Friday 4 March 2016 SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT Communities Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the responses to its Consultation on Provisions for a Future Islands Bill; what work it has undertaken on such a Bill since the consultation closed, and what plans it has to introduce such a Bill. (S4W-29843) Derek Mackay: The responses to the Consultation on Provisions for a Future Islands Bill were published on 25 February 2016. The responses are currently being independently analysed. Once this is complete, the findings will help inform the development of a draft Bill. Decisions on the introduction of a future Bill will be for the next Scottish Government to determine following the Scottish parliamentary elections in May 2016. Health and Social Care Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what role integration joint boards have in decisions about the conditions proposed by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy in relation to the payment of the living wage in adult social care contracts, and the proposed changes to charges for services that they commission. (S4W-29716) Shona Robison: Integration joint boards will be required to set a budget that allocates their share of the integration funding included within the local government settlement, to meet as a minimum the settlements’ commitments in relation to social care, i.e. in relation to the living wage and changes to the charging thresholds.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what powers it has to instruct integration joint boards. (S4W-29717) Shona Robison: Section 52 of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 provides ministers with powers to direct integration authorities, including integration joint boards, in relation to their carrying out of functions conferred on them by the Act.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what consequences will arise should resource transfer arrangements not be agreed with NHS boards by 9 February 2016. (S4W-29720) Shona Robison: Resource transfer arrangements have been superseded by the resource delegation arrangements required by the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014. The legislation requires agreement to be reached on budgets for delegation to integration authorities by 1 April 2016. The £250 million of integration funding provided for in the local government settlement will be allocated to health boards, to whom ministers will give written direction to delegate the full sum to their integration authorities. Integration authorities will then allocate their share of the resources to their local authorities to meet the commitments set out in the settlement.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it used to calculate the £250 million to be distributed to local authorities to ensure that they pay at least the living wage. (S4W-29721) Shona Robison: The Scottish Government will distribute the £250 million to health boards via their annual allocations, using the same allocation formula as was used for distribution of the Integrated Care Fund. This approach takes account of funding formulae used for the NHS and local government, using a 1:1 ratio of the National Resource Allocation Committee formula for the NHS and grant aided expenditure formula for local government.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) voluntary and (b) third sector care workers there are in each local authority area, and how much it will cost to pay them at least the living wage. (S4W-29722) Shona Robison: The number of (a) private and (b) voluntary/ third sector workers in the care sector in each local authority area is available in the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) annual workforce survey (table 4). This can be found on the SSSC website (http://data.sssc.uk.com/data- publications). The investment required to meet the living wage in contracted out adult social care services will vary across authorities in Scotland according to local circumstances, for example, the volume and balance of contracted out care and the progress some councils have already made towards payment of the living wage. We would expect a more finely grained analysis of the situation regarding wages and fair work within contracted out care services to be undertaken at integration authority level.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government who is overseeing the work to develop a national clinical strategy. (S4W-29741) Shona Robison: The National Clinical Strategy was developed by a small team led by Dr Angus Cameron, on loan from NHS Dumfries and Galloway, and overseen by a group chaired by Professor Jason Leitch, National Clinical Director. In developing the strategy, there was engagement with a wide variety of staff across Scottish Government and NHS boards, with clinicians and their representatives. The engagement process included meetings with chief executives, finance directors, directors of planning, medical directors, nurse directors, chief pharmacists, area clinical forum leads, directors of public health, chief operating officers, HR directors, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the Scottish Partnership Forum, eHealth advisors, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Surgeons and the British Medical Association. In addition there was significant clinical engagement with meetings open to all clinicians held in Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Fort William, and Dumfries. Membership of the oversight group was as follows: Dr Catherine Calderwood, Scottish Government, Chief Medical Officer Fiona McQueen, Scottish Government, Chief Nursing Officer John Matheson, Scottish Government, Finance Director (until January 2016) Dr Andrew Longmate, Scottish Government, Senior Medical Officer Professor Craig White, Scottish Government, Divisional Clinical Lead Elizabeth Porterfield, Scottish Government, Head Strategic Planning and Clinical Priorities Karen MacNee, Scottish Government, Senior Policy Analyst Robert Calderwood, Chief Executive, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Cathie Cowan, Chief Executive, NHS Orkney John Turner, Chief Executive, NHS24 (until July 2015) Jill Young, Chief Executive, Golden Jubilee Foundation Lindsay Burley, Chair, NHS National Education Scotland Jeane Freeman, Chair, Golden Jubilee Foundation

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government which ministers serve on the NHS Guiding Coalition; who the other members are; who it reports to; whether it includes staff representatives; what its remit is; when it was established; when it has met; who attended each meeting; what was discussed, and whether the minutes and papers of its meetings are published. (S4W-29743) Shona Robison: The NHS senior leaders forum are the Director General for Health and Social Care and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland, directors of the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Directorate, NHS Scotland chairs and chief executives, and the chairs of the NHS Scotland medical directors and nurse directors groups. The forum forms part of regular engagement between Scottish Government and NHS boards.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on (a) new and (b) used office furniture in in each of the last five years. (S4W-29773) Shona Robison: This information requested is not held centrally.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the report in the Evening Times that medics at Lightburn Hospital claim that the building is "not fit for purpose". (S4W-29774) Shona Robison: It is the responsibility of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to deliver effective and high quality health services to the population. There has been significant progress over the last two years in ensuring that the wards in Lightburn Hospital are fit for purpose. For example, in its two elderly rehabilitation wards with a significant proportion of people with dementia, developments include improved dementia-friendly signage, colour contrasts and lighting, all benchmarked against Health Improvement Scotland’s Older People in Acute Hospitals design standards. In addition, between the two elderly wards there are four Dementia Champions leading and influencing change at front-line of care in the wards. These include both the two senior charge nurses, a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist. There are support workers who coordinate activity, including the use of reminiscence therapy. There is also a dementia-friendly garden, which can be accessed from both wards.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what inspections have been carried at the Lightburn Hospital by the (a) NHS and (b) Care Inspectorate in each of the last five years; what the outcome was of each; what reports were published; whether the hospital is subject to any ongoing inspection; what further inspections are planned, and what information it has regarding inspections by the Health and Safety Executive. (S4W-29775) Shona Robison: There have not been any inspections of Lightburn Hospital in the past five years. Over the next two years, Healthcare Improvement Scotland will be adapting and extending its older people in acute care inspection and improvement programmes into other areas including community hospitals such as Lightburn.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been employed on a zero-hours contract at Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years. (S4W-29776) Shona Robison: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde does not use the type of contracts which have been characterised as “zero hours”. All boards use staff banks made up of qualified staff who can be offered work on an as and when required basis to deal with peaks in demand or gaps caused by leave and sick absence.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been sent for treatment at Lightburn Hospital in each of the last 10 years. (S4W-29777) Shona Robison: The following table shows the number of patients that have had a hospital admission at Lightburn Hospital (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde) at least once during the year, in each of the last 10 years. The number of patients admitted at least once during the year treated as an inpatient or daycase at Lightburn Hospital (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde) from 2005-06 to 2014-15. Financial 2005- 2006- 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- 2012- 2013- 2014- Year 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 Number of 702 714 595 535 547 467 415 433 489 481 patients Source: Information Services Division Scotland, SMR01 Notes: these statistics are derived from data collected on discharges from non-obstetric and non- psychiatric hospitals (SMR01) in Scotland. Only patients treated as inpatients or day cases are included. The figures show the number of individual patients that were admitted at least once during the year.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that there is adequate parking for (a) staff, (b) patients and (c) visitors at Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29778) Shona Robison: Provision of parking facilities at hospitals is the responsibility of health boards. I have asked my officials to consult with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on the parking available at Lightburn Hospital. They have confirmed that there are 44 spaces available for use by staff, patients and visitors. There are also three dedicated spaces for disabled drivers and five spaces specifically for vans and emergency vehicles some of which are located outside of the main entrance to the hospital. Vehicles can also be parked on the main road outside of the hospital.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what the annual cost-per-patient has been at Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years. (S4W-29779) Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what services are provided by Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29780) Shona Robison: Lightburn Hospital has three wards: two currently occupied and one held for further winter surge requirements. The two active wards are made up of 28 beds each and their focus is frail elderly rehabilitation. There is also a day hospital and outpatients clinics operating five days a week. Further details are available from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who are responsible for the planning and provision of local services.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what recent measures NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has put in place to improve services at Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29781) Shona Robison: This is a matter for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who are responsible for the planning and provision of local services.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that people are made aware of the services provided at Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29782) Shona Robison: This is a matter for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who are responsible for the planning and provision of local services, including the publicity surrounding those services.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) non-medical, (b) administrative, (c) managerial, (d) nursing, (e) occupational therapy and (f) physiotherapy posts there have been in Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years, also expressed as a percentage of the number of all staff. (S4W-29783) Shona Robison: Information on the number of (a) non-medical, (b) administrative, (c) managerial, (d) nursing, (e) occupational therapy and (f) physiotherapy posts at Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years is not centrally held. Under this government, staffing levels in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have increased by 916.3 whole time equivalent (WTE), or 2.8 per cent. (source: Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland, information as at December 2015) Further information on the number of WTE staff at NHSScotland board level is published by ISD Scotland and can be found at the following link: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/data-tables.asp.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many complaints have been made regarding Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years. (S4W-29786) Shona Robison: These complaint statistics are not held centrally. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde confirm that Lightburn Hospital received a total of 19 complaints in the last five years – two in 2011, six in 2012, five in 2013, four in 2014 and two in 2015.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated to Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years, and how the figure compares with facilities of a similar size in other NHS boards. (S4W-29790) Shona Robison: The Scottish Government allocates funding to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and does not hold information on the funding allocated to Lightburn Hospital.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on repairs and maintenance at Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years. (S4W-29791) Shona Robison: This information is publically available on the NHS National Services Scotland Information Services Division website within their “Costs/File Listings” section: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Finance/Costs/File-Listings-2015.asp Scottish Financial Returns 5.2 gives information on “hospital running costs” including "property maintenance" which is defined as repairs to hospital property including staff houses, plant maintenance but excludes capital expenditure, heating and power and lighting services.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recruitment and retention payments paid to senior management at Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29792) Shona Robison: This is a matter for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde which does not pay recruitment and retention premia for NHS executive and senior managers. Pay for NHS executive and senior managers is set in accordance with the Scottish Government’s Public Sector Pay Policy which ensures that pay for all NHS staff is fair, sustainable and delivers value for money.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many whole-time equivalent staff have been employed at Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years, broken down by job family. (S4W-29793) Shona Robison: Information on the number of whole time equivalent (WTE) staff employed at Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years, broken down by job family, is not centrally held. Under this government, staffing levels in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have increased by 916.3 WTE, or 2.8 per cent. (source: Information Division (ISD) Scotland, information as at December 2015) Further information on the number of WTE staff at NHSScotland board level is published by ISD Scotland and can be found at the following link: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/data-tables.asp.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what criteria are used by managers at Lightburn Hospital when cleaning audits are carried out. (S4W-29794) Shona Robison: Cleaning audits in Scottish Hospitals are carried out in accordance with the mandatory technical requirements set out in the NHSScotland National Cleaning Services Specification (NCSS) and its accompanying monitoring framework. These documents are published by Health Facilities Scotland at http://www.hfs.scot.nhs.uk/home/. In addition, NHS Health Facilities Scotland publishes a quarterly report on compliance with the NCSS. The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate set up by this government scrutinises the standards of cleanliness in healthcare settings across NHSScotland and publicly reports its findings.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what the annual running cost is for Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29795) Shona Robison: The annual running cost for Lightburn Hospital is £5,503,562. Source: Scottish Health Service Costs 2014-15, Report R020LS, Information Services Division Scotland

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to ensure that there is no smoking in the grounds of Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29797) Shona Robison: It is for NHS Boards to determine how they communicate and enforce Smokefree policies within their properties. The Scottish Government welcomes the efforts that have been made to support the change in smoking behaviours thus far.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what improvement plans it has for Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29798) Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-29781 on 4 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website; the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what steps have been taken in Lightburn Hospital to ensure that the design meets the required standards for patients with dementia, and whether there is a rating system against which these are measured. (S4W-29799) Shona Robison: It is the responsibility of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to deliver effective and high quality health services to its population. While there is not a specific dementia rating system to measure dementia standards systems in these settings, there has been significant improvements over the last two years in ensuring that the design of Lightburn Hospital meets the required standards for patients with dementia. For example, in its two elderly rehabilitation wards with a significant proportion of people with dementia, developments include improved dementia-friendly signage, colour contrasts and lighting, all benchmarked against Health Improvement Scotland’s Older People in Acute Hospitals design standards.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve cleanliness at Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29800) Shona Robison: There are a number of measures in place to ensure that the healthcare environment is clean. Cleaning must be compliant with the mandatory requirements set out in the NHSScotland National Cleaning Services Specification which sets out the frequency and method of cleaning in the healthcare setting. Patients and the public deserve to have complete confidence in the cleanliness of Scottish hospitals and the quality of NHS services. That is why this government set up the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate to independently inspect our hospitals to ensure the highest standards of quality, care and cleanliness.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of single rooms is available in Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29801) Shona Robison: There are two single rooms in each of the four wards, this equates to 7% of the total number of beds.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a shortage of junior doctors available to staff services in Lightburn Hospital and, if so, what the impact of this is. (S4W-29802) Shona Robison: There are no junior doctor staffing shortages at Lightburn Hospital. In Scotland, the oversight of medical trainees is the responsibility of NHS Education for Scotland, who share the operational arrangements for the placement of medical trainees into training programmes with individual health boards. Lightburn Hospital is supported by two junior doctors with additional support from a clinical case manager. Out of hours cover is provided by the medicine for the elderly junior doctors who are on call, and also the hospital at night (HAN) team based at (GRI). At weekends, a junior doctor visits Lightburn Hospital between 9.00 am and 3.00 pm, after which time cover is provided by the medicine for the elderly junior doctors and HAN team at GRI. The junior doctors are fully supported by senior trainees and consultant staff who are always available for advice and support.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many times Lightburn Hospital has downgraded services due to a shortage of suitably qualified staff in each of the last five years. (S4W-29803) Shona Robison: The Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality healthcare, and it is for each NHS board – including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde – to decide best how to utilise funding, facilities and staff while taking account of national and local priorities to meet local health needs. We expect NHS boards to plan their facilities and workforce to deliver these services, ensuring the provision of safe, effective and high quality patient care, delivered by the right professional at the right time. Under this government, staffing levels in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have increased by 916.3 whole time equivalent, or 2.8 per cent. (source: Information Services Division Scotland, information as at December 2015)

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to make wards at Lightburn Hospital more dementia-friendly. (S4W-29804) Shona Robison: It is the responsibility of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to deliver effective and high quality health services to its population. There has been significant progress over the last two years in ensuring that the wards in Lightburn Hospital are dementia friendly. For example, in its two elderly rehabilitation wards with a significant proportion of people with dementia, developments include improved dementia-friendly signage, colour contrasts and lighting, all benchmarked against Health Improvement Scotland’s Older People in Acute Hospitals design standards. There is also a dementia-friendly garden between the two wards, which can be accessed from both wards if the weather is appropriate. In addition, between the two wards there are four Dementia Champions to lead and influence change at front-line of care in the wards. These includes both the two senior charge nurses, a physiotherapist and an a occupational therapist. There are support workers who coordinate activity, including the use of reminiscence therapy.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that there are sufficient staffing levels at Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29805) Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is fully committed to a sustainable NHS and its workforce, which continues to deliver a consistently high quality healthcare service to the people of Scotland. While the Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality healthcare, it is for each NHS board – including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde – to decide best how to utilise funding, facilities and staff while taking account of national and local priorities to meet local health needs. We expect NHS boards to plan their facilities and workforce to deliver these services, ensuring the provision of safe, effective and high quality patient care, delivered by the right professional at the right time. Under this government, staffing levels in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have increased by 916.3 whole time equivalent, or 2.8 per cent. (source: Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland, information as at December 2015) Further information on the number of whole time equivalent staff at NHSScotland board level is published by ISD Scotland and can be found at the following link: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/data-tables.asp. We have already substantially increased funding for all NHS health boards. Under this government, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s frontline budget has increased by £444 million to a planned £2,078.9 million; a cumulative cash increase of 27.2 per cent.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what the average length of stay was for inpatients in Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years. (S4W-29806) Shona Robison: The following table shows the mean length of episode at Lightburn Hospital (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde) for the past five years. The mean figure is the sum of all episode lengths divided by the number of inpatient episodes. Mean length of episode for hospital admissions at Lightburn Hospital for 2010-11 to 2014-15. Financial Year 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Mean length of episode (days) 48.2 42.0 35.7 19.4 26.0 Source: Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland, SMR01

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many beds are provided in Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29807) Shona Robison: The latest information available from Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland, shows that the average number of available staffed beds at Lightburn hospital in Glasgow is 55.8, for quarter ending September 2015. Source: ISD(S)1, ISD Scotland

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29808) Shona Robison: Both ministers and Scottish Government officials keep in regular contact with NHS boards on a range of matters including local services.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what plans ministers have to visit Lightburn Hospital to discuss the future of the facility. (S4W-29809) Shona Robison: There are no current plans at this time for ministers to visit Lightburn Hospital. There are no formal proposals to change the services delivered at the hospital.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many falls have been recorded in Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years. (S4W-29810) Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have provided the following information. The number of recorded falls in Lightburn Hospital over the last five years is provided in the following table: 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Total Slips, Trips and Falls 268 194 258 246 169 1,135

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many times the heating has broken down at Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years. (S4W-29811) Shona Robison: The following table provides the number of reported faults for the heating system in the Lightburn Hospital. All faults have been repaired and there have been no occasions when the whole hospital has been without heating. 2011-12 6 reported faults 2012-13 5 reported faults 2013-14 4 reported faults 2014-15 8 reported faults 2015-16 2 reported faults

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many wards in Lightburn Hospital have been closed due to (a) norovirus outbreak, (b) hospital-acquired infections and (c) other reasons in each of the last five years. (S4W-29812) Shona Robison: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Health Protection Scotland (HPS) monitors and publishes weekly point prevalence surveillance management information data on a weekly basis by board reporting the number of hospitals and wards closed due to norovirus. The latest report as at 15 February 2016 is published at http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/giz/norovirus/2016-02-15.pdf. HPS also publishes a number of statistical commentaries on healthcare associated infections.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to people with (a) learning difficulties and (b) mental health issues who use Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29814) Shona Robison: The Scottish Government provides funding to individual health boards, who are in turn responsible for providing services which meet the physical and mental health needs of their local population. Mental health is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government and we will continue to work closely with our partners, including the NHS, local authorities, the third sector, service users and carers to ensure we offer the best quality of life and opportunities for people with mental health problems.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to people with impaired (a) sight and (b) hearing who use Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29815) Shona Robison: The Scottish Government’s sensory impairment strategy aims to achieve seamless assessment, care and support for all people with a sensory impairment. Local partnerships have been established around Scotland to drive the implementation of the strategy.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a sufficient number of junior doctors graduating to meet demand at Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29816) Shona Robison: There is no direct correlation between numbers of medical students graduating in Scotland and the number of junior doctor training places in Lightburn Hospital. Scottish Ministers set medical student intake targets annually, and places for 2015 totalled 848. Following graduation from medical school, medical graduates seeking to work in the NHS must apply for the first stage of foundation level postgraduate training. Scotland has a foundation training establishment figure of 804 places which is calculated to ensure there is an adequate number of places for graduates and an appropriate supply of foundation trainees to meet the future demand into core and higher specialty training programmes. For the last few years Scottish Ministers have funded additional foundation places above the establishment figure to ensure suitably qualified graduates from medical schools who wish to work in Scotland are able to obtain a foundation programme place in Scotland, provided they meet the necessary criteria. In addition, in order to achieve a more sustainable medical workforce, the First Minister recently announced an increase of 50 medical students from 2016, which will result in an additional 250 medical training places by 2020-21.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many people with mental health issues have been accommodated in Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years. (S4W-29817) Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally. Lightburn Hospital is not a psychiatric inpatient hospital. Acute hospital inpatient and day case discharges (SMR01 data) typically only record diagnoses that are relevant to the current period of care and do not reference unrelated health problems that the patient may also have. While a mental health diagnosis might be recorded on discharge from Lightburn, the patient numbers for this are likely to be a subset of the total number of people with current mental health issues.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many medical staff have been employed at Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years. (S4W-29818) Shona Robison: Information on how many medical staff have been employed at Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years is not centrally held. Under this government, staffing levels in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have increased by 916.3 whole time equivalent (WTE), or 2.8 per cent. This includes a 31.0 per cent increase in consultants, and a 169.6 per cent increase in emergency medicine consultants. Further information on the number of WTE staff at NHSScotland board level is published by Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland and can be found at the following link: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/data-tables.asp (source: ISD Scotland, information as at December 2015).

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what its role would be regarding any proposal by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to close Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29819) Shona Robison: Any proposals for major service change in the NHS must be informed by formal public consultation and are ultimately subject to ministerial approval, in line with the national guidance available at www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2010_01.pdf. In all such cases, I take full account of all the available information and representations before coming to a final decision. In any formal proposal relating to Lightburn Hospital that were deemed major service change, I would have to be convinced that position had materially changed since the previous considerations in 2011, and that what would replace the hospital would demonstrably provide a better service for the benefit of local people. No such formal proposal has been made.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what ministerial engagements have taken place in Lightburn Hospital in each of the last five years. (S4W-29820) Shona Robison: In their then role as Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon met Lightburn Hospital campaigners at the Scottish Parliament on 2 November 2011 and Alex Neil visited the hospital on 20 June 2013.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether Lightburn Hospital has developed or is developing plans on how to carry out a complete evacuation. (S4W-29821) Shona Robison: All NHS boards would deal with an evacuation, as with any disruption to their activities or buildings, as part of their business continuity management arrangements. Strategic business continuity management guidance has been issued to NHS boards in Scotland and is an essential activity in establishing an organisation’s resilience. Evacuation of premises and the scale of the evacuation will be based on risk assessment of each hazard or disruption. NHS boards are also required to carry out regular training and exercising based on the hazards and risks likely to cause disruption to their services and buildings. Along with guidance on business continuity management, guidance aimed at ensuring that adequate provision is made for the conduct of evacuations from hospital premises was issued to NHS boards in 2011.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government under what circumstances Lightburn Hospital would carry out a complete evacuation, and what guidance it provides on this. (S4W-29822) Shona Robison: There are a number of incidents that may require the evacuation of hospital premises. These can include a fire, structural damage or collapse, but any disruptive incident that impacts on the safety of staff and patients could result in evacuation. All NHS boards would deal with an evacuation as they would to any disruption to their activities or buildings, as part of their business continuity management plans and processes. Strategic guidance has been issued to health boards in Scotland and business continuity is an essential activity in establishing an organisation’s resilience. Evacuation of premises and the scale of the evacuation will be based on risk assessment of each hazard or disruption. Guidance aimed at ensuring that adequate provision is made for the conduct of evacuations from hospital premises was issued to NHS boards in 2011.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish details of the National Scheduled Care Programme (sustainability). (S4W-29831) Shona Robison: Details of the National Scheduled Care Programme titled "Getting Ahead – sustainable whole system management for elective services" was issued on 25 January 2016 under a Health Directorate Director letter. This can be accessed at the following link: http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/dl/DL(2016)02.pdf.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with (a) NHS boards and (b) other stakeholders about the National Scheduled Care Programme (sustainability). (S4W-29832) Shona Robison: The National Scheduled Care Programme known as “Getting Ahead – sustainable whole systems management for elective services” has been discussed in detail with the NHS Scotland Chief Operating Officers Group and other informal discussions with a number of NHS boards as well as the British Medical Association. The Health Directorate Access Support Team will be meeting with all boards to support them in taking forward this work over the next few months.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been treated at Lightburn Hospital in each year since 1999, and what information it has for earlier years. (S4W-29837) Shona Robison: The following table shows the number of patients that had a hospital admission at Lightburn Hospital at least once during the year, treated as an inpatient or daycase, for each year from 1997-98 to 2014-15. Financial Year 1997- 1998- 1999- 2000- 2001- 2002- 2003- 2004- 2005- 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 Number of 606 679 812 787 877 814 749 710 702 patients

Financial Year 2006- 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- 2012- 2013- 2014- 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 Number of 714 595 535 547 467 415 433 489 481 patients Source: Information Services Division Scotland, SMR01 Notes these statistics are derived from data collected on discharges from non-obstetric and non- psychiatric hospitals (SMR01) in Scotland. Only patients treated as inpatients or day cases are included. The figures show the number of individual patients that were admitted at least once during the year. These figures exclude people who did not attend appointments.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been transferred from Lightburn Hospital to receive emergency treatment at an acute hospital in each of the last five years. (S4W-29838) Shona Robison: The following table shows the number of patients who have been transferred from Lightburn Hospital to another hospital in each of the last five years. Information is not available centrally about whether the transfer was for emergency treatment. Financial year 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Number of patients 50 64 76 94 71 Source: Information Services Division Scotland, SMR01 Date extracted: February 2016

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what the estate revenue costs are for Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29839) Shona Robison: The estate revenue costs for 2014-15 for Lightburn Hospital are: Lightburn Hospital: 2014-15 Estate Revenue Costs Pay Supplies Total £ £ £ Laundry 21,345 2,095 23,440 Waste Disposal 31,852 31,852 Lightburn Hospital: 2014-15 Estate Revenue Costs Pay Supplies Total £ £ £ Property Maintenance 4,995 118,566 123,561 Cleaning 220,958 7,405 228,363 Energy and Utilities 156,180 156,180 Rent 4,066 4,066 Rates 5,173 5,173 Furniture and Other Equipment 57,984 57,984 Totals 247,298 383,321 630,619 This table is an extract from the NHS National Services Scotland Information Services Division website within their “Costs/File Listings” section.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many deaths there have been at Lightburn Hospital in each of the last 10 years. (S4W-29840) Shona Robison: The following table shows the number of deaths that occurred at Lightburn Hospital in the past 10 years. 2005- 2006- 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- 2012- 2013- 2014- 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 89 70 53 52 40 35 21 17 10 14 Source: Information Services Division Scotland, SMR01 Date extracted: February 2016.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many patients aged over 75 in each of the last five years were subsequently diagnosed with MRSA after being admitted to Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29841) Shona Robison: Statistical information on MRSA in Scotland is published by Health Protection Scotland in its quarterly epidemiological commentaries at: http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/pubs/Index.aspx. The commentaries contain quarterly epidemiological data by NHS board and nationally for Scotland. Data for individual hospitals is not published; however, since 2007 there has been a 79% fall in cases of MRSA in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many patients aged over 75 in each of the last five years were recorded as sustaining an injury during their stay after being admitted to Lightburn Hospital. (S4W-29842) Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have provided full year details for the number of recorded incidents involving those over the age of 75 who have sustained an injury during a stay in Lightburn Hospital over the last three years. It should be noted that these details may be incomplete as the age of the individual is not always recorded. Lightburn slips, trips and falls in over 75s (where age has been filled out) 2013 2014 2015 Total Slips, Trips and Falls 116 179 106 401 Lightburn patients aged over 75 sustaining an injury (where age has been filled out) 2013 2014 2015 Total Injuries 50 64 42 156

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government when each NHS board was advised of its budget allocation for 2016-17. (S4W-30036) Shona Robison: NHS territorial and special health boards were advised of their initial allocations for 2016-17 on 26 February 2016.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how much the has spent on locum doctors in each year since 2007, also broken down by the number of locums employed. (S4W-30038) Shona Robison: Specific local information will be available from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who are responsible for the planning and provision of local services.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) consultants, (b) doctors, (c) nurses, (d) allied health professionals, (e) administrators and (f) other staff have been based at the Vale of Leven Hospital in each year since 2007. (S4W-30039) Shona Robison: The Scottish Government remains committed to maintaining and improving services at the Vale of Leven Hospital. We have been consistently clear that we see a bright future for the hospital, which plays a crucial role in the local healthcare system. Information on how many (a) consultants, (b) doctors, (c) nurses, (d) allied health professionals, (e) administrators and (f) other staff have been based at the Vale of Leven Hospital in each year since 2007 is not held centrally. Specific local information will be available from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Under this government, staffing levels in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have increased by 916.3 WTE, or 2.8 per cent.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many times clinics at the Vale of Leven Hospital have been cancelled in each year since 2007. (S4W-30040) Shona Robison: This is a matter for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who are responsible for the planning and provision of local services.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many Vale of Leven Hospital staff have carried out shifts at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016. (S4W-30041) Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30038 on 4 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many junior doctor posts there are at the Vale of Leven Hospital and how many are vacant, broken down by how long they have been vacant. (S4W-30042) Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30038 on 4 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government when it was made aware of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s plan to close ward six at the Vale of Leven Hospital. (S4W-30049) Shona Robison: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, who hold the responsibility for the planning and provision of local services, made the Scottish Government aware of its plans to re-provide the activity from ward six at the Vale of Leven Hospital in late November 2015, following the approval of these plans by the board's Acute Services Committee. The redesign plans, made to ensure that services are as efficient as possible and due to be implemented in April 2016, will allow the majority of patients currently treated on ward six to be treated in the hospital’s surgical day bed unit, with extended operating hours. The remaining patients (those who require an inpatient stay) will be accommodated in the Lomond Ward at the Vale. As such, the plans will have no effect on the level of surgical service and after care received by local people at the hospital.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport agreed the plan by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to close ward six at the Vale of Leven Hospital. (S4W-30050) Shona Robison: No: as set out in the relevant national guidance (available at: www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2010_01.pdf), only proposed major service change in the NHS is subject to ministerial approval.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government when it was made aware of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s plan to transfer emergency care from the Vale of Leven Hospital to the Royal Alexandra Hospital. (S4W-30051) Shona Robison: As made clear by the statement of the Chair of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on 15 January 2016 (available at: www.nhsggc.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/news/2016/01/chairmans-statement/), there are no such formal proposals.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government when it was made aware of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s plan to close the children's ward at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. (S4W-30052) Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30051 on 4 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government when it was made aware of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s plan to reduce the number of community maternity units in the west of Scotland, and whether it will take action to protect these services. (S4W-30053) Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30051 on 4 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many babies born at the (a) Vale of Leven Community Midwifery Unit and (b) Royal Alexandra Hospital in each year since 2007 had parents who were resident in the Vale of Leven Hospital catchment area. (S4W-30056) Shona Robison: Details of hospital catchment areas are not held centrally. Specific information may be available from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who are responsible for the planning and provision of local services.

Michael Russell (Argyll and Bute) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commission a study of the danger to health posed by exposure to vibroacoustic factors for people working on ferries that it subsidises. (S4W-30131) Maureen Watt: I can confirm that the Scottish Government has no plans to commission a study on this matter. I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-29111 on 13 January 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government for what reason applications for 16B funding under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 have not opened for 2016-17 and organisations have not been given notice if the system has changed. (S4W-30181) Jamie Hepburn: In 2016-17, commitments already made for organisations in year two or three of existing project funding are being honoured and grantees are aware of that. Over the next few months, the Scottish Government will be reviewing the annual funding scheme to consider how funding might be more closely aligned to current health support or health promotion policy priorities which contribute to the achievement of our national outcomes. The latest information on Section 16b grant funding is available on the Scottish Government Section 16b Grant Scheme web-page, which can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Health/Support- Social-Care/Financial-Help/16bGrants. Learning and Justice Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government which Scottish Fire and Rescue Service divisions are experiencing frontline staff shortages; how long these have lasted; what impact they have had on the availability of fire appliances at any one time, and when they will be resolved. Holding answer issued: 3 March 2016 (S4W-29692) Paul Wheelhouse: This information is not held by Scottish Government. The allocation of resources, both people and equipment, is a matter for the board of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS). The SFRS does undertake regular recruitment for both operational and support staff, as dictated by the need of the organisation. The SFRS has recently recruited two new cohorts of whole-time firefighters. Following their initial training they will be deployed across Scotland as operational demand dictates. In its last recruitment campaign for 12 whole time fire fighters to be located in the North Service Delivery Area, the SFRS closed its application process after a couple of days when it had received its target of 300 applications. Alongside this, a national recruitment campaign for retained duty system (RDS) firefighters took place in February 2016. Further RDS campaigns will be held in May and August 2016.

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government how many job vacancies there are in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS); how many of these have been open for (a) less than a month, (b) one-two months, (c) three-four months and (d) over four months, broken down by (i) frontline staff and (ii) support staff and (iii) SFRS division. Holding answer issued: 3 March 2016 (S4W-29693) Paul Wheelhouse: This information is not held by Scottish Government. The allocation of resources, both people and equipment, is a matter for the board of the SFRS. The SFRS does undertake regular recruitment for both operational and support staff, as dictated by the need of the organisation. Since becoming a national service the SFRS has the ability to constantly review requirements across Scotland and deploy resource to where the need is greatest. It also presents greater opportunity for personnel to develop their careers in roles throughout Scotland. The SFRS has recently recruited two new cohorts of whole-time firefighters. Following their initial training they will be deployed across Scotland as operational demand dictates. Alongside this, a national recruitment campaign for retained duty system (RDS) firefighters took place in February 2016. Further RDS campaigns will be held in May and August 2016.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government how many school leavers in each year since 2007 did not go into education, employment or training. (S4W-29997) Annabelle Ewing: The number of school leavers not in education (higher education or further education), employment or training are shown in the following table: Year Number of leavers Number not in education, employment or training1 2007-08 58,603 9,539 2008-09 53,324 8,084 2009-10 53,842 8,230 2010-11 53,850 7,474 2011-122 49,610 5,731 2012-132 51,515 5,620 2013-142 49,980 4,718 1. Includes school leavers on activity agreements or in voluntary work. These are considered positive destinations in the Summary Statistics for Attainment, Leaver Destinations and Healthy Living publication. The figures presented also include school leavers where their destination was recorded as ‘unknown’. 2. The methodology and data available for 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 changed meaning caution should be exercised when making comparisons over time. Source: The data included in the table comes from Skills Development Scotland’s (SDS) follow up of school leaver destinations. Information on the destination of leavers from publicly funded schools was provided to the Scottish Government by SDS. SDS collected information on the destination of each young person they had identified as being a school leaver during September 2014 (initial destination) and March 2015 (follow-up destination). The follow up destinations data provided in this table presents information on the outcomes of young people approximately nine months after leaving school. While these figures outline the number of school leavers who are not in education, employment or training, the main headline measure used by the Scottish Government is the percentage of school leavers in a positive follow up destination. This considers voluntary work and activity agreements to be positive destinations, alongside higher education, further education, employment and training. The figure for 2013-14 school leavers not in a positive destination on this basis is 4,142 (including unknowns). The percentage of school leavers in positive destinations at the time of the follow-up was 84.0% in 2007-08 and 91.7% for 2013-14 school leavers. Transport Scotland David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the option of a passenger ferry across the Firth of Forth with a bus link was not explored during the recent closure of the Forth Road Bridge. (S4W-29834) Derek Mackay: Transport Scotland fully explored all of the ferries options and engaged in discussions and practical trials with ferry operators on possible services. Available infrastructure, comparable journey times and likely passenger carrying capacity, particularly when compared to other public transport options, were the key factors in considering this. Ultimately it was not deemed practical to pursue such a service. However, all options were kept under review throughout the closure period. The use of a hovercraft was also considered although ruled out under the same criteria plus taking into account the time required to make a vessel available to enter service.

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government when its accessible transport strategy will be published and how it is engaging with disabled people during the consultation period. (S4W-29853) Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government plans to publish a national accessible travel framework and action plan later in 2016. The approach taken involves engagement which goes beyond a traditionally defined consultation. We have consulted disabled people face-to-face and through their representative organisations, firstly (along with transport providers and local and central government) to co–produce the first transport accessibility summit which took place in March 2015 and from which a report was produced which included feedback and commentary from disabled people. One of the priorities identified by disabled people at the summit was to continue to work with them and through their organisations and so the transport accessibility steering group was established with the same representation which co-produced the summit. The steering group is now working to co– produce the accessible travel framework and action plan. Engagement with disabled people will continue during this development of the framework and action plan. Further face-to-face meetings and online communications with disabled people are planned before it is finalised, to discuss the vision, outcomes and key actions. The aim thereafter is to ensure a continued conversation with disabled people over the lifespan of the framework.

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress is being made with the proposal to improve access at (a) Blairhill, (b) Elgin, (c) Hamilton Central, (d) Kilmarnock, (e) Kilwinning and (f) Westerton railway station. (S4W-29854) Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government provides regular updates on the Access for All programme through Transport Scotland who chair the Scottish Rail Accessibility Forum. This forum brings together the Scottish Government, rail industry and organisations representing disabled and other passengers. The Access for All programme will deliver improved access at a further six Scottish stations by April 2019. The station upgrades are being delivered by Network Rail and progress is being made as follows: Work has begun on site to construct a new, compliant footbridge served by lifts to both platforms at Elgin. The £2.5 million facilities are expected to be complete and open for use in summer 2016. The existing footbridge will then be removed. These substantial access improvements will compliment wider Scottish Government investment to improve rail services through the £170 million Aberdeen to Inverness Improvement Project. Work has also begun on site at Blairhill station, to construct a new compliant footbridge served by lifts to both platforms. It is expected work will be complete and the new facilities open before the end of 2016. Proposals to construct a new footbridge, lifts and ticket office at Hamilton Central are at the design stage and works are planned to be completed in 2017. Network Rail is beginning initial feasibility studies to explore the most suitable access solutions at Kilmarnock, Kilwinning and Westerton stations. It is anticipated works will begin at these stations in 2017.

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Scottish Accessible Transport Alliance report, Accessible Transport Strategy and Action Plan for Scotland, and whether it is taking action to implement the recommendations. (S4W-29855) Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government has noted the Scottish Accessible Transport Alliance plan. Whilst the plan raised worthy points of discussion, we were keen to produce a plan using a different overall approach which included collaboration with a range of disabled peoples organisations plus transport operators, government officials and crucially disabled people themselves from across Scotland. Transport Scotland’s current work, with disabled people, their organisations and transport providers, working through the transport accessibility steering group, is about developing a shared vision, outcomes and action plan through a collaborative process to secure commitments to improve accessibility for disabled people in Scotland over the short, medium and long term. This goes beyond drafting and publishing a plan to making sure that a range of disabled people from across Scotland have been involved from the outset in highlighting the issues and agreeing solutions and crucially, going forward, ensuring that outcomes are achieved. The Scottish Accessible Transport Alliance is involved in this work as it is a member of the steering group.

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Independent): To ask the Scottish Government whether the introduction of high-speed trains to run on ScotRail inter-city routes is on schedule. (S4W-29962) Derek Mackay: ScotRail are on target to introduce these iconic trains into service commencing summer 2018 and will shortly announce its plans to fully refurbish this fleet.

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Independent): To ask the Scottish Government whether the proposed average 10-minute reduction in journey times for train services between the central belt and Inverness by March 2019 is on schedule and when it will announce full details of what services will be in place. (S4W-29963) Derek Mackay: Phase two of the Highland Main Line Improvement project is on schedule to deliver, by March 2019, journey time improvements averaging around 10 minutes, an hourly service between Perth and Inverness, extended to either Glasgow or Edinburgh, and increased opportunities for freight. Full details of the services will be published in late autumn 2018 as part of the December 2018 ScotRail timetable.

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Independent): To ask the Scottish Government what would technical challenges need to be overcome to introduce more double track on the Highland Main Line and which viaducts would require major work to accommodate this. (S4W-29964) Derek Mackay: There are a number of engineering, constructability, access and environmental challenges which Network Rail would have to address to introduce more double track on the Highland Main Line. There are a total of 312 structures, including underbridges, overbridges and viaducts.

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Independent): To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects Great Western Railway to release high-speed trains to Abellio to run on ScotRail inter-city routes in 2017-18. (S4W-29965) Derek Mackay: The high-speed trains are owned by Angel Trains and they have a contractual agreement to lease them to Abellio ScotRail from autumn 2017 onwards. These trains are currently operated by First Great Western whose leases expire in late 2017 to early 2018 with Angel Trains.