Chamber and committees

Local recruitment is the responsibility of the Health Board however, the Scottish Government actively supports health boards across Scotland to plan locally for service need and for service delivery.

Following our £40 million investment from 2014-2018 to recruit an additional 500 Health Visitors, Health Visitor numbers have remained largely stable. Workforce numbers are published quarterly by NHS Education Scotland (NES) in the National NHS Workforce Statistics.

We continue to work closely with Health Boards to monitor the delivery of the Universal Health Visiting Pathway and to best ensure young families get the support they need.

As the Scottish Government has not provided any funding directly to Fife Alcohol Support Service from 2019, no objectives have been set.

However, since 2021, the Corra Foundation has administered the National Drugs Mission Funds to over 300 third sector and grassroots organisations on behalf of the Scottish Government. Fife Alcohol Support Service is a recipient of these funds and details of the projects are available at: Grant holder data - Corra Foundation

We believe that the Scottish Parliament should have full tax powers so that fiscal decisions that affect the people of Scotland can be made by the people who live here.

The Scottish Government has not provided funding for the Edinburgh Hospital Broadcasting Service.

This is a matter for NHS Health Boards. The information requested regarding the number of times intrauterine devices have been prescribed to female prisoners in each of the last five years, broken down by type of device, is not held centrally.

This is a matter for NHS Health Boards. The information requested regarding how many trans men and women have either requested or undergone gender reassignment surgery while in prison is not held centrally.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold this information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Circa 684 Hectares (Ha) (as identified to date) of Scottish Water land is planned for peatland restoration and the work has been phased over three years – 23-24, 24-25 and 25-26. Locations identified are Lintrathen and Backwater (100Ha – Angus Council), Afton (190Ha – East Ayrshire Council) and Loch Katrine (394Ha – Stirling Council).

The annual budget will be based upon the current industry average price of restoration, some £1600 per hectare and therefore the annual budget is estimated to be £384,000 in 23-24, £464,000 in 24-25 and £262,400 in 25-26. Scottish Water will apply to the Scottish Government for grants to undertake peatland restoration. Each area has been subject to a feasibility study, ecological survey and archaeological survey in line with Peatland ACTION processes and as required for the planning application and other elements of undertaking a peatland restoration project. Scottish Water works with tenants, graziers and other interests to ensure it will deliver multiple benefits from this programme.

Scottish Water has also screened the vast majority of its landholdings for tree planting potential. This has considered water quality and water resources, land that might be needed for asset expansion, suitability of the land for tree planting and to ensure that tenant farmers activities are not adversely impacted. Potential projects are also subject to environmental and ecological assessments.

Loch Katrine represents the biggest single project across Scottish Water’s estate. Forestry and Land Scotland have submitted a Land Management Plan to Scottish Forestry for approval for the restoration of a natural woodland/open ground mosaic landscape. This will cover a 10-year period and see some 4,600 hectares of woodland creation, predominantly through natural regeneration, in addition to the 394Ha peatland restoration. The project is estimated at £4.8m over 10 years to the early 2030s and SW estimates it may to deliver up to 1 million tonnes of carbon benefit across this century through reduced losses from poor peatland and improved capture in vegetation and trees. It will also deliver improved water quality, catchment resilience to climate change and biodiversity gain.

Scottish Water’s other woodland creation is much smaller scale, predominantly associated with reservoirs and catchments. The gross cost of projects delivered to date is £650,000, which includes £123,000 funding from accessing woodland creation grants. The estimated cost of current projects is £1.3m with £480,000 woodland grant contribution expected.

Collectively across all of Scottish Water’s woodland creation projects it estimates the 60-year benefit to be circa 160,000 tonnes of carbon with additional climate resilience, water quality and biodiversity benefits.

Scottish Water’s publishes updates on its activities at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/-/media/ScottishWater/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Energy-and-Sustainability/211223Biodiversityreport23FINAL.pdf and https://scottishwaternetzero.co.uk/ .

The first official meeting of the Flow Navigation Special Delivery Group was held on 4 October 2023. The group meet monthly with 4 meetings having taken place since its formation.

The group is led by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery and consists of clinical and operational leads, for Flow Navigation Centre’s, from each mainland Health Board. It also includes representatives from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, the Royal Collage of General Practitioners, Primary Care, NHS 24, the Scottish Ambulance Service and the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government places great importance on community sports and leisure facilities. They are crucial to the wellbeing of all our country and most importantly, for our children and young people to be healthy and active.

We have asked sportscotland to undertake a review of the facilities estate which will provide vital information in understanding the sport and leisure facilities provision in the long term. In addition, sportscotland and Scottish Swimming have recently published a detailed research study into the condition of Scotland’s swimming pools.

We are fully aware that local authorities are facing challenging financial circumstances, particularly in the maintenance and operating of facilities, largely due to energy costs and other cost of living pressures. sportscotland will continue to work with its local partners to help them assess the impact of any potential facility closures across the country. In addition, the Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Sport and officials engage regularly with Community Leisure UK to discuss the local public facilities landscape.

In recognition of the importance of access to sports and leisure facilities, our Programme for Government sets out our intention to convene a working group, including representatives of sports organisations, community organisations and CoSLA, to explore how community access to community facilities, such as the school estate, can be enhanced.

Alcohol & Drugs Action received funding from the Scottish Government’s National Development Project Fund (NDPF) from 2019 to 2021. High-level NDPF objectives are set out in Grant Offer Letters, and are as follows:

• Recruiting staff to mentoring and supervision roles
• Staff Mentoring roles / training and Recovery Group Peer-led Activity (range, location)
• Advocacy role (training)
• Develop further Peer Volunteer roles (Hospital, Housing, Justice settings)
• Deliver activities in identified key settings
• Evaluate effectiveness of mentor / supervisory aspects
• Evaluate effectiveness of at-risk engagement with services/support
• Adjust and further develop activities as required

Whilst Scottish Government did not directly set the objectives, the Corra Foundation administer funds on our behalf. The Challenge Fund, in 2018-19 and 2019-20 and the National Drugs Mission Funds, from 2021-22, to third sector and grassroots organisations. Alcohol & Drugs Action is a recipient of these funds and details of the projects are available at: Grant holder data - Corra Foundation