Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-28301

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 2 July 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spent almost £750,000 on a fleet of state-of-the-art vehicles designed to tackle wildfires that reportedly remain in storage a year after delivery due to technical issues, what due diligence was carried out before this money was spent on vehicles that are reportedly not fit for purpose.

Prior to the development of the technical specification for the overall wildfire project, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) set up a User Intelligence Group (UIG) comprising uniformed wildfire subject matter experts, with relevant union and health and safety representation. The UIG was guided by procurement and fleet technical experts. In line with European procurement law the technical specification was put to the European market further to final amendments made to it by the UIG.

The tender returns were evaluated by the UIG and awarded on the technical aspects of the end user specification and support packages. It should be noted that two representative bodies, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and the Fire and Rescue Services Association (FRSA) were part of the UIG for the wildfire vehicles. SFRS has been made aware of concerns raised by the FRSA regarding the all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and has engaged extensively with that group. The FBU, SFRS and wildfire experts do not share the views of the FRSA.

The ATVs are general purpose vehicles and SFRS currently has four in operation. The Service’s newest Angloco models were purchased as part of its wildfire strategy and will be introduced in conjunction with a fleet of other 4x4 vehicles, which arrived earlier this year. The 4x4 vehicles are for transportation of ATVs and once on scene will be used to convey personnel around an incident ground. Firefighter safety is paramount and all new vehicles and equipment will only be rolled out once staff are trained to operate them within safe parameters.

Question reference: S6O-03648

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 June 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle any inappropriate care and overcrowding in NHS emergency departments.

Question reference: S6W-28095

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 18 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Public Petition PE2101, what its plans are for providing all primary and secondary schools with automated external defibrillators.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14642 on 6 March 2023 , funding for local authorities is provided through the annual block grant settlement from the Scottish Government. Local authorities should use funding resources allocated to them in the manner which they believe will best meet local needs and circumstances within their respective areas. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Therefore, decisions on the installation and maintenance of defibrillators in schools is a matter for local authorities to consider at the local level.

A number of organisations provide advice and support for the purchasing and maintenance of defibrillators. This includes:

The British Heart Foundation: Defibrillators - BHF

St Johns Scotland Public Access Community Defibrillators | St John Scotland

Question reference: S6W-28056

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 June 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 12 June 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting small businesses to meet any potential costs associated with compliance with the requirements of Low Emission Zones.

Financial support has been provided to smaller businesses since 2019 in preparation for Low Emission Zones, through scrappage grants and retrofitting grants. Over £6.3 million has been paid out to small businesses with cars, taxis and vans whilst over 1,100 non-compliant business vehicles have been scrapped with the owner receiving a £2000 cash scrappage grant. Over 450 taxis have retrofitted using the grant funding available. A further £5 million has been allocated to the LEZ Support Fund in this financial year to help both smaller businesses and lower income households scrap or retrofit their vehicles to adapt to LEZs.

Question reference: S6O-03470

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what work it has undertaken to prepare for the introduction of low emission zones in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee.

Question reference: S6O-03424

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it can ensure that the public has confidence in the arts and culture sector.

Question reference: S6F-03103

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 May 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that Scotland has the highest suicide rate in the UK, with young men being three times more likely to die than women.

Question reference: S6O-03403

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure good dental care provision for older people in care settings.

Question reference: S6W-26916

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 1 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) regarding how it makes use of section 16 of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002, in order to keep the Scottish Parliament informed of cases where public organisations have failed to comply with the SPSO's recommendations as directed and/or by the due date, which may result in a continued impact on a complainant; what measures it can put in place to support the SPSO with this, and what information it has on any redress or recourse mechanisms that local authorities may be subject to in the event that they do not meet any standards or comply with any recommendations set out by the SPSO.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) is a Scottish parliamentary supported organisation, and the Scottish Parliament is ultimately responsible for their resourcing and for holding their performance to account.

The SPSO publishes information in their annual report regarding compliance with their recommendations ( https://www.spso.org.uk/annual-report/2022-23.html - see section entitled Performance Analysis, under heading Learning from complaints).

The SPSO's Redress Policy is available online ( https://www.spso.org.uk/sites/spso/files/communications_material/RedressPolicy.pdf ). This policy relates only to redress in relation to direct loss or harm. The SPSO can also make recommendations to listed authorities in relation to service improvement or complaints handling.

The SPSO also has a Support and Intervention policy which sets out its statutory powers and how the SPSO will use them. The policy and policy guide for Scottish public bodies on support and intervention action are both available on the SPSO's website ( https://www.spso.org.uk/support-and-intervention-policy ). The Support and Intervention policy outlines a clear escalation route where issues are not resolved, with the section 16 powers of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002 sitting at Level 6 (on a scale of Level 1 to Level 6). The policy also sets out the measures in place and actions the SPSO can take to resolve any compliances issues.

Question reference: S6O-03362

Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 April 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what impact it anticipates its recent announcement on changes to its net zero targets will have on the development of a green economy.

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