Chamber and committees

This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days .

From 2007 to 2016, full-time equivalent was defined as between 35 and 37 hours per week depending on the local authority in which the staff were employed. From 2017 full-time equivalent has been calculated using a standard 35 hours per week across all local authorities.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has recently begun collecting students’ reasons for withdrawal (RfW) from colleges. SFC will be working with Colleges Scotland and College Development Network (CDN) to improve the capture of student withdrawal data in future years to enable publication.

Data from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service show, for the period 2018-19 to 2022-23, 17 charges were reported in relation to selling a nicotine vapour product to a person under the age 18.

In total, 9 of these charges were prosecuted, of which 4 were convicted. 3 charges were marked no further action and 2 are ongoing. 3 charges were marked for a Direct Measure (Warning) and 5 marked for No Action.

A breakdown of charges for each year is shown in the following table:

The Scottish Government last received an update from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) on the national Community Asset Register (CAR) at a meeting in early June 2023. SFRS confirmed that a CAR ‘action plan’ has been developed, to monitor progress of the actions required to improve the CAR, and SFRS will keep SG officials updated as progress is made. Before the end of 2023, SFRS plans to carry out further promotion of the CAR internally, and to review the Service Level Agreement between SFRS and the other emergency responders. SFRS also reiterated its intention to continue to further develop the digital platform currently being used for the CAR but has stated, however, that the planned Information & Communication Technology (ICT) improvements could not be delivered in the current financial year due to existing demands within the current SFRS ICT work plan. The necessary improvements are to be tabled for discussion as a priority for inclusion in the 2024-2025 ICT work plan.

I can advise Parliament that the UK Government has today published the Target Operating Model (TOM) for the UK which interacts with areas of devolved responsibility, this model is intended to set controls on imported goods entering the UK from the EU. It is a direct consequence of Brexit.

Over recent months the Scottish Government has worked constructively and collaboratively with the UK Government to help it meet its self-imposed deadlines, in light of our shared interest in, and responsibility for, biosecurity. In July, I signalled the Scottish Government’s agreement to the publication of the TOM as it stood at that time – despite our dissatisfaction with the process, reservations about some of the model and the fact that some key points would remain to be resolved after publication.

It was therefore hugely frustrating that the UK Government then unilaterally proposed changes to the model upon which we, and the Welsh Government, had agreed. I have been clear with UK Ministers that this approach is unacceptable.

Following a frustrating time revisiting negotiation, I have, once again, signalled to the UK Government that we are prepared to agree to the publication of the TOM. Given how imperative protecting Scotland’s consumers and businesses through robust biosecurity controls is, the UK Government’s unilateral decision to delay implementing the model is regrettable. However, I trust that publication of the model will give stakeholders both the ability to plan ahead and significant reassurance that we are acting to protect Scotland’s biosecurity.

The Scottish Government’s view remains that the best trading relationships for Scottish and UK businesses are to be found as members of the European Union. However, until Scotland is in a position to re-join the European Union and enjoy the security of its wider biosecurity controls, trade without controls on imported goods would create growing risks to biosecurity.

The Scottish Government still has a number of outstanding concerns around the model. My decision to adopt this latest version was subject to securing agreement from the UK Government that work will continue on resolving these concerns.

One such concern was around how the model interacts with the Windsor Framework. Over recent months, officials have spent a significant amount of time working through this. Stakeholders will see that the model sets out how different types of goods entering Great Britain via Ireland and Northern Ireland are to be treated. However, we will need to continue working with the UK and other Devolved Governments and other key stakeholders.

For some time now, since the UK’s exit from the EU, our Scottish exporting businesses have had to comply with strict requirements to export to the EU, while importing businesses face, and will continue to face, considerably fewer hurdles. This imbalance, alongside a disadvantageous position for Scottish businesses compared to the unique arrangements in place for Northern Ireland businesses, creates an unlevel playing field for Scottish exporters. I have pressed the UK Government to consider mechanisms to re-set this imbalance – in particular, pursuing a veterinary agreement with the EU, which would pragmatically align standards and smooth trade. It is disappointing that the UK Government continues to refuse to consider these sensible solutions.

I want to make it clear to Parliament that the Scottish Government acknowledges that there are nevertheless remaining biosecurity risks. Therefore, the Scottish Government’s agreement to the model has been contingent on UK Government commitments that these risks will be closely monitored and reviewed across all the four nations and backed by appropriate governance structures, data and intelligence sharing and technical expertise.

Similarly, as the model will need to be underpinned by legislation, our agreement to publish the TOM has only been enabled by the commitment from the UK Government that the devolution settlement will be respected.

We acknowledge that the model is imperfect and that there are considerable areas which require further work across the four nations. Given the imperative of offering clarity for businesses which have been waiting for the ‘rule book’ for some time, the Scottish Government accepts the need to adopt this model. Adoption of this model is critical if we are to protect Scotland’s people and businesses from biosecurity threats; protect the wellbeing of our people, our fauna, our flora and our natural environment; and protect the provenance of our produce. We will therefore focus attention and resources on its implementation.

We cannot risk further delay to the model. The implementation dates set out by the UK Government must be final. Should there be any suggestion of further delay, the Scottish Government will not hesitate to reconsider its position.

Further information on the model can be found on the UK Government’s website:

The Border Target Operating Model: August 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

It is not possible to make a precise assessment of the payment reform changes and their impact on future oral health inequality patterns at this stage.

The Government has for some time been working apace on payment reform for NHS dentistry, and on the 27 July this was communicated to the sector, with implementation scheduled for 1 November 2023. The new model seeks to improve and protect patients’ oral health by focussing on more patient-centred care such as preventative periodontal – gum disease – treatments.

This is a complex, far reaching change with longer-term implications. Payment reform will provide a range of data that will enable the Government to assess the impact on dental activity and longer-term oral health inequality patterns. The enhanced payments to practices for the treatment of patients in Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 1 areas has also been retained.

Payment reform should also be seen in the context of well-established and proven programmes such as Childsmile which specifically targets child oral health inequalities by providing fluoride varnish treatment to nursery and early years schoolchildren from SIMD 1 areas. Tackling oral health inequalities requires a multi-faceted approach, not necessarily confined to the patient-dentist relationship, and a recognition that intervention in the early years is critical to the establishment of good oral health habits.

The Scottish Government is currently reviewing existing private water supply legislation, which will align private water supply policy with the EU’s recast Drinking Water Directive and further measures required to adapt to climate change impacts. This includes provisions relating to access to water and taking a risk-based approach from catchment to tap. A public consultation on potential policy proposals covering the water sector including PWS, is planned for the Autumn.

I refer to the answer for S6W-20472 on 29 August 2023 and add that, in addition to reviewing existing legislation on private water supplies, the Scottish Government is working closely with Scottish Forestry to update the existing guidance note ‘ Protecting private water supplies during forestry activities ’. This guidance builds upon The UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) .

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

The £28 million fund has been launched for England and Wales only. The Scottish Government is not expecting any new Barnett consequential funding. We remain committed to preventing and tackling hate crime, including religiously motivated hate crime. The Scottish Government’s recently published Hate Crime Strategy makes a number of commitments including continued investment in raising awareness, improved support for victims and increased efforts in prevention.

We continue to work with Police Scotland and others to safeguard all communities and potentially vulnerable people and sites. We would encourage organisations with concerns about their security or the safety of their members to contact Police Scotland.

The draft route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car km by 2030, published in January 2022, outlines over 30 interventions across all parts of government to support people reduce their reliance on cars for a fairer, safer, and greener Scotland. The route map is designed to be as inclusive as possible for disabled people’s mobility and access needs, but it recognises that there will be some who cannot reduce their car use, or for whom it will be more challenging.

Just transition considerations run through the route map and reducing the volume of private vehicles on the road can have a number of wider benefits, including helping to create space and improve journey times for those where travel is more car-dependent, such as blue badge holders, buses, the emergency services and freight. Supported by the Transport Just Transition Discussion Paper , published in June 2023, engagement is being undertaken over the Summer, including with disabled people, to co-design the forthcoming draft Transport Just Transition Plan, embedding evidence of protected groups in order to tackle existing inequalities.

I further refer the member to the answer to questions S6O-02079 on 29 March 2023 and S6W-20314 on 28 August 2023.

The answer to the Oral question can be found on the official report and the link can be accessed here: Meeting of the Parliament: 29/03/2023 | Scottish Parliament Website

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