Chamber and committees

Scottish Government officials raised this question with INEOS on 29 November 2023 and have since received confirmation that the refinery does not currently process significant volumes of FPS derived crude, with the majority of the asset’s feedstock being imported. The business noted that, given the historical throughput of the FPS, there is sufficient capacity to process any additional volumes in the future.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23191 on 7 December 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 Primary Care Reform and Delivery Budget total was £262,500,000 in 2023-2024.

Reductions, slippage and reprofiling has taken place across a variety of programmes focused on GP workforce, sustainability, rural healthcare, data and digital improvements.

The Programme for Government 2021-22 and 2022-23 committed to a Student Mental Health Action Plan and Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy respectively.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy was published in Summer 2023 and is supported by a Mental Health Workforce Plan and Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan, published in autumn 2023. The Student Mental Health Plan, which flows from these, will be published in early 2024.

There is, therefore, no ongoing requirement for these Plans to feature in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government.

As part of work being undertaken to develop the new palliative care strategy, we are working with Public Health Scotland to get a better understanding of population-level palliative care needs now and in the future, both nationally and locally.

We are working with local health and social care partnerships to identify how best we can support a local population based approach to palliative care, so that everyone can access specialist and general palliative care as needed by each person, whatever their illness or condition.

The Material Flow Accounts model is being reworked so that its new trade data will be aligned with EU material flow accounting practices. Zero Waste Scotland is also exploring the scope for mapping material flows to economic sectors.

As a result of the UK’s departure from the EU, the Material Flow Account model can no longer source its trade data from Eurostat and the model needs to be significantly reworked as its new trade data will not be in alignment with EU material flow accounting practices. Zero Waste Scotland has therefore decided to make these methodological changes before reporting results to ensure clear communication of Scotland’s current material consumption.

Zero Waste Scotland will confirm a publication date once the review is complete.

Free bus travel is one of several services provided through the National Entitlement Card. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for transport operators to remove cards from cardholders due to the impact this may have on access to other services, such as free school meals.

Tackling allegations of antisocial behaviour are matters for the police and local authorities using the enforcement powers and resources available to them. The Scottish Government will continue to work with these partners to explore and strengthen options to tackle antisocial behaviour.

Following the publication of the Scottish Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy in summer and Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan and Mental Health Workforce Plan in autumn we will shortly consult on a draft Student Mental Health Action Plan which flows from these recent publications.

Targeted consultation with Members of the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Working Group, on the draft Student Mental Health Action Plan will be undertaken in the coming weeks, with the aim of publishing a completed Plan in early 2024.

There has been one meeting on 5 October 2023 between myself and Maggie Chapman (Scottish Green Party MSP) on the four-day working week public sector pilot. There have been no further formal meetings with Ministers on the pilot since April 2023.

Officials have held a number of planning meetings with prospective interested public sector organisations, the expert partner organisation, and other interested stakeholders.

There are no immediate plans to publish the agendas and minutes of these meetings as it not an established practice for regular policy development.

The Scottish Government does not currently collect data on national reuse rates in Scotland.