Chamber and committees

Health Boards have reporting systems in place to capture data on violence and aggression. At present, Health Boards collect this data locally.

We are exploring how we can improve incident reporting systems and investigating proposals for developing standardised approaches to reporting and handling incidents nationally.

We are working to ensure that all staff are aware of currently available reporting mechanisms and ensure they have the psychological safety to report incidents when they occur.

Scottish Government staff sign an agreement to adhere to the IT Code of Conduct. The IT Code of Conduct sets out guidance on the acceptable use of the official platform (SCOTS), in particular email and use of the intranet. The Code also outlines our policy on the personal use of Scottish Government IT facilities.

Decisions on licensing and consenting for offshore oil and gas, as well as the associated fiscal regime and security of supply are matters reserved to the UK Government.

Ministers and officials engage with a wide range of stakeholders in the course of their duties and will continue to do so alongside considering the Court rulings.

Since March 2022, 16.8 whole time equivalent (WTE) posts have been in place. NHS Board partners provide quarterly reports on funding utilisation for Psychological Therapies for the Workforce.

In Quarter 3 of 2024-2025 (October 2024), the staff reported in post were 12.32 WTE, 0.8WTE in recruitment, 0.04WTE vacant.

Public Health Scotland publish quarterly statistics on bed occupancy figures split by Health Boards. The publication does not contain information on occupancy by reason or deadline.

Bed occupancy release: Data summary - Acute hospital activity and NHS beds information (quarterly) - Quarter ending 30 June 2024 - Acute hospital activity and NHS beds information (quarterly) - Publications - Public Health Scotland

The Scottish Government holds unvalidated weekly management information on current acute staffed bed occupancy at NHS boards. The weekly collection does not provide data on the reason for occupancy. The management information is consistent with individual local definitions rather than national definitions and is difficult to compare with published statistics.

Public Health Scotland publish information on laboratory test results of Norovirus and flu hospital admissions. The publications do not include statistics on occupancy due to norovirus or flu.

Flu seasons with high levels of flu hospital admissions do impact negatively on health and care system flow.

Norovirus release: Laboratory reports of norovirus in Scotland - Up to week ending 2 February 2025 - Laboratory reports of norovirus in Scotland - Publications - Public Health Scotland

Flu release: Viral respiratory diseases (including influenza and COVID-19) in Scotland surveillance report 6 February 2025 - Viral respiratory diseases (including influenza and COVID-19) in Scotland surveillance report - Publications - Public Health Scotland

Health Boards have reporting systems in place to capture data on violence and aggression. At present, Health Boards collect this data locally.

We are exploring how we can improve incident reporting systems and investigating proposals for developing standardised approaches to reporting and handling incidents nationally.

We are working to ensure that all staff are aware of currently available reporting mechanisms and ensure they have the psychological safety to report incidents when they occur.

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-34284 on 12 February 2025. 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

This is a matter for NHS boards and Police Scotland. The information requested is not held centrally.

Guidance for staff in relation to usage of IT is provided in the IT Code of Conduct, which sets out acceptable usage for Scottish Government devices and networks. It covers:

• personal use of SCOTS and the internet
• misuse of IT misconduct examples
• accidental access to restricted sites
• sharing sensitive data by email
• monitoring

The code aligns with the wide range of legislation to tackle the potential criminal and civil liability issues that may arise from colleagues’ misuse of communication facilities while at work.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34097 on 12 February 2025. 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