Chamber and committees

The Highlands and Islands Veterinary Services Scheme (HIVSS) is crucial support to ensure that crofters and small farmers in remote areas of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland have access to veterinary care to protect the health and welfare of their animals, and to ensure veterinary surveillance for notifiable diseases in these areas. HIVSS subsidises the travel costs of veterinary practices serving eligible clients to remove the significant financial disadvantage such clients would otherwise have relative to similar clients closer to urban areas.

Scheme funding is demand-led rather than inflation led. It is based on the number of visits made by veterinary practices to eligible clients over the last 3 years and the mileage covered doing so, along with the payment of receipted travel expenses and time spent waiting during journeys.

A number of factors affect the calculation of both grant and expenses payments. These are currently under review. However, the mileage and supplementary travel rates are based rates dictated by HMRC; the waiting time rate is based on the payment rate for Official Veterinarians; the standard visit fees payable by clients is based on the average rate of fee charges as per the salary survey by the Society for Practicing Veterinary Surgeons; and overnight accommodation payment is based on average B&B prices in the Highlands and Islands. These are all kept under review to ensure that the payments made reflect the actual travel costs faced by veterinary practices as closely as possible.

The Scottish Government’s Natural Capital Market Framework applies only to investment within Scotland and, where relevant, to governance within the wider UK for UK emissions and impacts.

Responsible private investment in Scotland’s natural capital through the Peatland Code (PC) and the Woodland Carbon Code (WCC) is already supporting our response to the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The WCC and PC generate high-integrity, independently verified carbon units from woodland creation and peatland restoration respectively. Companies can use these units to support appropriate neutrality or net zero claims on their UK-based carbon emissions.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of all people with mental health problems, including those with Huntington disease, getting the right help, at the right time, and in the right place.

The core mental health standards set clear expectations for health boards to ensure referrals to community health teams and psychiatry are equitable, clear and prioritise those most in need. They also require services to reduce barriers to access, provide clear referral criteria, and ensure collaboration between staff and agencies to support individuals with complex conditions like Huntington’s disease.

Decisions on referrals may consider clinical appropriateness and service-specific criteria. Where referrals are declined from general psychiatry or community mental health teams a full explanation should be offered for this decision, and alternative pathways offered wherever possible and appropriate.

The role of the National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC) is not to "sign off" procedures. Instead, it provides oversight and governance for the commissioning of new specialist services and networks, reviews potential decommissioning of existing services and undertake an annual prioritisation process in relation to service business cases for development.

Numbers of prioritised procedures by NSSC are provided below:

a) Prioritisation by NSSC for the last 10 years:

The Scottish Government attend the National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC) who meet quarterly. Apologies were provided for the most recent meeting on 25 November 2024.

Discussions at the 25 November meeting included:

• Finance Update
• Requests for New Designations
• Approved Designations
• De-designations
• Designated Services – Assurance Reporting
• Hyperbaric Medicine
• New Commissions/ Business Cases for Prioritisation - Overview of Business Cases & Scoring Process
• National Planning and Networks Update
• Reviews update
• NSD Highlight Report
• Any Other Business:
• Planning Process
• Implications to new NSSC Governance
• New Governance process for SLAs

The UK Forestry Standard applies requirements to minimise soil carbon losses when creating new woodlands. No planting is supported in Scotland on soils with peat exceeding 50 cm depth. In addition recently revised guidance for soil cultivation effectively limits ploughing of organic soils of less than 10 cm depth.

This report adds to understanding about what can happen early in the process of natural colonisation, when trees established in this way grow relatively slowly. The efficacy of tree planting for carbon capture must also consider their contribution to removing CO₂ from the atmosphere and then storing carbon in the longer term.

The following table captures current roles and locations and indicates whether the role has been in place since 2018:

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that individuals impacted by Huntington’s disease, including those in the NHS Highland area, can access the mental health support they need.

This includes access to community mental health teams and psychiatry by referral through their GP or a Huntington’s specialist. Clinical leads and Huntington’s disease specialists, supported by the Scottish Huntington’s Association network, coordinate physical and mental health care and provide clear pathways to mental health services, including psychiatry.

We have published Core Mental Health Quality Standards which aim to ensure equitable access to mental health services, through clear referral processes, reduced barriers, and prioritisation of those most in need, which could include those with Huntington’s.

Information about each VisitScotland board member, including their register of interests, is available at https://www.visitscotland.org/about-us/our-team/board