Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-08627

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider taking steps to incentivise opt-out testing for hepatitis C in drugs services by (a) including opt-out testing requirements in service contracts and (b) another incentivisation method.

The Scottish Government is open to considering all interventions that can be demonstrated to improve access to and engagement with hepatitis C testing and treatment.

People who are at risk as a result of their drug use often experience a range of health and social issues. That’s why eliminating Hepatitis C from Scotland requires a person-centred approach. NHS Tayside became the first region in the world to achieve elimination by using a person centred approach, leading to better engagement and more successful treatment.

A range of work is under way in partnership with the Scottish Health Protection Network Hepatitis C group to embed this learning more widely; In the meantime, we have funded pilots, such as the Cocoon Project, which is specifically focused on those who inject drugs. The pilot will be evaluated in due course and any learning will be shared to enable a system-wide improvement across Scotland.

Question reference: S6F-01189

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 June 2022

To ask the First Minister what changes have been made since the 2018 report by the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland regarding concerns about the restraint of children in schools.

Question reference: S6W-08580

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with energy providers regarding residents in Scotland whose developments have a single energy supplier that is classified as commercial rather than domestic, in light of these residents' energy bills reportedly not being subject to Ofgem's price cap.

Powers related to consumer protection, and to the energy price cap set by Ofgem, are reserved to the UK Government. However, I am concerned that energy consumers who are not registered directly with a licenced energy supplier may not be protected by the price cap and may not be eligible for the £400 rebate support announced by the UK Government. This affects those living in park homes, for example, in which a landlord bills households for their for energy use and is also a particular issue for heat networks.

The Scottish Government has raised the issue of unequal treatment of those households who do not have a domestic supply contract with the UK Government, who must ensure that any support for consumers is applied to all those that need it. I am also concerned by the current lack of regulation around the supply of heat via heat networks and I am clear that work to address this by the UK Government through Energy Security Bill is needed urgently, and suppliers must take action to support their customers ahead of any legislation coming into force.

Where concerns have been raised over affordability my officials have contacted the suppliers involved to highlight these and push for improved practice from those involved, we have also worked closely with Citizen’s Advice Scotland and others to support affected customers.

Question reference: S6W-08579

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 6 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the number of board members needed for an organisation under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to specifically review the number of board members needed for an organisation under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. However, in our Programme for Government 2021-22, we have committed to review the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 to consider how we can give local communities more of a say over the things that matter to them in their community. This will provide an opportunity to consider many aspects of the Act including the number of board members.

Question reference: S6O-01204

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 June 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to the impact on the food and drink supply chain, what discussions the rural affairs secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding the availability of allotments and community growing projects.

Question reference: S6W-08578

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 1 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many training places have been available for all construction trades in each year since 1999, also broken down by specialty; for example, plumber, electrician etc.

Figures for the number of Modern Apprenticeship starts in construction and related frameworks since 2008-09 is set out in the following table.

Other opportunities to train in construction trades will have been made available in other educational and training settings.

Construction & Related Stats Year on Year	Starts
2008-09	4,027
2009-10	3,289
2010-11	3,009
2011-12	3,697
2012-13	3,787
2013-14	4,435
2014-15	4,409
2015-16	4,894
2016-17	5,934
2017-18	6,104
2018-19	6,111
2019-20	6,417
2020-21	5,033
2021-22	6,540

Question reference: S6W-08582

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the roll-out of a single clinical pathway for coeliac disease across Scotland on a "Once for Scotland" basis.

Question reference: S6W-08581

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 31 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reduce the time taken to receive a coeliac diagnosis, in light of reported concerns raised recently during Coeliac Awareness Week.

The Scottish Government welcomes Coeliac Awareness Week and remains committed to enhancing diagnosis and care for people with coeliac disease in Scotland.

We have developed a new Scottish Coeliac Disease Pathway (2020) in partnership with people living with the condition, the charity Coeliac UK and clinicians. This has been shown to accelerate correct diagnosis and access to appropriate treatment (gluten-free diet and lifestyle) as detailed in the Coeliac Disease Pathway Report . It is our expectation that all Health Boards will fully implement this pathway in order to improve services and ensure that, with dietetic person-centred support, people with coeliac disease take control of their condition and manage its impact on their health and quality of life.

We have also invested £70 million in support of our Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan . This includes a commitment to promote and implement guidelines for non-biopsy diagnosis for coeliac disease, which is expected to reduce waiting times for diagnosis for this condition.

The new pathway embeds the successful Scottish Gluten-free Food Service, which is unique in the UK. The service provides gluten-free food prescriptions and also annual coeliac disease health checks via community pharmacy. Annual coeliac disease health checks have re-commenced now that COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted. They provide pharmacy, general practice and patients with an efficient and safe means of referral back to coeliac services for dietetic and clinical advice as required.

Primary care teams are further supported through information resources on NHS Inform which have been co-produced by people with coeliac disease, clinicians and Coeliac UK.

Question reference: S6W-08576

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 26 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether further funding will be provided in addition to the recently announced £15 million Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund investment, in order to match the £22 million investment in the financial year 2021-22.

In October 2021, I was delighted to launch the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults, supported by a £15 million investment for 2021-22. This funding has now been successfully distributed to a wide range of grassroots, community based projects across Scotland. A further £15 million was announced this month for a second year of the Fund in 2022-23.

£15 million in both 2021-22 and 2022-23 is a significant investment in grassroots, community mental health and wellbeing support. To date, almost 2000 awards have been made to projects, focused on a range of at risk groups including older people and those facing social isolation, people with long-term health conditions and people facing socio-economic disadvantage. This is making a real difference to mental health and wellbeing in many communities.

To aid with pandemic recovery and respond to the high demand for community projects in 2021-22, an additional £6 million was provided in February, bringing total funding for 2021-22 to £21 million. We will continue to build on the success of this work in Year 2, and ensure that the sizeable additional £15 million investment makes a valuable impact on mental health and wellbeing within communities across Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-01165

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 June 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many Green Jobs have been supported since the introduction of the Green Jobs Fund.

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