Chamber and committees

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

Table: The spend on employing temporary staff each year since 2012. To note, these figures relate to both agency staff and contractors.

The Scottish Government is keenly aware of the importance of increasing digital access for all people in Scotland. Through programmes such as Connecting Scotland, the Scottish Government is taking action to improve digital access for multiple priority groups, including older people and people who are living with a long-term illness or disability.

In August 2023, the Connecting Scotland programme launched two projects to provide kit and connectivity through Device Libraries and Social Housing organisations. Over £204,000 was awarded across both projects to a range of organisations across Scotland. This funding is helping Device Libraries to expand their range of devices, to extend the number of devices available for loan and to replace devices that are coming to the end of their lives. The funding is also supporting Social Housing providers to support connectivity infrastructure projects that benefit their residents, as our research has shown that Social Housing tenants are a group particularly impacted by digital exclusion.

Social tariffs can additionally provide the means for people in need of digital access to get online by providing reduced broadband tariff rates. Connecting Scotland is working with Ofcom to improve information about social tariffs for people in Scotland. In April 2023, based on dialogue with officials, Ofcom updated their webpage to show which tariffs are available to which regions of the UK. Officials will continue dialogue with Ofcom to ensure that social tariffs are widely understood as a potential option for older people and people living with long-term illness or disability to get online.

The Scottish Government does not hold the requested information that may be available from each Health Board as employer.

The NHSScotland workforce policies and their supporting documents set the standard for employment practice for all NHS Boards in Scotland. They have been developed with full consideration of equality and diversity impacts and to reflect fair work principles. Our expectation is that these policies are applied with a person centred approach to positively impact on eliminating discrimination and to advance equality of opportunity across all protected characteristics.

Central to the Scottish Government’s Inward Investment Plan is a commitment to ensuring all of Scotland’s regions are able to share in the economic success resulting from inward investment.

We are already working with the UK Government to stimulate growth and attract investment at a regional level through the City and Regional Growth Deals. We are investing £1.9 billion in the programme covering all regions of Scotland and working with local authorities and the UK Government to deliver on shared ambitions. We are also working in partnership with the UK Government and with the Glasgow City Region and North East Scotland Regional Economic Partnerships to get Investment Zones up and running as quickly as possible; and to ensure that the Zones have the maximum positive impact for businesses, communities and Scotland’s wider economy.

As part of the Scottish Government approach to growing the Scottish economy, the New Deal for Business Group will continue to support this through the implementation of its key actions to improve collaborative working between business and government that will create a mutually beneficial business environment and contribute to improvements in commercial confidence and investment, fostering a stable business environment which will increase Scotland’s attractiveness as a location for inward investment.

Scotland has a strong record in attracting inward investment and Shaping Scotland’s Economy: Inward Investment Plan (IIP) is key to supporting Scotland’s growth clusters including opportunities in emerging scientific and technological sectors.

While faced with one of the most difficult financial settlements since devolution, the Scottish Government is making the most of every resource available in the Scottish Budget 2024-2025 to continue to grow and transform the economy through investment of more than £5 billion across government.

Spending is targeted at measures that will support our long-term ambitions for a wellbeing economy that is fair, green and growing. The Scottish Government and its associated agencies are committed to creating opportunities for advanced scientific industries in Scotland, helping to deliver on our ambitions in the Innovation Strategy.

Quantifying the impacts of piscivorous birds on wild salmon populations is challenging as it requires updated information on bird populations, distributions and diet, as well as information on the population dynamics processes of both the birds and fish.

Nevertheless several studies have been commissioned in order to build knowledge of the potential impact of piscivorous birds on wild salmon. Most recently a study to document the diet of fish eating birds on four Scottish rivers was conducted between 2019 and 2020. A final report on the study is available on the Scottish Government website - Bird stomach contents analysis - final report: Goosander and Cormorant diet on four Scottish rivers 2019 to 2020 - gov.scot ( www.gov.scot ).

A separate project funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund has examined acoustic tracking methods that may be useful in identifying those stretches of Scottish rivers where salmon smolt losses occur. This pilot work included a study examining the feasibility of concurrently recording movements of piscivorous birds (goosanders) using Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) tags. A final report on the study will be published in due course.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

Table: The headcount of staff at Disclosure Scotland as of 31 March for the years requested.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

There are 13 staffing vacancies currently unfilled within Disclosure Scotland.

From Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd March Glasgow hosted the World Athletics Indoor Championships for the first time in Scotland and only the third time in the United Kingdom. A total of 586 athletes from 128 countries across all six continental areas competed in Glasgow, watched by more than 22,000 ticketed spectators from 37 countries, and the event produced two world records, five championship records, ten area records and 54 national records.

The World Athletics Indoor Championships provided yet another opportunity to further enhance Scotland's reputation not only as The Perfect Stage for hosting Major Events but also as a welcoming place to live and work, study, visit and do business.

Given these excellent opportunities for engagement with key stakeholders, the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport and the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care attended separate athletics sessions in the Emirates Arena. In addition the Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development attended the Welcome Reception hosted jointly by the World Athletics President and the Glasgow City Council Provost. A senior Scottish Government Official also attended two civic receptions and sporting activity.

The Emirates Arena was also the venue for a meeting of the UK Inter-Ministerial Group for Sport, chaired by the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport. This was attended by Ministers from all home nations.