Chamber and committees

We recognise the hazard of asbestos and the risks to health it poses. However, asbestos is only dangerous when it is disturbed or in poor condition. The Health and Safety Executive’s guidance states that it is safe for asbestos to remain in place if it is in good condition, well-protected and unlikely to be disturbed. Health boards carry out annual asbestos monitoring surveys and asbestos management plans are in place across the NHS estate. The Scottish Government will double its NHS estate maintenance budget and health boards can use that money to remove asbestos as and when it is appropriate to do so.

The Scottish Government’s consultation on Gaelic and Scots closed on 8 December 2022 and the responses from this consultation will help inform part of the work to develop Scots language policy and the proposed Scottish Languages Bill.

As part of the consultation process, the Gaelic and Scots Division undertook a variety of public engagement events to ensure the views of Scots speakers and stakeholders were heard. This included attendance at the Scots Cross Party Group. The responses to the consultation are now being analysed and will help shape any future legislation.

From data provided in the 2019 Scottish Household Survey, the percentage of people aged 60+ without a concessionary bus pass (National Entitlement Card (NEC)), broken down by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintiles, was as follows:

As set out in the Governance arrangements published in the Framework for Pain Management Service Delivery – Implementation Plan, the chairs for each Short-Life Working Group (SLWG) are drawn from the chronic pain community and appointed based on their expertise, experience and diversity of skills required to deliver the Actions for each Aim set out in the Plan. The Plan is available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/framework-pain-management-service-delivery-implementation-plan/ .

I can confirm that I have now received the update from Transport Scotland that Network Rail, who is delivering the project, has confirmed that a planned milestone was missed as the internal consultation with other Network Rail operational colleagues took longer than anticipated to arrive at a single option. However, this has no bearing on the overall project programme.

The Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools met on 7 December 2022. The minutes of the meeting can be accessed at: Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools (SAGRABIS) - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government recognises the substantial challenges that Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost crisis have presented to self-employed people and freelancers in the creative industries, including the literature, languages and publishing sectors.

The Scottish Government’s vision is for Scotland to be a leading Fair Work Nation by 2025. We want fair work to be the norm for workers and employers in workplaces across Scotland – in all types and sizes of organisation and in all locations.

The Scottish Government will consider the report in parallel with the Culture Radar review of Fair Work within the sector, commissioned by Creative Scotland on behalf of Scottish Government. This review has now concluded and Scottish Government is currently considering the recommendations. We will also review the findings of the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre’s recently published ‘Good Work Review’, an independent review of working conditions in the creative sector.

Officials continue to meet regularly with the STUC and affiliate unions representatives of the cultural sector to discuss key issues impacting workers in the culture sector, including issues around freelancers and Fair Work.

The following figures are correct as at December 2022, when the last Recycling Improvement Fund Board was convened.

I refer the member to answer to question S6W-08832 on 7 June 2022. 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

These devices were funded in 2020/21 to tackle digital exclusion as a result of school closures caused by the pandemic. Individual local authorities across Scotland have also undertaken their own digital inclusion schemes and have invested in devices from their own budgets.

We continue to work with local authorities on plans to ensure every school-aged child has access to a device and connectivity by the end of this parliamentary term in 2026.

As of 9 February 2023, there were 88 electric vehicle charge points with rapid charging capabilities installed at 41 service stations across the road network. These contribute to an overall network of almost 950 devices, meaning Scotland has by far the greatest number of rapid charge points per head of population than any other part of the UK.