Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has not forecast the potential incidence of cerebrovascular disease including stroke, over the next five years. Public Health Scotland’s Scottish Stroke Statistics show the age and sex adjusted incidence rate for cerebrovascular disease has decreased by 8%, from 265 cases per 100,000 population in 2012-13 to 244 per 100,000 in 2021-22.

In February 2023, the National Hub published a report which provided an overview of activity undertaken since the launch of the Hub in October 2021. The report can be viewed at National Hub overview report: Year 1: 01 October 2021 - 30 September 2022 (healthcareimprovementscotland.org). The first data report for the National Hub for Reviewing and Learning from the Deaths of Children and Young People will be published in the new year.

Emergency stroke care is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Anyone who believes they, or someone else, is showing the symptoms of a stroke should call 999 immediately. Work is ongoing to establish the most effective means of further expanding service hours for access to thrombectomy, one emergency treatment option for certain strokes, to maximise the number of patients able to benefit from this treatment.

Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans (RRTPs) play an important role in Scotland’s strategy to end homelessness. We have provided local authorities with £52.5 million between 2018-24 to develop and implement their RRTPs.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to rapid rehousing as a response to homelessness. Budgets for the next financial year will be set out in the usual way in December and funding decisions will follow.

A range of financial support is provided through Social Security Scotland. This includes Funeral Support Payment, a one-off payment providing support to low-income families in receipt of a qualifying benefit, including self-employed parents, for a baby stillborn after 24 weeks or who died after birth.

These families may also be eligible for Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment up to £707.25. If the parent is in receipt of Scottish Child Payment they will receive payment equivalent to the value of entitlement in the 12 weeks prior to the child’s death.

An agreement is in place between Scottish Government and COSLA that local authorities in Scotland will not charge burial or cremation fees for children aged 0-17 or stillborn babies.

Yes, the SQA is being replaced with a new qualifications body as part of the Scottish Government’s wider education and skills reform programme.

As part of the process of replacing the SQA, the Scottish Government has opened a consultation on the provisions in the Education Bill. The consultation is seeking views on the establishment of a new qualifications body that will replace the SQA, along with views on changes to education inspection in Scotland. The consultation is open until 18 December.

The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022 requires licensing authorities to maintain and publish a public register of short-term let licences on their website, or other website established for that purpose. The register is required to include a note of the kind and terms of each licence granted by the licensing authority, as well as other information set out in paragraph 13 of Schedule 2 of the Licensing Order.

Licensing authorities are also required to share content of their public register with the Scottish Government on a quarterly basis for statistical analysis purposes. The Scottish Government publishes a quarterly statistical return on short-term let licensing applications. The first return was published on 31 August 2023 covering the period from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. The second return for the period 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023 was published on 20 November 2023. We expect the return covering the period up to and including 30 September 2023 will be published in early 2024.

Antisocial behaviour is unacceptable on Scotland's public transport and in wider society. Tackling anti-social behaviour must focus on the causes, not the mode of transport. While the Young Persons Free Bus Travel Scheme changes the way in which bus travel is paid for, it does not affect bus operators’ conditions of carriage that all passengers are expected to follow.

The police, local authorities, and other local agencies are responsible for tackling anti-social behaviour at the local level. It is these agencies, empowered by the Scottish Government, working in a concerted and co-ordinated way with local people that are working to tackle the problem effectively.

I recognise that no single approach will tackle all anti-social behaviour. However, we support a suite of enforcement activities including Formal Warnings, Fixed Penalty Notices and Antisocial Behaviour Orders, alongside positive diversionary and early intervention activities. The Scottish Government will continue to work with partners to strengthen options to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The Scottish Government is encouraging anyone witnessing such incidents to report this behaviour to their local council’s Antisocial Behaviour Team and to report all criminal behaviour to the police.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23070 on 4 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23070 on 4 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 .