Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is working closely with NHS Education for Scotland (NES), to identify and deliver training opportunities for health and social care workers in rural and island areas. Through the National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care, housed within NES, 30 practitioners have undertaken the MSc in Rural Advanced Practice in 2023 and 2024, supporting career development, increasing equity in education and supporting the sustainability of primary healthcare services. The Centre will continue to develop new rural specific recognised qualifications to address skills gaps and drive innovation.

We are currently funding a dedicated resource in NES to scope the current skills landscape and identify where earn as you learn programmes could be expanded and where further development work is required with the aim of widening the pathways into health and care careers.

The Open University already provides distance learning Nursing degree education, which is accessed by Healthcare Support Workers already employed by NHS Boards, enabling them to train in their local area and continue to work.

Further, work is being explored via the Allied Health Professional and Healthcare Science education reviews’ recommendations and the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce on how best to diversify the delivery and flexibility of education programmes.

In November 2021, the former Minister for Drugs Policy announced a commitment to increase the number of people publicly funded to go through residential rehab per year by 300% to 1,000 by 2026.

Whilst the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, operational matters including staffing requirements are in the first instance the responsibility of the relevant Health Board. As such, recruitment is a matter for Health Boards. The National Health Service Reform (Scotland) Act 2004 has created a duty on Health Boards to co-operate with each other to secure and advance the health of the people of Scotland, enabling the arrangement of travelling consultants

Glasgow City Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) has hosted 12 local community drop in engagement sessions within the Calton and surrounding area focused on allowing local residents the opportunity to raise concerns, ask questions and engage with the project leads. Local residents who use drugs and family members were also included. The drop in sessions were advertised locally via posters, via leaflet drop and via social media. Questions from the sessions informed a Frequently Asked Questions document (available here - SDCF - Frequently asked questions) and Glasgow ADP also created a ‘You Said We did’ document to demonstrate the actions taken following feedback which is shared at all in-person sessions.

These sessions were in addition to several attendances by the ADP at Community Council meetings, local Area Partnership meetings, and Local Engagement Forum meetings.

To allow ongoing community engagement, the ADP have also established the Thistle Community Forum, including local residents, local business, Police Scotland, the Recovery Community and other key stakeholders which will support people to raise concerns and facilitate a coordinated response.

In addition, Glasgow City Council organised 2 additional deep cleans of the surrounding area in response to local residents complaints about the poor state of the streets. The independent evaluation researchers were invited to attend in response to questions about how the impact of the service on the local community would be measured.

Glasgow City ADP will continue to engage with local residents, businesses and their staff in the run up to the opening of the facility and once it is established.

While the Scottish Government provides the overarching guidance/framework for patient travel expenses reimbursement, NHS Boards are responsible for developing local policy to best meet the needs to their populations, and for assessing eligibly for financial support and level of that support. The cost of reimbursement is met from Boards’ budgets and all Boards must balance value for money with patient need, ensuring that patients are supported in identifying and accessing available support and that patient care is at the centre of all decisions.

The Scottish Government has committed to a review of the overarching patient travel expenses reimbursement guidance. However, a start date for the review is not confirmed at this time; it is important that the review is considered within the context of wider reform on access to health care.

It is recognised that transport to health is a key enabler to ensure equitable access to healthcare, and work to bring travel/transport and health planning closer together is in progress. This work will include bringing local bodies together at a regional level to consider the options for transport to health. This work will also inform how and when a review of the overarching patient travel expenses reimbursement guidance is taken forward.

The duty to carry out Island Communities Impact Assessments came into force on 23 December 2020. All ICIAs and decisions not to carry out an ICIA are published by the Scottish Government and are readily available to access online.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of working closely and collaboratively with the UK Government and other devolved administrations to deliver our net zero targets in a way that is mutually beneficial in economic, environmental and social terms.

The engagement that we have had thus far with the new UK Government administration has been encouraging, and we continue to consider the value of a standalone climate response group in the context of this renewed relationship. We will continue to engage directly with them and other devolved nations to understand the best ways of working, ensuring constructive collaboration and information sharing, including the roles of inter-ministerial groups across the four nations and a programme of areas for priority cooperation is under development.

The Scottish Government is committed to considering options for a carbon land tax, to further incentivise peatland restoration and afforestation.

Any potential new measures must be rigorously assessed and based on strong evidence to ensure they serve their objective and avoid unintended consequences.

Internal policy discussions involving a range of departments and Scottish Government Agencies are ongoing to identify potential options for a carbon land tax.

We will soon begin work to consult with a range of stakeholders, including landowners, to explore all available options and to understand their potential impacts.

The Scottish Government made a commitment in the 2024 New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy to develop an Asylum Right to Work Pilot proposal. I am pleased to confirm that we have today published our proposal setting out a design for a prospective pilot scheme which would enable a cohort of those seeking asylum to work in Scotland, operating within the current UK immigration framework.

We have worked closely with a range of key stakeholders including local authorities, the third sector and employers to shape the development of the pilot proposal. This proposal would allow pilot participants awaiting a decision on their asylum claim to work after six months rather than the current twelve months, to no longer be restricted to roles on the Immigration Salary List, and to be supported by a flexible, wrap-around provision of support including employability and language learning. Individuals will be able to access employment sooner, have fewer restrictions on the jobs they can do and be supported in accessing, and maintaining, securing employment.

The next step is to share this proposal with the UK Government. I would urge the UK Government to engage constructively to agree a delivery model which supports individuals in making a positive contribution to their family and the community and includes safeguards.

Working jointly to develop and deliver a pilot will help individuals, communities and help to inform future policy approaches on the right to work.

The publication link will go live at 09:30 at: http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781836910466

I am delighted to confirm that today the final Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and Delivery plan is being published. The strategy sets out our ambition: to halt the loss of nature by 2030 and to make significant progress in restoring nature by 2045.

Our Strategic Vision is for a nature positive, net zero future where Scotland’s natural environment is restored, and where everyone can play their part in securing that future. The delivery plan, the first in a series, sets out the actions needed, which taken together represent a step change that will accelerate the pace and scale of our efforts to address the biodiversity crisis.

A new Natural Environment Bill, planned in year 4 of this Parliament, will establish a framework for statutory nature targets securing accountability and driving action across government. Protecting our natural environment will lead to a greener, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for all.