Chamber and committees

Scottish Government provide funding to local areas to allocate as appropriate based on local need. Decisions about the need for community safety or outreach patrols will be for local areas to take.

Details of 2024-25 ADP funding and activity are set out in the annual funding letter which you can access here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/alcohol-drug-partnership-adp-letters-2024-25/

In addition, details of the National Drugs Mission funds, administered by the Corra Foundation support a range of projects are also available here: https://www.corra.scot/funding/grant-holder-data/

No specific research has been commissioned into the effects of nitazenes and their prevalence in Scotland. However we do draw on the international evidence base through our public health surveillance system. Since the first detection of these substances in Scotland in 2021, Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland (PHS) have worked closely to monitor the prevalence of these substances and to provide regular updates and alerts to those using drugs and those working in drug treatment services.

PHS publishes on a quarterly basis, accessible, up-to-date information on services, harms and emerging drug trends, via the Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) early warning system. This includes a range of information relating to nitazenes and can be found here: https://publichealthscotland.scot/population-health/improving-scotlands-health/drugs/surveillance/rapid-action-drug-alerts-and-response-radar.

Scotland’s valued and highly skilled oil and gas workers must be at the heart of a just energy transition, and the Scottish Government is supporting the workforce with the powers available to us.

In its first two years our Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray has allocated £9.7m to support a package of skills interventions, including development of the Energy Transition Skills Hub in Aberdeen, a pilot scheme with the National Energy Skills Accelerator to determine the skills required for an energy transition and support for the industry-led development of an Energy Skills Passport. More widely, we will invest a further £8.5m of capital funding through the Fund this year, on projects with a focus on jobs, skills and economic opportunities to continue to support our transition in the region.

The Scottish Government, in partnership with the UK Government, has recently launched a new Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund to help support offshore workers transition to roles in sustainable energy sectors.

We have also funded, alongside the UK Government, a targeted Skills intervention for workers facing redundancy as a result of the closure of the Grangemouth refinery. While the scheme is still ongoing, workers are already successfully progressing into good quality jobs, including in low-carbon industries.

In the unfortunate event of any employees facing redundancy, the Scottish Government will also always offer and provide support through Partnership Action for Continuing Employment, PACE. By providing skills development and employability support, PACE aims to minimise the time individuals are affected by redundancy are out of work.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information on the reasons for patient falls. Each NHS board is responsible for recording, assessing and investigating (if necessary), the reason for a patient fall. This investigation would include whether the condition of the NHS facilities was a factor.

The Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP), hosted by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, provides ongoing practical improvement support to Boards. Since 2021, SPSP has delivered a programme to reduce the rate of inpatient falls. The most recent data from this work (see report published December 2024) demonstrates that the national median rate of inpatient falls in acute hospitals had sustained a decrease of 9% (when compared to baseline data beginning in 2021). This programme of work will continue to support improvement in the years ahead.

The Scottish Government wants all care delivered within the NHS in Scotland to be safe, effective and person-centred. As part of that, the Scottish Government established the Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP), hosted by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, which provides ongoing practical improvement support to Boards. Since 2021, SPSP has delivered a programme to reduce the rate of inpatient falls. The most recent data from this work (report published December 2024: 20241211-spsp-acute-adult-collaborative-full-impact-report-v10.pdf) demonstrates that the national median rate of inpatient falls in acute hospitals had sustained a decrease of 9% (when compared to baseline data beginning in 2021). This programme of work will continue to support improvement in the years ahead.

While the condition and suitability of the NHS estate is assessed, these assessments are not typically presented as a single percentage of buildings failing "basic modern safety standards," but rather through a detailed, risk-based classification system. The data is managed by NHS Boards with buildings categorised based on their physical condition and functional suitability.

Through measures such as backlog maintenance and functional suitability, we are aware that parts of the NHS estate require additional investment, which is why this year we intend to invest an additional £100 million in funding in 2025-26 to support maintenance-only business continuity investment plans, which prioritises investment based on a risk-based assessment of NHS Boards infrastructure. This is in addition to a 5% uplift to core capital funding provided to boards to support maintenance and improvement of the NHS estate.

Due to the off-market and confidentiality arrangements imposed by the seller Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) were unable to consult with stakeholders prior to purchase. Full consultation with stakeholders, including the local community, has now be undertaken as FLS has developed its proposals for Glen Prosen through the Land Management Plan (LMP) process.

All the information submitted as part of the appeal, including everything submitted by the appellant, the national park authority and timeous representations submitted by interested parties is forwarded to Scottish Ministers along with the Reporter's report and recommendations.

Once received, the report and all the information held will be given full and proper consideration by Ministers before any decision is made.

As this is a live planning appeal it would not be appropriate to comment further.

Scottish Ministers are committed to a fair, open and transparent process for all aspects of its planning appeal casework. There is no statutory requirement for the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) to publish any information relating to a case. DPEA does however publish the information a reporter will take into account in their consideration of a case, including everything submitted by the appellant, the National Park Authority and numerous representations received from the local and wider community.

While there are currently no dedicated programmes specifically for workers displaced by AI, the Scottish Government is taking steps to support individuals through broader digital and AI literacy initiatives.

Programmes such as Living with AI aim to help people understand and adapt to the changing technological landscape. In addition, we are working with Skills Development Scotland and other partners to address AI-related skills gaps and support workforce transition.

We also fund postgraduate programmes and industry placements through The Data Lab, helping to build a resilient and future-ready talent pipeline. Strengthening the AI skills base remains a key priority for Scottish Government.