increase of 200 places above the 2021/22 intake target of 1,117 thereby delivering the first two tranches of the PfG commitment.

The Scottish Government is committed to growing the number of Scottish domiciled students studying medicine at Scottish universities as a policy priority through widening access and other targeted interventions. Places reserved for widening access students are being increased by 30 (bringing the total to 90) and pre-medical entry places are being increased by 20 (bringing the total to 70 places) in 2022-23.

Intake targets for 2023-24 and 2024-25 have not yet been set but will be considered in light of the PfG commitment.

As postgraduate medical students do not form part of the controlled medical school intake the Scottish Government is unable to respond.

Universities are independent, autonomous institutions responsible for their own selection procedures and offers, with intake numbers and the breakdown of these a decision for each individual medical schools.

Student nurses entering Scottish Government funded degree programmes will increase by 9% in 2022-23, to a total recommended intake of 4536 students. This will be the 10 th successive increase in recommended student numbers, with the intake doubling over the last decade. We anticipate most of these students will be eligible for the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary.

Every year, the Scottish Government undertakes a robust nursing student intake planning process to determine the target number of pre-registration students to which Scottish universities should recruit to in the following academic year to meet estimated future nursing workforce demands.

Attrition rates vary each year across all degree programmes, it is therefore not possible to predict attrition rates for future cohorts. However, we have observed that course completion rates for pre-registration nursing programmes have been steadily improving year-on-year, and we anticipate that this trend will continue.

Although the UK Government has provided some limited information about their intentions in respect of DRS through the government response to the consultation on extended producer responsibility for packaging, we are still awaiting the full details of their approach. We expect to see these in their response to their DRS consultation.

We remain committed to the inclusion of glass in our ambitious Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in view of the significant environmental benefits. Although the ambition of other nations’ schemes is a matter for their governments, we welcome the Welsh Government’s decision to follow our example and include glass in their scheme. We will work with all the other UK administrations to ensure interoperability of our schemes where this can be done without losing the ambition of our own.

As set out in the STAG Managers Guide , an appraisal using Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) is required whenever Scottish Government funding, support or approval is needed to change the transport system. It may also offer a suitable framework for other funders.

STAG is applicable to all transport interventions. Option generation as part of STAG should be unconstrained and should fully reflect the range of multi-modal options available. Typically, the STAG process is not used for developing and comparing alternative designs for the same mode-specific option, for example alternative corridors for a new road project, however the principles for appraisal and evaluation are similar and the basis of determining socio-economic impacts derive from HM Treasury Green Book.

A transport appraisal in accordance with STAG aligns with the Strategic Business Case (SBC) stage, the initial stage of business case development in line with Transport Scotland’s Guidance on the development of Business Cases , where a decision is taken to progress any option to the next stage.

Certain transport options which emerge from the STAG process may then require further consideration using mode-specific guidance at the next stages of business case development, for example:

• Project Acceleration in a Controlled Environment (PACE) – for rail projects; and
• Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) – for roads schemes.

STAG is not usually adopted when considering maintenance issues of an existing asset which will not significantly change or affect the operation of the transport system.

As with all our major trunk road projects, Transport Scotland carried out a rigorous assessment process to establish the preferred line for the A82 Tarbet to Inverarnan scheme. This three-stage assessment process is based on the standards and good practice set by the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB), and covers environmental, engineering, traffic and economic considerations. Value for Money Reviews were carried out during each stage of the DMRB assessment process and I can confirm that all route options considered for the scheme were subject to this process. This has helped to ensure that scheme objectives are achieved while optimising value for money in terms of the potential costs, benefits, and risks. Further details on each stage in the assessment process is available from the project pages on the Transport Scotland website at https://www.transport.gov.scot/projects/a82-tarbet-to-inverarnan/project-details/ .

The Scottish Government is committed to continuing its work on raising awareness of Lyme disease and ticks.

The public awareness sub-group, established following roundtable events in April and June 2021, includes a wide range of representatives, from organisations including Visit Scotland, the Lyme Resource Centre, and Ramblers Scotland. The group has met several times and has most recently developed key messages for the Community Pharmacy Public Health Messaging Poster Campaign which will run for a 4 week period from 30 May 2022.

In addition, the Scottish Government will continue to use its own platforms to highlight the need to be tick aware and to set out the signs and symptoms of possible infection.

The Group is considering further options for short- and long-term strategies to implement messaging around Lyme disease, including the use of appropriate signage for visitors to parks and other recreational areas, together with messaging for the wider public. All materials produced, or campaigns undertaken will be designed around the key messages of; identification, how to protect yourself, and safe removal of ticks, as well as signs and symptoms of possible Lyme disease infection and where to seek treatment.