Chamber and committees

These questions are within the statutory domain of the National Convener. The detailed arrangements are operated by Children’s Hearings Scotland in terms of their published complaints policy. Scottish Ministers have no locus, and it is open to the Member to raise these matters with the body directly.

The location of critical policing facilities is an operational decision for the Chief Constable. Police Scotland is currently in discussions with a number of partners around possible co-location options, to ensure it can continue to provide a policing service that continues to meet the needs of communities across Edinburgh, in the event that functions move away from Fettes. Police Scotland will undertake a public consultation in advance of any decisions being reached.

We welcome the UK Government’s plans to introduce a Sustainable Industry Reward into the Contracts for Difference scheme.

The Scottish Government responded to the initial consultation in January 2024, welcoming the UK Government’s work to introduce these reforms and raising key issues on the definition of deprived areas in Scotland as well as implementation timescales and flexibility.

Throughout our engagement with UK Government on this, we have been clear that any reward mechanism should encourage early investment in manufacturing and infrastructure rather delaying it, creating certainty and allowing the supply chain to ready itself to support the delivery of our tremendous offshore wind ambitions.

We will continue to work with the UK Government to ensure Scottish interests are represented.

The location and deployment of police officers is an operational decision for the Chief Constable. However, under its estate plans for Edinburgh and the Lothians, Police Scotland intends that front-line operational officers will be relocated within the same geographical policing area, meaning there will be no loss to community-based policing.

Police Scotland is currently considering options, and is in discussion with a number of partners around possible locations, to ensure it continues to provide a local policing service that meets the needs of communities across Edinburgh and the Lothians, and has committed to undertake a public consultation in advance of any decisions being reached.

This is an operational matter for Police Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s 2023-24 Public Sector Pay Strategy is clear that employers should negotiate extensions to No Compulsory Redundancy Agreements as part of pay negotiations. I can confirm that Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority do not have a compulsory redundancy scheme underway.

There have been Voluntary Redundancy (VR) and Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) schemes in place for most years since 2013 to provide the Chief Constable with flexibility to develop and balance the workforce in order to respond to changing demand. These schemes only apply to police staff, as police officers cannot be made redundant.

It is important to note that VR/VER schemes are not related to the Police Estates Strategy. The responsibility for the management of the policing budget and estate, including ongoing consultations around police station closures, sits with the Scottish Police Authority and the Chief Constable. The Scottish Government has more than tripled the policing capital budget since 2017-18, supporting continued investment in police assets.

The inaugural meeting of the Cervical Cancer Elimination Expert Group took place on 25 April 2024. The Expert Group agreed to establish working groups to undertake in-depth modelling, to consider and analyse data, and to inform their recommendations around a Cervical Cancer Elimination target date.

Membership of the Expert Group includes representatives from Scottish Government, clinicians, Public Health Scotland (PHS), National Services Division Screening team and Third Sector organisations.

Police Scotland’s Voluntary Redundancy (VR)and Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) schemes are open to police staff only, with police officers not eligible to apply.

It is important to note that VR/VER schemes are not related to the Police Estates Strategy. The responsibility for the management of the policing budget and estate, including ongoing consultations around police station closures, sits with the Scottish Police Authority and the Chief Constable. The Scottish Government has more than tripled the policing capital budget since 2017-18, supporting continued investment in police assets.

South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) has been clear that the temporary reduction of beds is due to clinical and operational reasons associated with current staffing challenges and are undertaking work to address this.

South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership is keeping Scottish Government officials updated on their proposals to consider and recommend a future model of clinical care within the Specialist Palliative Care service within Lanarkshire.

The Scottish Government has always recognised the importance of Scotland’s international connectivity. Our ambition is to make Scotland at least as well connected as peer nations. Transport Scotland, in partnership with VisitScotland and Scottish Development International, works to help Scotland’s airports secure new routes that are essential for inbound tourism, business connectivity and the economy as a whole. Recent successes include direct routes from Atlanta, Calgary and Beijing and we look forward to welcoming the arrival of a new airline for Scotland later this month, with JetBlue launching their first ever Scottish service to New York JFK.

Representatives from the cross government partnership recently took part in the route development forum Routes Europe 2024, meeting with a number of airlines to discuss future opportunities and promote Scotland as a market that can sustain more direct connectivity.

The Scottish Government recognises that tax is one factor in airlines’ decision-making on where to fly. We will review the rates and bands of Air Departure Tax prior to the implementation of the tax once a solution to the Highland & Islands exemption has been identified.