Chamber and committees

There are no current plans to alter the number or structure of NHS Boards. This will be kept under review as we continue to consider how best to reform and renew the NHS, whilst remaining within the long established principle of a public service free at the point of use and need. Our priority remains delivering the NHS Scotland Recovery Plan, and improving services across Scotland.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission’s Fiscal Sustainability Report sets out that the projection of lower GDP growth in Scotland than the UK is primarily due to demographic change, with Scotland’s population aged 16-64 projected to fall by 16 per cent over the next 50 years, compared to a fall of 2 per cent for the UK.

This presents a risk to Scotland’s long term economic competitiveness and while the challenges of an ageing population are not unique to Scotland, Scotland lacks the full range of powers to deal with these in the way that other countries can, in particular with the UK Government’s current immigration system failing to meet the needs of Scotland’s communities in addressing both labour market and demographic challenges. In the short term, the Scottish Government is using the powers it has to address Scotland’s population challenges and in 2023 the Ministerial Population Taskforce will launch a new Talent Attraction and Migration Service for Scotland, and an Addressing Depopulation Action Plan will be published.

Furthermore, the National Strategy for Economic Transformation sets out the action the Scottish Government is taking to deliver a wellbeing economy which will increase productivity and international competitiveness, and deliver fairer, greener prosperity for all Scotland’s people and places.

Vision is routinely assessed following stroke and any pre-existing visual problems would be considered as part of the assessment and rehabilitation process. The criteria for assessment during Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme (SSIP) annual reviews of NHS Boards now includes a dedicated section relating to vision in stroke rehabilitation.

The Scottish Government expects boards to demonstrate that their stroke services have a documented pathway describing services for all those with visual problems following stroke. Boards should be able to evidence the use of comprehensive visual screening, the option to refer to appropriate professionals for assessment of visual problems and the provision of tailored information and access to low vision services if required.

The Permanent Representative of Ireland to the EU and I held a positive meeting in June last year, in which we spoke about energy policy and the latest developments regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions, however Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

The Head of the UK Mission to the EU and I held a positive meeting in May last year, in which we spoke about issues such as the Scottish Government's Retained EU Law and Horizon Europe.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions, however Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

Temporary accommodation offers an important safety net for anyone who finds themselves homeless, however, this should only ever be short term and we want to see people in settled homes that meet their needs as soon as possible. We want disabled people in Scotland to have choice, dignity and freedom to access suitable, settled homes so they can participate as full and equal citizens.

Our Housing to 2040 strategy sets out our vision for housing in Scotland to 2040. Key actions include reviewing Housing for Varying Needs, increasing the supply of accessible and adapted homes and improving choice for disabled people to allow them to live independently within their community.

The Scottish Government has committed to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, of which 70% will be for social rent. Funding is available through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme to deliver more wheelchair accessible homes where local authorities have included these in their Strategic Housing Investment Plans.

The review of Housing for Varying Needs, our design guide for accessibility standards for new social rented homes, is underway and will directly inform the development of a Scottish Accessible Homes Standard, set to be implemented from 2025-26. This will enhance the accessibility and adaptability of new homes, ensuring that disabled people have an increased range of housing options and reducing the requirement to make changes to homes as needs change. We plan to launch the formal consultation on both the Housing for Varying Needs review and the introduction of the Scottish Accessible Homes Standard in the spring of 2023.

The Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) College Infrastructure Strategy: The Approach to Delivering Scotland’s College Infrastructure, published in November 2022, supports the college sector’s ambitions for net zero with the planned production of an Infrastructure Investment Plan for the college sector being a key goal.

The strategy recognises that investment in college infrastructure is needed and presents a significant opportunity for colleges to play their part in tackling the climate emergency. SFC will support colleges to progress their Net Zero ambitions that are integral to any future infrastructure investment.

Scottish Government allocates commensurate funding to Health boards for 17J, 17C and 2C practices as part of the wider Primary Medical Services allocation. It is anticipated that Boards will fund 2C practices from this funding.

The New Zealand's Ambassador to EU and NATO and I held a positive meeting in June last year, in which we spoke about cultural, trade and civic links between Scotland and New Zealand.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions, however Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

The Scottish Budget is largely fixed and the Scottish Government cannot overspend against the Budget limit. Budgets are carefully managed by Scottish Ministers through well-established planning, year-round management and reporting processes. The robust financial management processes in place ensure that spending against the Scottish Budget is continually assessed with all available funding directed to priorities to maximise the effective use of resources. This includes annual autumn and spring revisions of the Budget which are agreed with the Scottish Parliament. All fiscal underspends are carried forward within the Scotland Reserve with no loss of spending power. It is important that the Parliamentary focus is on the discretionary budget figures (that support public spending) rather than technical (non-cash) underspends that can inflate the headline figure but do not impact on spending power.