Chamber and committees

Up to 1,000 new applicants will be offered awards in 2024-25. The actual number of applications received will be monitored by ILF Scotland and Scottish Government.

As of March 2024, 1,897 people in Scotland, and 344 people in Northern Ireland were in receipt of an Independent Living Fund award. These figures do not include Transition Fund awards.

The Scottish Government has not allocated any funding specifically to promote public awareness to improve the understanding of and or reduce the stigma associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, however the Scottish Government is working to ensure that all neurodivergent people, including those with ADHD, have access the support they need.

The Scottish Government and the National Autism Implementation Team launched a Neuro-affirming Community of Practice Community of Practice in October 2023. This Community of Practice is being developed to ensure that healthcare professionals are better equipped to understand the wants and needs of neurodivergent people, including people with ADHD. There has been positive engagement across health boards.

Education Scotland supports the implementation of inclusive practice for all children and young people, including those who may experience the characteristics of ADHD. A formal diagnosis of ADHD is not required for a child or young people to be provided with appropriate support through the staged level of intervention approach.

Additionally, last year, resources on ADHD were published on Education Scotland’s website, covering the common features, positive traits and challenges of ADHD. This was accompanied by a webinar, attended by over 300 individuals.

The Strategic Board for Education (SBTE) is considering issues around the recruitment and retention of teachers in Scotland in detail, including tackling geographical and subject-specific challenges. SBTE is also working to improve the promotion of teaching as a valued career.

The Headteacher Recruitment and Retention Working group (HTRRWG) are currently in the process of developing a new workplan. As this group is a sub-group of SBTE, members have agreed that the HTRRWG workplan should align with and complement the overarching aim and outcomes of the SBTE workplan. This work is ongoing and will be discussed further at future meetings of the HTRRWG, minutes of which will be published on the Scottish Government website in due course.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26620 on 25 April 2024. 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6O-03144 on 29 February 2024 which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament .

Since December 2022 to 25 April 2024, £2.97 million has been spent on the A9 short term road safety measures announced by the then Minister for Transport in December 2022. The remaining amount is programmed to be spent by the end of March 2025 in line with the commitment.

Spend includes upgrades to road markings on single carriageways sections between Perth and Inverness to install a high performance product with greater reflectivity and acoustic feedback for drivers deviating from their lane. Additional overtaking restrictions have been included where feasible, as well as illuminated road studs at key junctions to improve clarity during darkness. Also on the Perth to Inverness section, the transitions between dual and single carriageways are being upgraded with illuminated studs and additional red surfacing to emphasise the change in carriageway type. In addition, two-way traffic signs and road markings are being installed on single carriageway sections, along with temporary variable message signs displaying key road safety messages. These engineering measures were complemented by two education campaigns on fatigue and ‘drive on the left’ deployed by Road Safety Scotland.

In addition to the £5 million announced in December 2022, approximately £83,000 has been spent on replacing the HGV 50mph speed limit signs on the A9. These new signs do not conflict with traffic sign recognition systems, which are becoming common in modern vehicles. This is also supplemented by over £90,000 spend on recent road safety improvements identified through Transport Scotland’s ongoing assessment of the safety performance of the trunk road network..

Eight temporary electronic variable message signs have been deployed on the A9 between the Birnam and Moy, which display a number of road safety messages to drivers. These include “Don’t Drive Tired” and “Don’t Use Mobile Phones When Driving” to encourage responsible and considerate driving, as well as “Drive on the Left” in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian to assist visitors from overseas. For 2024, these signs were installed during the last week in March and will be in place until the start of November to cover the main tourism season. The estimated cost for installing and maintaining the signs in the 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 financial years is £155,439.57 excluding VAT. The use of these signs on the A9 in future years will be considered through Transport Scotland’s ongoing assessment of the safety performance of the trunk road network.

The North East Bus Alliance has spent £9.94 million from the Bus Partnership Fund. This includes funding for the business case for Aberdeen Rapid Transit (ART) and bus priority on its associated corridors. This also includes £0.33 million for the development and delivery of bus gates in Aberdeen City Centre, which opened in August 2023, and supporting works of £7.98 million on South College Street, which enabled the bus gates. The North East Bus Alliance have reported that bus gates in Aberdeen City Centre have reduced journey times for passengers by up to 25%, benefitting over 600,000 passengers each month.

Future work on ART, led by Nestrans and its partners Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and the North East Bus Alliance, will be funded through the Aberdeen City Region Deal.

SEPA is a member of the Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group. The group last met on 31st January 2024 to continue discussions and undertake process mapping to understand the current evidence, as well as regulatory and non-regulatory tools available to inform future activities and strategy regarding levels of imidacloprid and fipronil in UK surface waters.

SEPA has designed an investigative monitoring programme to help understand chemical pressures on Scotland’s water environment.