Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has developed statistics on primary income flows and gross national income (GNI) for Scotland.

The GNI estimates produced by the Scottish Government are classified as official statistics in development and are reported at the level of totals for the whole economy. It is not possible to produce breakdowns of these statistics for specific industries, such as the whisky industry.

The powers required to legislate in respect of company acquisition and ownership are reserved to the UK Parliament.

Growing the economy has been identified as one of the Scottish Government’s four strategic priorities. Our approach to growing Scotland’s economy requires balance. It is important that we focus on both strengthening Scotland’s domestic industries and ensuring our economy is open and internationally focused. Attracting foreign investment that aligns with our values and supports our net-zero goals helps create jobs and prosperity for Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises the economic importance of the Scotch Whisky industry, with over 150 distilleries, employing around 20,000 full time equivalent staff and exporting £5.4 billion worth of products globally.

Scottish Government Ministers and officials have a close and collaborative working relationship with the Scotch Whisky Association, and have regular engagement with them to discuss areas of mutual interest and explore how best to support the sector.

This is an operational matter for SOSE, and I have asked them to respond to you directly.

The Parliament seeks to engage with other legislatures, inter-parliamentary bodies and international organisations in line with the SPCB’s International Strategy. This engagement is kept under regular review, with the Parliament’s International Relations Office providing six-monthly updates to the SPCB. Invitations to any event are a matter for the organisers. The International Relations Office constantly reviews opportunities for the Parliament to develop its engagement and maintains contact with event organisers, including of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth, and will seek involvement for the Parliament where appropriate.

In response to part a) of the question, I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26265 on 15 April 2024, in which I detailed the total cost of the Childsmile programme in the five financial years between 2019-20 and 2023-24.

In response to part b) of the question, Scottish Government does not hold this information.

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 information is not held by Scottish Government.

The National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) is a key function of the Public Dental Service, delivery of which is the responsibility of Health Boards.

From the financial years 2020-21 to 2023-24, Scottish Government provided funding to Public Dental Services via Health Board allocations, however this did not specify funding for NDIP. From the financial year 2024-25, this funding has been baselined in to the overall Health Board allocation and is not separately identifiable.

The National Wellbeing Hub offers a range of self-service resources for staff across health, social care and social work on how to improve their wellbeing and resilience.

Less than 1% of the health budget was spent on the National Wellbeing Hub in financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25. The funding provided by Scottish Government is broken down as follows:

2023-24: £191,000 was allocated to the Hub.

2024-25: £96,000 was allocated to the Hub.

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.

Scottish Government regularly receives data from wellbeing services that support healthcare professionals. Each of the services actively gather user feedback which is shared with Scottish Government who use it to enhance and develop their wellbeing resources.

Scottish Government funding of over £2.5m has been committed to support the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare professionals in 2024-25. These resources include a 24/7 compassionate listening service, confidential treatment for mental illness through the Workforce Specialist Service and access to psychological therapies and interventions.

Prioritising these treatment and therapeutic programmes reflects our commitment to offer care and support to those staff suffering from burnout and mental illnesses.

In addition, the National Wellbeing Hub offers a range of self-care wellbeing enhancing resources and signposting to relevant mental health and support services. The content of The Hub is fully shaped by Health and Social Care (HSC) stakeholders, with a key focus on providing support and education on recognising and addressing burnout. It aims to help individuals identify burnout in themselves and others, offering practical interventions to prevent or mitigate its effects. These resources are designed both for individuals and those in supportive roles within teams, as well as guidance on accessing further support and recovery services.

It is recognised that more must be done to improve the working conditions of HSC staff to reduce the risk of burnout at its source.

As part of the Scottish Government’s Endoscopy Recovery and Remobilisation Plan (2021) nurse led Oesophageal Cell Collection Device services were rolled out across NHS Boards. To date, 11 Mainland Boards have active services with over 6,000 procedures delivered to August 2023. The OesophagealCell Collection Device is an alternative to endoscopy for diagnosis of pre and early oesophageal cancer as part of Upper GI Endoscopy Recovery Planning. The Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) continue to support the roll out, and evaluation of OesophagealCell Collection Device across Scotland.

Since starting in September 2020, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde have performed 1,680 oesophageal sponge cytology tests.