- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that all kidney patients performing dialysis at home receive reimbursement for any increased utility bills as a result of them administering the treatment.
Answer
I refer the member to my answer to S6W-17651.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that there are no variations across different areas in Scotland for kidney patient care as a result of any absence of consistent guidelines for home dialysis utility bill reimbursement.
Answer
Home haemodialysis is provided for people who need this. Any reimbursement for increases in utility bills as a result of home haemodialysis would be the responsibility of the NHS Board. Individuals who wish to pursue reimbursement of living costs should contact their local NHS Board in the first instance.
The Fuel Insecurity Fund – established in 2020 and tripled to £30 million for 2023 to 2024 - is a critical plank in our support to people who are struggling with their energy costs.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent Public Health Scotland data, published on 2 May 2023, which shows significant differences in survival and surgical practice between the three regional cancer networks for those with ovarian cancer, including that only 57% of women in North Cancer Alliance (NCA) had surgery compared with 67% in West of Scotland Cancer Network (WoSCAN).
Answer
Survival analysis using the Scottish Government Quality Improvement Indicator dataset is undertaken to enable monitoring and to support continuous improvement in cancer care. The regional cancer networks are subsequently able to reflect and act on these indicators to ensure equitable treatment and care across Scotland.
This analysis predates improvement work that has been undertaken across all cancer regions, but the situation clearly requires continued prioritisation and close attention.
The study was discussed at the last meeting of the National Cancer Quality Steering Group in March. Immediate and medium term actions were presented to the group in an aim to drive improvement and close the observed difference in survival between cancer networks.
We will discuss these actions with the regional cancer networks, and local boards where required, seeking assurance that actions are well focussed and advancing.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 18 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has paid to private contractors for the purposes of public relations since 1 January 2022, broken down by (a) firm and (b) contracting department.
Answer
A. The Scottish Government paid a total of £209,743 to Smarts Communications and £333,082 to Stripe Communications during the period 1 January 2022 to 10 May 2023.
B. Both companies were commissioned to provide public relation services by the Scottish Government’s Marketing Team to support vital public information and behaviour change marketing campaigns.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding is currently going towards the development of new diagnostic tests and tools to detect brain tumours, and whether this will increase in the future.
Answer
The Scottish Government is not currently directly funding any research projects or fellowships on the development of new diagnostic tests and tools to detect brain tumours.
The Scottish Government does not hold information on the research spend of other funders. However, the National Cancer Research Institute database indicates that £2,846,401 was spent on early detection, diagnosis and prognosis of brain tumours in the UK in 2020-21 by charity and public funders.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what assistance and funding it has provided to local volunteer groups to (a) procure electric vehicles and (b) install electric vehicle infrastructure in each year since 2016, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The Scottish Government deliver assistance and funding to local volunteer groups for the procurement of electric vehicles, e-Bikes and associated electric vehicle infrastructure through the Plugged-in Communities and eBike grant funds. This scheme is administered on behalf of Scottish Ministers by the Energy Saving Trust (EST). Some of the groups provided assistance through this scheme may not be full volunteer organisations but will have volunteers and volunteer drivers.
Table 1 – Funding for Electric Vehicles and e-Bikes procured through Plugged-in Communities and eBike Grant Fund in each Financial Year since 2016.
Local Authority Area | FY 2018-2019 | FY 2019-2020 | FY 2020-2021 | FY 2021-2022 | FY 2022-2023 |
Aberdeen City | | £12,700.00 | | | £153,401.74 |
Aberdeenshire | £60,206.34 | £53,165.40 | £6,676.14 | £196,590.44 | £124,107.93 |
Angus | | | £12,454.32 | £5,682.42 | £18,833.90 |
Argyll and Bute | | £72,113.37 | £46,981.78 | £135,406.98 | £223,508.44 |
Clackmannanshire | | | £4,659.96 | | £11,753.19 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | £14,695.00 | £3,698.00 | £17,567.16 | £87,657.91 | £30,102.00 |
Dumfries and Galloway | | | £49,943.00 | £22,867.91 | £326,997.10 |
Dundee City | £14,661.00 | £92,227.57 | £19,272.60 | | |
East Ayrshire | | £17,324.80 | | | £205,675.71 |
East Dunbartonshire | | £16,666.67 | | | |
East Lothian | | | | £4,092.85 | |
East Renfrewshire | | | | | £24,655.52 |
Edinburgh City | £23,548.39 | £125,440.42 | £45,716.84 | £103,129.61 | £104,739.00 |
Falkirk | | £2,500.00 | | | |
Fife | £122,269.95 | £19,950.00 | £11,500.00 | £45,602.00 | £19,584.00 |
Glasgow City | £245,224.13 | £318,814.41 | £25,512.44 | £320,740.28 | £60,356.16 |
Highland | £18,700.69 | £60,035.53 | £29,083.52 | £19,721.76 | £308,524.10 |
Inverclyde | | | £13,815.75 | | |
Midlothian | £70,838.34 | | | | |
Moray | £2,924.02 | £7,210.00 | | £7,096.00 | £91,921.20 |
North Ayrshire | £11,706.92 | | £11,087.36 | £33,581.36 | £19,976.00 |
North Lanarkshire | £11,058.50 | £1,146.00 | £3,000.00 | £24,145.00 | |
Orkney Islands | £52,675.81 | £27,397.95 | £10,304.96 | £59,774.40 | £169,270.00 |
Perth and Kinross | £12,247.00 | | £19,860.00 | | £18,747.75 |
Renfrewshire | £111,267.98 | | £16,200.00 | £40,199.00 | £3,375.00 |
Scottish Borders | | £6,580.87 | £42,667.07 | £5,401.30 | £22,735.00 |
Shetland Islands | | £6,000.00 | | | |
South Ayrshire | | | | £97,001.47 | £19,842.16 |
South Lanarkshire | £32,287.32 | £16,377.70 | £7,042.20 | £56,515.93 | £230,638.03 |
Stirling | £9,462.00 | £16,035.85 | £30,221.94 | | £25,000.00 |
West Dunbartonshire | £5,941.00 | | £15,000.00 | | |
West Lothian | £6,497.88 | | | | £41,979.80 |
Table 2 – Funding for electric charging infrastructure provided through the Plugged-in Communities Fund in each calendar year since 2016.
Local Authority Area | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Aberdeen City | | £13,334.48 | £13,422.00 | £11,814.00 | £5,098.16 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | | | | £5,307.22 | |
Dundee City | | | £9,482.23 | | |
Edinburgh City | | | £23,209.68 | | £63,929.80 |
Fife | | | £13,953.94 | | |
Glasgow City | | £12,596.40 | £35,107.14 | | £17,259.00 |
Highland | | | £11,757.60 | | £2,387.35 |
Midlothian | | £41,112.00 | | | |
Moray | £22,087.40 | | | | |
Orkney Islands | | | £61,447.03 | | |
Renfrewshire | £26,790.54 | | | | |
*Local Authorities not listed did not receive any funding.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided for electric vehicle infrastructure in (a) North Lanarkshire, (b) South Lanarkshire and (c) Falkirk in each year since 2016.
Answer
The following two tables provide details of funding:
1. Awarded under various funding schemes to each of the local authorities for public EV charging infrastructure and to local authorities and other public bodies for public sector fleet EV charging infrastructure.
2. Awarded through the Energy Saving Trust to private businesses and domestic customers.
In addition to the figures in the Table 1, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Councils jointly benefited from a £5.3m grant to supporting public EV charging infrastructure through project PACE between 2019 and 2021, this resulted in the installation of 167 new charge points at 44 hubs across the region.
Table 1. Funding to Local Authorities
| 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 |
Falkirk Council | |
Public Infrastructure Funding: | £ 11,000.00 | £ 126,488.15 | £ 484,988.15 | £ 792,465.16 | £ 416,709.00 | £ 561,486.77 | £ 60,000.00 |
Fleet Infrastructure Funding: | £ - | £ - | £ - | £ - | £ 176,030.00 | £ 89,000.00 | £ - |
North Lanarkshire Council | |
Public Infrastructure Funding: | £ 51,000.00 | £ 11,000.00 | £ 235,000.00 | £ 225,000.00 | £ - | £ 83,800.00 | £ 60,000.00 |
Fleet Infrastructure Funding: | £ - | £ - | £ - | £ - | £ 90,000.00 | £ 170,000.00 | £ - |
South Lanarkshire Council | |
Public Infrastructure Funding: | £ 73,000.00 | £ 84,000.00 | £ 228,500.00 | £ 500,000.00 | £ - | £ 47,500.00 | £ 99,346.00 |
Fleet Infrastructure Funding: | £ - | £ - | £ - | £ - | £ 90,000.00 | £ 171,000.00 | £ - |
This excludes funding provided to national bodies for public sector fleet EV charging infrastructure, where this is not recorded against individual local authority areas. |
Table 2. Funding to Private Businesses and Domestic Customers
Local Authority | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Falkirk | | £ 16,182.85 | £ 44,415.05 | £ 44,961.70 | £ 16,211.00 | £ 36,440.14 | £ 103,034.44 | £ 106,996.61 | £ 1,154.66 |
| Domestic | £ 9,007.60 | £ 10,015.00 | £ 15,009.20 | £ 16,211.00 | £ 27,278.00 | £ 55,750.00 | £ 46,550.00 | £ 300.00 |
| Business | £ 7,175.25 | £ 34,400.05 | £ 29,952.50 | £ - | £ 9,162.14 | £ 47,284.44 | £ 60,446.61 | £ 854.66 |
| | | | | | | | | |
North Lanarkshire | £ 10,951.38 | £ 20,589.00 | £ 207,360.74 | £ 157,297.45 | £ 98,695.28 | £ 109,639.29 | £ 75,709.19 | £ 7,576.82 |
| Domestic | £ 6,760.00 | £ 17,589.00 | £ 23,746.30 | £ 23,906.20 | £ 37,179.00 | £ 88,650.00 | £ 68,950.00 | £ 1,800.00 |
Business | £ 4,191.38 | £ 3,000.00 | £ 183,614.44 | £ 133,391.25 | £ 61,516.28 | £ 20,989.29 | £ 6,759.19 | £ 5,776.82 |
| | | | | | | | | |
South Lanarkshire | £ 23,520.68 | £ 55,222.87 | £ 41,159.26 | £ 54,355.46 | £ 118,078.76 | £ 151,143.54 | £ 117,717.51 | £ 4,189.41 |
| Domestic | £ 18,055.80 | £ 25,148.30 | £ 25,509.20 | £ 29,547.00 | £ 59,030.99 | £ 105,850.00 | £ 103,950.00 | £ 1,500.00 |
| Business | £ 5,464.88 | £ 30,074.57 | £ 15,650.06 | £ 24,808.46 | £ 59,047.77 | £ 45,293.54 | £ 13,767.51 | £ 2,689.41 |
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government when it last spoke with trade unions regarding self-driving buses.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not had specific conversations with trade unions regarding self-driving buses but we are aware that concerns have previously been raised about the possible future impact on jobs. Whilst the longer term impact of the adoption of CAV technologies on jobs is uncertain, Scotland will not be isolated from this and our involvement in Project CAVForth ensures we are at the forefront of developing the technology.
Even in a future that has fully autonomous vehicles, the work to date of my officials with partners on Project CAVForth supports the view that bus operators must continue to provide a focus on customer experience to provide assistance, ensure appropriate personal safety and comfort. This will be delivered during the CAVForth trial by the provision of both the legally required safety driver and an additional ‘Bus Captain’. The safety driver will be ready to take over the driving task at any time, whilst the Bus Captain will provide support and assistance to customers e.g. ticketing, travel advice etc.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what funding plans it has to develop more self-driving bus services, similar to the service running between Edinburgh Park and Fife from 15 May 2023.
Answer
This Government wants Scotland to be at the forefront in the development of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles and the start of the CAVForth trial will really help the country establish its credentials on the world stage. We are excited to see how this technology can help to support our vision for a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system.
Transport Scotland’s formal participation in the CAVForth project will cease at the end of July 2023, however the CAVForth service will continue to operate beyond that point, and is expected to include an extension of the service to Dunfermline.
We have no current plans for the introduction of further autonomous bus services, however Scotland is ‘open for business’ to test, demonstrate and pilot autonomous vehicle trials, and in line with our CAV Roadmap for Scotland my officials at Transport Scotland will continue to investigate and explore what future CAV opportunities there may be.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 17 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of self-driving buses.
Answer
The Scottish Government believes that the development and deployment of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles has the potential to bring transformative change to peoples’ lives, not just in how we travel, but in how we work, where we live, the environment, and road safety. Our National Transport Strategy 2 highlights that we will use beneficial innovation to improve our transport system and seek to make Scotland a market leader in the development and early adoption of beneficial transport innovations. This Government wants Scotland to be at the forefront of developments in CAVs and we are excited to see how this technology can help to support our vision for a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system.