Chamber and committees

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) are invited as a member of the delivery group for the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy 2021 – 2026, as are Scottish Government. This work is overseen by Save a Life for Scotland and is focused on delivery of the aims included within the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy 2021 – 2026.

We know that it is vital that we continue to support work to build capacity in primary care settings to respond to eating disorder presentations given the increasing demand, complexity of presentations and impact on secondary care services.

We continue to build on the investment we have already made by including outcomes to improve eating disorder services and Mental Health in Primary Care in our Mental Health Outcomes Framework investment in 2022-23, which gives NHS Boards and Integration Authorities flexibility to improve existing pathways.

Through the funding allocated to Beat in 2022-23, we have also introduced Beyond the Symptoms Training for GPs and Healthcare professionals training to support them to identify when a patient has an eating disorder, and to confidently intervene early.

In addition, we are currently developing Eating Disorder Quality Standards which are due to be consulted on in Spring 2023. The Standards cover areas such as service structure and governance arrangements, and aim to improve the care and treatment that people receive from primary care services.

Lastly, we are currently taking forward planning to establish a National Eating Disorder Network in 2023. Included within the Network’s remit will be to further develop specialist eating disorder services and to improve the links between primary and secondary services.

We recognise that rises in the cost of living are putting a huge strain on some families and they are facing unforeseen challenges.

The management of debt is an issue for education authorities and their finance departments. Councils have the power to make discretionary offers of free school meals to families, where they are experiencing financial hardship due to exceptional circumstances, who do not meet the regular eligibility criteria.

COSLA, working with partners from across Local Government, have developed a set of good practice principles for the management of school meal debt, which were published on 20 February 2023. The intended audience for these principles is local authority staff across a range of departments (including education, catering, finance and debt collection) as well as Head Teachers, class teachers and other school staff. The principles can be accessed through the following link: COSLA Publish Good Practice Principles for Managing School Meal Debt - 20th February 2023 | COSLA

We are clear that ScotWind promises to be transformational in delivering wider economic supply chain benefits to help power Scotland’s green recovery in communities across Scotland. The Supply Chain Development Statements set out ScotWind developers’ initial commitments to the Scottish supply chain, with more than £28bn across the 20 ScotWind offshore wind projects. Government and its agencies continue to work closely with developers and those at the top of the supply chain to ensure that local suppliers in Scotland have a realistic opportunity to compete for key manufacturing contracts.

The Scottish Government can encourage investment in areas aligned with our climate priorities but the decision on which sectors or projects to invest in is for each individual private company to make.

However, in line with our commitments in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET), the Scottish Government is working to attract and deploy significant domestic and international private investment in Scotland, including net zero sectors. The recently established Investor Panel chaired by the First Minister will bring investor intelligence into policy and regulatory development early in the process and will primarily focus on how we attract capital investment in the physical infrastructure to support our transition to net zero.

Our Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment helps eligible low-income families with expenses associated with pregnancy or with having a new child. Families can use this payment to best meet their needs which could include buying reusable nappies and meeting the costs associated with laundry care. Information on benefits and one-off payments that are available to parents can be found on our ParentClub website.

To further support the affordability and accessibility of reusable nappies, Scotland's Baby Box includes a voucher that offers a free reusable nappy kit, which comprises of a waterproof wrap and five pads. A further discounted package is available should the family wish to continue with reusable nappies.

The Nappy Voucher contained within the Baby Box also signposts families to our ParentClub website which highlights the benefits of using reusable nappies as well as signposting families on where to seek advice and support with using them. Ready Steady Baby , which is given out at antenatal appointments, also highlights the benefits of reusable nappies.

It would not be appropriate to comment at this time until all the necessary steps have been taken to ensure our decision is the right one for the Caledonian Sleeper, its passengers and its staff.

On 2 March 2023 I am scheduled to provide an update to Parliament on the future of the Caledonian Sleeper.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14939 on 1 March 2023. 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

The Scottish Government expects local authorities to exercise their statutory responsibilities and deliver a safe environment for all school users.

Generally, local authorities in Scotland will offer schools basic litter picking equipment such as litter pickers and safety gloves. We are also aware that some schools may hold their own litter picking equipment that may have been provided by a variety of sources, for example from a local business or other donor.

Schools can also access litter picking equipment through charity initiatives such as Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Community Clean Up Hubs, which are located across Scotland. Guidance on organising and undertaking a safe litter pick can be found on the organisation’s website.

The ScotRail peak fares pilot will apply to all ScotRail services.

Work on the precise methodology, design and evaluation for the peak rail fares pilot is currently underway. Transport Scotland officials are working closely with Scottish Rail Holdings and ScotRail Trains Ltd to derive maximum benefit for this scheme.

Further details on the peak rail fares pilot including timescales during the next financial year will be confirmed as soon as practically possible.