Chamber and committees

In 2023, SG published its Vision for Scotland’s Public Electric Vehicle Charging Network , highlighting the need for a transition towards a public charging network that is largely financed and delivered by the private sector. In late 2024 we will publish an Implementation Plan identifying the key actions be taken to deliver our Vision in response to the UK CCC recommendation.

This Implementation Plan will include a route map for delivering approximately 24,000 additional public charge points by 2030 and will be developed in partnership with key stakeholders who share collective responsibility for delivering public EV charging across Scotland and outline an agreed set of actions to meet Scotland’s needs, including the needs of rural and island communities.

Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), as procuring authority for new vessels for the Scottish Government, operate under the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 and also comply with the statutory and legislative requirements derived from The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.

Contracts for Operators of Ferry Services are also subject to the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 and also comply with the statutory and legislative requirements derived from The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to embedding anti-racism in education. As part of the Anti-Racism in Education Programme for financial year 2023-24 the Scottish Government provided the following funding streams aimed at providing anti-racist education. Funding streams for 24-25 will be published in due course.

Funding Streams:

• Anti-Racism in Education Programme (AREP) funding stream
• Curriculum workstream of the AREP
• School Library Improvement Fund
• Holocaust Educational Trust “Lessons from Auschwitz project”
• Vision Schools Scotland
• STUC Unions into Schools project

There were 24 responses to the consultation on the Report into the Effectiveness of Environmental Governance. Section 41 of the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 requires a statement to be laid before Parliament including a summary of any views expressed in response to the consultation, and the Scottish Ministers’ recommendations in response to those views. The publication of this statement will be confirmed in due course.

This relates to indicative figures provided by universities at the start of the academic session. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) will publish the 2023-24 academic year Official Statistics data in 2025. These will provide the most accurate figures on enrolments into modern language Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes.

This information is informing the work of Strategic Board for Teacher Education, which is considering issues around the recruitment and retention of teachers in Scotland in detail, together with work to improving the promotion of teaching as a valued career.

Both the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council have offered to work with universities to develop alternative routes into subjects which have traditionally been difficult to recruit to.

The Scottish Government remains committed to enhancing audiology services, and to its vision for an integrated, community-based audiology service. We are currently focusing on delivery of the actions required to respond to the Independent Review of Audiology services, and our approach will continue to be informed by this, alongside ongoing consultation with the audiology sector.

The Scottish Government increased student funded places for pre-registration nursing, including children's nursing, for ten successive years and we now have a record intake target of 4,536 to support workforce sustainability.

Whilst the Scottish Government sets strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, operational matters including staffing are in the first instance the responsibility of the relevant NHS board. This will depend on the service needs of each board taking account of national, regional and local priorities, and we expect NHS boards to plan and provide safe, effective and high-quality care, in line with their statutory service provision and workforce planning responsibilities.

The Scottish Government actively supports health boards across Scotland to plan locally for service need and for service delivery.

The Integrated Clinical Hub is made up of a variety of clinical staff, which can flex as demand dictates across a 24/7 model but the core roles are:

• 41 clinical advisors (Nurse and Paramedic level).
• 39 GP’s work a range of clinical sessional work every week.
• 146 Advanced Practitioners spend a third of their time within the Integrated Clinical Hub (ICH).
• 9 Senior clinical support managers who support the clinicians and oversee clinical activity and quality.
• 11 staff make up the leadership team who support all aspects of the ICH.

All staff across all roles work nationally to support patients throughout Scotland, whilst they may work in specific locations reflecting their employment base the technology allows them to work seamlessly across Scotland.

Children’s palliative care is an integral part of the new strategy on palliative care currently being developed. In addition to representatives of palliative care for children and young people on the Strategy Steering Group, we have established a Children and Young People’s Working Group to develop new actions which will contribute to meeting the needs of children and young people and their families.

The Scottish Ambulance Service is currently in the final stages of evaluating the work of the Integrated Clinical Hub (ICH) across 2023 and this evaluation will be shared with Scottish Government.