Emma Harper, South Scotland, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 06/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government when the interim chief executive of South of Scotland Enterprise will be appointed.
Answered by Fergus Ewing (07/01/2020):
I can advise that, following a process to recruit an interim Chief Executive for South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) from Scottish Government and its agencies, Nick Halfhide will be appointed. Mr Halfhide is currently Director of Sustainable Growth at Scottish Natural Heritage and will take up the post on 3 February 2020. We expect SOSE to begin the recruitment process for its permanent chief executive in the late summer of 2020 and Mr Halfhide will remain in post until the permanent chief executive is appointed.
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Question S5W-26887: Health and Social Care
Fulton MacGregor, Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 08/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the arrangements for the management of clinical waste across NHS Scotland.
Answered by Jeane Freeman (09/01/2020):
In December 2018, the company responsible for waste collection in NHS Scotland (Healthcare Environmental Services Limited) ceased trading and removed access to all healthcare waste treatment capacity in Scotland. Contingency plans were implemented for NHS Scotland on 7 December 2018 to ensure the continued storage, collection and disposal of waste in line with industry regulations until such time as services could be transferred to a new operator.
Following a national tendering exercise, on 1 February 2019 Tradebe Healthcare Limited (“Tradebe”) was announced as the preferred operator for health waste management services. Commencement of the new contract was originally scheduled for 1 April 2019, however this has been subject to a number of unavoidable delays arising from the process to obtain planning permission from North Lanarkshire Council for Tradebe’s processing site at Bellshill.
Planning permission was granted by North Lanarkshire Council in August 2019 and a further permitting process with SEPA was concluded in early October. Following this, waste was sent to the Bellshill site to allow testing of the facilities and this successfully concluded in November 2019. Elements of the new contract which did not require use of the Bellshill plan were transitioned to Tradebe from 2 August.
The implementation of the new contract with Tradebe is being managed by NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) on behalf of NHS Scotland. NSS is working closely with all partners, including Tradebe and Board waste managers to finalise the detailed transition plan to support the transfer of services into fully contracted services as quickly and smoothly as possible. This will allow for waste management services to move to Tradebe on a phased basis by Spring 2020, and will follow all permit requirements being satisfied.
It is a condition of Tradebe’s permit to operate the Bellshill site that it must record details of waste accepted, and this requires NHS Boards to complete ‘Pre-Acceptance Audits’ of waste from hospital wards, GP surgeries, dental practices and all other healthcare waste producers. The completion of Pre-Acceptance Audits is a new regulatory requirement and we are working closely with all partners to develop plans and ensure that there is sufficient time for Boards to meet the new obligations. This work will be progressed in line with the overall project plan for transitioning of services to Tradebe.
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Question S5W-27018: Scottish Exchequer
Gordon MacDonald, Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 20/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Infrastructure Commission for Scotland.
Answered by Michael Matheson (21/01/2020):
I am pleased to tell colleagues that the Infrastructure Commission for Scotland published its first report to Government on Scotland’s infrastructure ambitions and priorities on 20 January 2020. The report is now available at: https://infrastructurecommission.scot/page/key-findings-report
I am grateful to the Commission for the work and engagement it has undertaken to date. This is an important report and, as such, the Scottish Government is taking the necessary time to consider and reflect on its detailed recommendations carefully.
Advice from the Commission will help to shape our future investment in Scotland’s infrastructure, recognising the long term objectives of this Government to deliver an inclusive and net zero emissions economy.
Later this year, I will publish the Government’s next Infrastructure Investment Plan – focusing on three, core, long-term outcomes of inclusive economic growth, tackling the global climate emergency, and building sustainable places.
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work and I intend to link the Infrastructure Investment Plan and Capital Spending Review and develop a coherent, strategic collaborative and outcomes-focused approach that responds to the recommendations of the Commission and helps achieve our National Performance Outcomes.
The Infrastructure Commission will report again in mid-2020 with further advice on the delivery of infrastructure, including the potential role of a Scottish National Infrastructure Company. We look forward to further advice from the Commission in the coming months.
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Question S5W-27078: Education, Communities and Justice
Rona Mackay, Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 22/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made by the Expert Group on Preventing Sexual Offending Involving Children and Young People.
Answered by Humza Yousaf (23/01/2020):
The Expert Group on Preventing Sexual offending Involving Children and Young People was established after research by the Scottish Government identified that around half of the growth in all recorded sexual crime in recent years was due to growth in sexual cyber-crime which tends to involve younger female victims and younger male perpetrators.
Chaired by former Chief Executive to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Catherine Dyer, the Expert Group brought together expertise from across child protection, education, health, justice and service providers from the third sector. There was also positive engagement by the Group with young people, both through its membership and through a number of surveys and focus groups.
The Group met on ten occasions following its establishment in January 2018, during which they considered a range of evidence from academia and operational practice. Particular issues, such as the impact of disability, collaborative working and peer on peer abuse, were identified and sub-groups involving further experts were formed to explore these topics in greater depth.
The Scottish Government has today published the Group’s final report which sets out its findings and proposals for further action. The document can be accessed on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781839602481
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Question S5W-27081: Health and Social Care
George Adam, Paisley, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 22/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made since publication of the National Health and Social Care Integrated Workforce Plan on 16 December 2019.
Answered by Jeane Freeman (23/01/2020):
The Scottish Government is working to strengthen the approach to the strategic challenges the Plan identifies, by introducing a new unit. Building on the published guidance and scenarios for health and social care employers, the unit is already:
•discussing actions to improve and further integrate approaches to workforce planning;
•overseeing the coordination of workforce planning across health and social care in implementing the Plan’s measures;
•working directly with NHS Boards on how they can support this.
These developments address recommendations by Audit Scotland and support a more coordinated, strategic approach by the Scottish Government to workforce planning.
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Question S5W-27120: Education, Communities and Justice
Jenny Gilruth, Mid Fife and Glenrothes, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 23/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress to establish the public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh.
Answered by Humza Yousaf (24/01/2020):
Last year, I announced that there would be a Public Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh in 2015.
I can now confirm that The Right Hon Lord Bracadale, a retired Senator of the College of Justice, has agreed to chair the Public Inquiry. I am pleased that someone of Lord Bracadale’s stature and legal standing will chair this important inquiry.
I have a statutory obligation to consult Lord Bracadale on the Terms of Reference and I will meet him in the coming weeks to discuss this and timescales for the Inquiry’s formal setting up date.
It is also my intention to share Terms of Reference with the family of Mr Bayoh and other interested parties to hear their views on the Inquiry’s remit and to discuss how we can best equip it with the necessary diversity of expertise and background to deliver that remit. I will provide a further update to Parliament in due course.
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Question S5W-27130: Health and Social Care
Bill Kidd, Glasgow Anniesland, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 23/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the performance of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Answered by Jeane Freeman (24/01/2020):
In November 2019 we moved NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GG&C) to stage 4 of the NHS Board Performance Framework specifically for on-going issues related to infection prevention, management and control at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) and the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC), and the associated communication and public engagement issues. This decision put support arrangements in place, and had the requirement for a transformation plan to correct these issues – all of which is being overseen by a Performance Oversight Board established under the Chair of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO). In addition, I asked Professor Marion Bain, the former medical director of NHS National Services Scotland, to take over responsibility for infection prevention and control within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to begin to restore public confidence in the service.
On-going monitoring of performance in the Board since November has highlighted further issues with the Board’s performance across a number of key areas, including their performance on scheduled and unscheduled care, primary care out of hours, and the need to strengthen management capability and capacity.
I have decided that urgent action is required to address these issues while protecting the on-going work overseen by the CNO. Today I have asked DG Health and Social Care to write to the Chief Executive to inform her of my decision to move the whole of NHS GG&C to Stage 4 on the Escalation Framework, with immediate effect.
This will involve both an increased level of support but also scrutiny and intervention, primarily through the introduction of Calum Campbell, Chief Executive of NHS Lanarkshire, in the role of Turnaround Director placed in NHS GG&C to directly manage operational delivery. I will also establish a Performance Oversight Group chaired by NHS Scotland’s Chief Performance Officer, with a focus on recovery planning. The aim of this intervention is to move the board to an improved position on performance and other issues as quickly as is practicable.
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Question S5W-27173: Economy
Maureen Watt, Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 28/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the Deer Working Group report, The Management of Wild Deer in Scotland.
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham (29/01/2020):
The report to the Scottish Government by the independent Deer Working Group is being published today on the Scottish Government website.
The group was originally led by Simon Pepper but following Mr Pepper’s untimely death in September 2018, Andrew Barbour took over as chair. I would like to thank Mr Barbour and the members of the Deer Working Group for continuing with this important review and for their work over the last three years.
The report was commissioned by the Scottish Government in 2017 following reports on deer management from Scottish National Heritage (SNH) and the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee which raised concerns on a number of issues relating to the management of wild deer in Scotland. The group was tasked with examining the statutory and non-statutory arrangements for wild deer management across all parts of Scotland before making recommendations for changes that will safeguard public interests and promote sustainable management of wild deer.
We will consider all of the recommendations contained within the report and publish a full response in due course. It is important that we give careful consideration to the recommendations, alongside other evidence, before issuing a response. An important part of this will involve meeting key stakeholders to discuss the findings of the review.
The full report can be accessed at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/the-management-of-wild-deer-in-scotland-deer-working-group-report/
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Question S5W-27198: Education, Communities and Justice
Tom Arthur, (Renfrewshire South), Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 30/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government when it will confirm the next local government finance settlement, including what years it will cover, and any plans for council tax flexibility.
Answered by Derek Mackay (31/01/2020):
Details of the local government finance settlement for 2020-21 will be confirmed as part of the Scottish Budget on 6 February. In coming to my decision to announce the Scottish Budget before the outcome of the UK Budget is known I listened carefully to the representations COSLA made on behalf of local government of the damaging impact any further delay would have on the delivery of vital public services and also the practical challenges this would pose around the setting and collection of council tax.
COSLA have welcomed the move to bring forward the Scottish Budget and also confirmed that given the exceptional circumstances around timing and that the UK budget is for one year only they are not seeking multiyear indicative allocations at this time. COSLA have, however, requested as early confirmation as possible of any parameters that will apply to Council tax levels.
Set against the exceptional circumstances of the delayed Budget and restricted timetable we are faced with this year, and to help councils with their budget preparations, I can confirm that the local government settlement will include confirmation that local authorities will again have the flexibility to increase their council tax levels by up to 3 per cent in real terms (equivalent to 4.84 per cent cash) for 2020-21.
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Question S5W-27219: Constitution and External Affairs
George Adam, (Paisley), Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 31/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking in response to the Prime Minister’s letter to the First Minister of 14 January 2020.
Answered by Michael Russell (31/01/2020):
The Scottish Government is committed to giving the people living in Scotland a choice over their future, as the Scottish Parliament voted for on 29 January.
We will ask the Electoral Commission to test the question, ‘‘should Scotland be an independent country?’.
We will invite Scotland’s elected representatives—MSPs, MPs, MEPs and Council Leaders—to establish a new Constitutional Convention, and endorse a modern Claim of Right for Scotland.
And we will publish a series of ‘New Scotland’ papers that will give the people of Scotland the information they need to make informed choices about the future of the country.
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Question S5W-27214: Health and Social Care
Shona Robison, Dundee City East, Scottish National Party, Date Lodged: 30/01/2020
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that improvements are made to NHS Tayside’s mental health services, in light of the final report of the independent inquiry into these that is being led by David Strang and is due to be published on 5 February 2020.
Answered by Clare Haughey (31/01/2020):
The Scottish Government is clear that the people of Tayside must have access to high quality, safe and effective services and have trust and confidence in the services provided. From our ongoing engagement with key stakeholders in Tayside – such as the staff representatives the Cabinet Secretary for Health and I met earlier this week – it is clear that significant concerns remain. These must be addressed and Ministers have made their expectations clear.
NHS Tayside commissioned the Independent Inquiry and they, and Tayside Health & Social Care Partnerships, have confirmed that they will respond to the findings of the Inquiry when the final report becomes available. NHS Tayside and their local delivery partners have already agreed a number of measures to ensure rapid progress in taking forward the Inquiry’s forthcoming recommendations. These include the development of a detailed action plan, new arrangements to ensure effective delivery and strong leadership commitment across all agencies.
The Scottish Government will monitor NHS Tayside’s progress through the continuation of the NHS Tayside Oversight group and will continue to seek assurance that the required improvements are being implemented, working alongside COSLA to ensure NHS Boards, Councils and Integration Joint Boards are supported to work together across Scotland to build on the Inquiry's recommendations.
Scottish Government has already provided a package of support to NHS Tayside by facilitating connections with other NHS Boards and the Royal College of Psychiatrists to share learning and professional practice.
In the coming weeks, this support will be intensified to address service provision, clinical practice, organisational development and community led services. In particular, we will work with NHS Tayside to secure:
- Multi-disciplinary clinical and practice support, bringing specialists from across a range of mental health specialities and backgrounds to provide support and challenge;
- Communications and Engagement expertise;
- Organisational development expertise to support culture change;
- Agreement with the Royal College of Psychiatry’s UK College Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI) to assess the quality of clinical services and areas for improvement;
- Engagement with the Royal College of Psychiatrists to provide senior support and guidance and;
- Programme management support to enable delivery of Tayside’s improvement plans.
In addition, Healthcare Improvement Scotland will offer specific support in addressing the quality of adult community health services.
This range of actions will ensure that the right advice, support and challenge is in place and will also provide insight on implementation of improvements, strategy development and potential service change.
All this activity will be focused on ensuring significant improvement in Mental Health services across Tayside. To provide further assurance that the necessary progress has been made, the Chair of the Independent Inquiry, David Strang, has agreed to undertake a progress update in February 2021 to monitor whether the required improvements have been made.
Finally, I am determined to secure assurance of the quality of mental health services across the country. I therefore look forward to chairing the first meeting of the new Quality & Safety Board on 19 February 2020.