Chamber and committees

The small grants will enable wide-scale public engagement across Scotland for the refreshed New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy. Arrangements for the distribution of the small grants are being developed by the strategy’s key partners, the Scottish Government, COSLA and Scottish Refugee Council. Further information will be available in due course.

Crown Estate Scotland anticipate announcing the offer of Exclusivity Agreements to successful applicants for Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas decarbonisation (INTOG) offshore wind projects in Spring 2023.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14876 on 28 February 2023. 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

To support delivery of the National Infrastructure Mission we established the Infrastructure Commission for Scotland to provide long term strategic advice on national infrastructure priorities. Our infrastructure plans build on these recommendations and work is ongoing to develop our infrastructure improvement programme, through developing a new method of appraisal and prioritisation to ensure our infrastructure commitments match long-term goals and in preparing a cross-sector infrastructure needs assessment. This will ensure we are making the best capital investment decisions possible across the public sector to deliver on our ambitious programme for Scotland.

The Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-25 sets out a hierarchy for infrastructure investment which aids decision making and planning on investment choices by encouraging maintenance and enhancement of existing assets over new assets, where appropriate. This Infrastructure Investment Plan sets maintenance and enhancement as a Scottish Government infrastructure priority and all public bodies, including Local Authorities can draw on this when making investment decisions. The Scottish Futures Trust and Scottish Government have jointly developed an Asset Strategy Guidance note to support the application of the infrastructure hierarchy (link Here ) and have developed a Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard to support the whole public sector in making good investment decisions. More information on the Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard can be found here: Net Zero Public Sector Buildings Standard and on the Infrastructure Investment Plan, here: Infrastructure Investment Plan for Scotland .

The Scottish Government does not have access to this information at this time. As set out in the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency will produce and maintain a list of registered producers prior to the launch of the Deposit Return Scheme.

Applications for additional providers to join the Accessible Vehicles and Equipment (AVE) Scheme opened on 16 January 2023 and closed on the 24 February 2023.

We will make a further announcement about the outcome of this current accreditation process in due course.

There will be further opportunities for alternative suppliers to join the Scheme at regular intervals, and we will work with any potential applicant to help them understand our requirements, as well as how to obtain accreditation.

In line with the action from the Drug Death Taskforce 'Changing Lives' report that the Scottish Government should work with NHS naloxone leads and pharmaceutical companies to ensure sufficient supplies are available to meet demand we are working closely with these bodies, as well as others involved in the supply and distribution of Naloxone, to ensure sufficient supplies are available and to monitor demand and any increases.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14838 on 9 March 2023. 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 Best Start North review was commissioned jointly by NHS Grampian, NHS Highland, NHS Shetland, NHS Orkney and NHS Western Isles and is led by those NHS Boards. The Scottish Government understands that a group has now been set up with representation from the most senior Midwives from all six Boards in the North of Scotland, now including NHS Tayside.

The Scottish Government understands that the focus of this NHS Board-led work for 2023/24 is on collaboration to improve services in the north, support the effective implementation of the recommendations in The Best Start and to work together to improve midwifery workforce and education, training as well as taking forward joint improvement work. The groups will work within the existing regional planning partnership to shape and implement this work, under the sponsorship of the Board Chief Executives.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14838 on 9 March 2023. 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 .