Chamber and committees

The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 places the statutory responsibility for local roads improvement, maintenance and repair with local road authorities.

The vast majority of funding to local authorities from the Scottish Government is provided via a block grant and we do not stipulate how local authorities should utilise their individual allocations. It is therefore the responsibility of each local authority to manage their own budget and to allocate the financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

However, the Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics (SLGFS) provides an overview of actual spend based on Local Authority’s audited accounts which may be useful.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-local-government-finance-statistics-slgfs-2019-20/ .

Previous annual reports can be located at the following link; Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scotland’s Census 2022 contact centre experienced high volumes of calls in its first few days of operation and we are aware that some callers have experienced longer than average wait times at peak points during the day. National Records of Scotland apologise for any frustration this may have caused.

Callers to the Freephone helpline (0800 030 8308) are advised at the start of the call of current wait times and therefore have the opportunity to phone back at a less busy time. An automated option (option 1) is also provided for those wishing to order a paper form. This involves no wait time.

Additional resources have been placed into the contact centre to deal with periods of peak activity. Contact can also be made with the census team via web chat, e-mail or physical correspondence. Contact details can be found here: Contact us | Scotland's Census 2022 . Help and advice on a range of topics is also provided at www.census.gov.scot .

These changes continue to have had a positive impact, with general reductions in the average wait times in week 2 and beyond. There is ongoing active monitoring and management of the position to ensure that those that need help are able to speak to an agent.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07181 on 24 March 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 .

Everyone living in Scotland is included in the census and we understand that not everyone will be able to, or wish to, complete their census online. That is why paper copies are available upon request by anyone who needs them, either by calling our helpline on 0800 030 8308 or by visiting our website www.census.gov.scot . Assistance in completing the census, either digitally or on paper, is also provided through these channels.

Consistent with other parts of Scottish Government, Scotland’s Census 2022 has been designed to be Digital First as set out in the Scottish Government’s Digital Strategy. We have worked hard to assure that the online census questionnaire is modern, usable and more accessible, while meeting the expectations and standards of a modern government service.

The online questionnaire can be accessed though the most common range of internet-enabled devices, such as laptops, mobile phones and tablets. This digital service has been extensively tested reflecting a range of user needs and has met the Scottish Government Digital First standards.

We recognise that digital exclusion (and other barriers to participation) may prevent people from being able to complete online, or it may be their preference to complete on paper. That is why paper copies are available upon request by anyone who needs them either by: calling our helpline free on 0800 030 8308; or requesting online at www.census.gov.scot/request/paper . Copies of the paper questionnaire can also be ordered via the free helpline automated service, without needing to wait to speak to an agent (option one).

Copies of the paper questionnaire will be sent with a freepost return envelope. It should not cost anyone to complete Scotland’s Census 2022. Help and support is also available from a wide network of organisations. We have worked with a range of stakeholders, partners, communities and third sector interfaces to develop relevant support materials.

We want everyone living in Scotland to be included in the Census and we recognise that digital exclusion (and other barriers to participation) may prevent people from being able to complete online.

We understand that not everyone will be able to, or wish to, complete their census online, and paper copies are available upon request by anyone who needs them by calling our free helpline on 0800 030 8308 and speaking to an agent . Copies of the paper questionnaire can also be ordered via the free helpline automated service, without needing to wait to speak to an agent (option one). Paper questionnaires can also be ordered online at: www.census.gov.scot/paper .

Additional requests, including help and support, can also be made via web chat, e-mail or physical correspondence. Contact details can be found here: Contact us | Scotland's Census 2022 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07181 on 24 March 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 .

The Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture, https://www.gov.scot/publications/next-step-delivering-vision-scotland-leader-sustainable-regenerative-farming

was published on 2 March 2022, and outlines our aim to transform how we support farming and food production in Scotland to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

It is a positive vision for Scotland’s agriculture sector and will sit at the heart of a robust and coherent framework to underpin Scotland’s future agriculture support regime from 2025 onwards.

We want to encourage new entrants into the industry, and this Government has arguably invested the most in new entrant support compared to other parts of the UK.

• We added provision to allocate direct payments to new entrants and young farmers in excess of £7.2m;
• Our start-up provision alone under the SRDP totalled nearly £13m;
• Under the FONE group we have helped facilitate entry to 76 new entrants by providing 112 land opportunities across 7,070 hectares of land;
• And in conjunction with the NFUS, the Scottish Land Matching Service has got off to a very promising start despite the impact of Covid.

Women living and working in Scottish agriculture are an essential part of the rural economy. We have committed £300,000 this Financial Year, rising to £600,000 during the lifetime of this Parliament, to bring about practical solutions to support women, including: mainstreaming of Be Your Best Self, a personal development training programme; a project to test innovative solutions for childcare in rural areas; and the development of Skillseeder – a skills sharing app to encourage greater participation in rural and land-based training. We’ve also established the WIA Practical Training Fund, administered by Lantra Scotland. We will continue to embed and normalise equalities considerations in all future agricultural scheme development, and work with the industry to support equalities within organisations and boards.

Work is also ongoing, to develop the National Test Programme, which begins this Spring and, over the next three years will deliver Scottish Government investment of up to £51 million. It is based on and informed by the work and recommendations of the Farmer-led Groups, particularly to ensure we are beginning to tackle the most urgent needs and creating a base upon which to build a whole-farm low carbon approach. An outline of the National Test Programme has already been published: https://www.gov.scot/news/ambitious-future-for-rural-scotland/

The Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) opened for funding in 2022 to support the ambition of doubling the amount of land under organic management, set out in the Programme for Government 2021-22. We are committed to seeing more organic farming and organic produce for sale in Scotland, and working with the sector to establish a new Organic Food and Farming Action Plan. http://www.gov.scot/news/creating-a-fairer-greener-nation

The Sustainable Agricultural Capital Grant Scheme 2022 which is part of the wider agricultural transformation intentions, will be focussed on support for low emission slurry spreading equipment and slurry store covers which will help farmers, crofters and agricultural contractors comply with new regulatory requirements; reducing harmful ammonia emissions and adverse impacts on water quality resulting from the storage and spreading of livestock slurry and digestate.

https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/sustainable-agriculture-capital-grant-scheme--sacgs-/

Proposals for future agricultural support will be co-developed with rural partners through the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB) and with wider civil society through a consultation in summer 2022 to inform the introduction of a Scottish Agriculture Bill in 2023.

Everyone living in Scotland is included in the census and we understand that not everyone will be able to, or wish to, complete their census online. That is why paper copies are available upon request by anyone who needs them either by calling our Freephone helpline on 0800 030 8308, by visiting our website www.census.gov.scot . Or, by writing to:

Scotland’s Census 2022

National Records of Scotland

New Register House

3 West Register Street

Edinburgh

EH1 3YT

Copies of the paper questionnaire can be ordered via the automated service over the phone, or by asking to speak to an adviser. Paper questionnaires can also be requested on behalf of someone else with their permission.

The Scottish Stroke Improvement Team have reported on a 12 hour Standard for brain imaging since the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme National Report (2020). Prior to this, the standard had been within 24 hours. This change in Stroke Standard was in response to a change in the evidence base, with some new treatment regimes being shown to improve outcome when initiated within 12 hours of stroke onset.

Some cases of stroke are time critical emergencies and should be scanned immediately, for instance those patients requiring hyperacute interventions such as thrombolysis and thrombectomy. These specific cases have their own stroke standards on door-to-needle times which ensure that processes are audited and service improvement packages are put in place.