Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-05806

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 2 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on the amount of any packaging that is uplifted for recycling, but which is (a) incinerated and (b) sent to landfill.

Segregated waste collected for recycling is sent to either a recycling facility or a materials recovery facility to be sorted before recycling. In some cases, where waste is too contaminated to be recycled or sorted, it may be diverted to incineration or landfill.

Data on the amount packaging within waste that is too contaminated to be recycled or sorted and which is incinerated or landfilled is not held centrally.

Question reference: S6W-05807

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 1 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce legislation to prohibit the use of packaging that cannot be recycled or which contaminates other items for recycling.

The Scottish Government is working with the other UK administrations to introduce extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging. How much producers pay for a particular type of packaging will depend on its environmental impact. This will create a powerful incentive to adopt more recyclable packaging.

The Scottish Government has laid regulations before Parliament that ban some types of packaging products such as expanded polystyrene cups and food containers that, if incorrectly disposed of, contaminate kerbside recycling bins.

I recently announced the first £20 million of landmark investments from the Recycling Improvement Fund, to increase the quantity and quality of recycling. We are funding a range of improvements to improve the quality of recyclate, including local service redesigns to align with Scotland’s Household Recycling Charter, and new ‘in cab’ updates to help councils tackle contamination. New funding will also enable Fife Council to become the first local authority in Scotland to locally sort and separate the plastic films it collects for recycling, and boost Scotland’s capacity to recycle this problematic material. This will allow the council to accept flexible plastics and films for recycling within the existing kerbside schemes.

We are working with industry, local government and environmental groups to develop a route map to deliver our waste, recycling and climate change targets. This work will include consideration of recyclate capture and quality. We will also introduce a Circular Economy Bill this parliamentary session which will include measures to encourage reuse of products and the reduction of waste.

Question reference: S6W-05800

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 28 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-05091 by Humza Yousaf on 23 December 2021, how many referrals have been made to Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland’s Long COVID Support Service in each month since the service was established.

Question reference: S6W-05799

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 26 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £10 million Long COVID Support Fund has been (a) spent, (b) allocated and (c) identified by the Strategic Network for targeting at areas where this additional resource is most needed, since 18 January 2021.

NHS National Services Division is establishing a Strategic Network bringing together clinical experts, NHS Boards and lived experience to support the ongoing development, resourcing and implementation of services for people with long COVID. When established, the Strategic Network will have a key role in identifying and ensuring that the £10m long COVID Support Fund is targeted at areas where support is most needed and can make the biggest impact.

We anticipate that the long COVID Support Fund will be allocated and spent over the next three financial years, providing Boards with additional resource to respond in a flexible and tailored manner to the needs of people with long COVID.

For this financial year, 2021-22, total health portfolio funding exceeds £16 billion, with a further £1.9 billion provided to address pressures related to COVID-19. This substantial investment is already benefiting a range of NHS services which are supporting the needs of people living with long COVID.

Question reference: S6F-00713

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 January 2022

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6W-05621

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 20 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether IVF treatment for unvaccinated women is being deferred due to the risks of contracting COVID-19 during pregnancy, and whether it will lift the age cap for women whose IVF treatment was disrupted due to the pandemic.

The recommendation that fertility treatment for unvaccinated patients be deferred at the current time was made on the grounds of safety. There is robust published evidence of increased risks of morbidity, risk of severe illness and poorer outcomes from COVID-19 for unvaccinated pregnant women and their babies (including preterm birth and stillbirth), increasing virus incidence and uncertainties about the Omicron variant on pregnant women. The lead Clinicians in the NHS Assisted Conception Units in Scotland had also raised their concerns.

All patients currently having treatment temporarily deferred will have the deferral time added back on to their treatment journey to ensure that no patient loses out on treatment. We recognise this is particularly important for women who are approaching the upper end of the age limit for IVF treatment.

With the exception of a short period of time at the beginning of the pandemic when, on the instruction of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA - the UK fertility regulator), fertility treatment was ‘paused’ in all NHS and private facilities across the UK as a precautionary measure, all four NHS Assisted Conception Units in Scotland have remained open throughout the pandemic. All patients on the waiting list while treatment was paused had an additional 6 months added to their treatment journey. This ensured that women close to the upper age limit for NHS IVF treatment were not disadvantaged.

Question reference: S6O-00645

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the impact of COVID-19 restrictions over the festive period on theatres and other performance venues.

Question reference: S6W-05189

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the number of people with cystic fibrosis in Scotland who are currently on the waiting list for a lung transplant, and what steps it will take to improve outcomes for such people.

At the present time there are 20 patients from Scotland who are awaiting a lung transplant. Due to the very small numbers of patients who have an underlying diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis who meet the criteria for listing for transplantation, to prevent inadvertent patient identification the most specific answer that can be given is that this is fewer than five individuals. These patients are being managed jointly by the Scottish Cystic Fibrosis Specialist Centres and the transplant clinical team in Newcastle.

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.

Question reference: S6W-05358

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 10 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on actions it is taking in response to further reports of increasing levels of drink spiking in hospitality venues.

Following the urgent roundtable meeting I chaired on 4 November, I met with partners and representatives from across the sector on 8 December. The key outcomes were a focus on training and prevention, with the Violence Reduction Unit supporting Police Scotland and Night Time Economy Partners to continue to roll out bystander training to raise awareness for staff to help keep people safe.

Police Scotland’s Strategic Gold Command continues to monitor the situation, and are working closely with third sector and partner organisations, looking into further protective and preventative measures to combat drink spiking, including a public awareness campaign focused on bystanders and perpetrators. We want people to report if they see something suspicious and to step in if they think someone may be at risk or see someone behaving suspiciously.

I would encourage anyone who believes they have had their drink spiked or been assaulted in this way to contact Police Scotland on 101 or in an emergency 999.

Question reference: S6W-05092

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the £10 million Long COVID Support Fund has been allocated since September 2021.

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