Chamber and committees

The Blueprint for Good Governance in NHS Scotland has been adopted by all NHS Boards. The second edition, published in December 2022, places more emphasis on the delivery mechanisms and the need to apply a continuous improvement approach to reviewing governance arrangements. Support for innovation and the role of NHS Boards in delivering this is a key component of the Blueprint.

To provide assurance on implementation of the Blueprint, all NHS Boards will complete an annual self-assessment, the outcome of which will be used to create Board Governance Development Plans. Plans will be used by NHS Boards to refine and improve their governance processes and the Scottish Government will look at key themes and national lessons to support further development of our approach to governance.

The current lists of Ministerial responsibilities are provided on the Scottish Government website at Cabinet and Ministers - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Where Ministers have recused themselves from an issue within their portfolio to avoid an actual or perceived conflict of interest, this is recorded on the Scottish Government website at List of ministers' interests - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

These lists are kept up to date and reflect changes made since 15 June 2023.

Transport Scotland has contracted Hagar Environmental & Atmospheric Technologies (HEAT) to deploy remote sensing equipment on both local and trunk roads in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Remote sensing equipment uses laser spectroscopy to measure the real-world emissions of vehicle exhaust plumes as the vehicles pass underneath.

This equipment has been deployed in the Glasgow City Council, City of Edinburgh Council, Aberdeen City Council and Dundee City Council areas.

HEAT have partnered with the ICCT (International Council for Clean Transportation) and Element Energy to deliver this project.

We are working in collaboration with key stakeholder groups, including representatives of parent carers; local authorities; the third sector; health; social care; education; and employment, to share the Statement of Intent and promote completion of the questionnaire amongst relevant stakeholders with a role or interest in supporting disabled young people’s transition to adulthood. In addition, we are working with a number of organisations to seek feedback on the Statement of Intent from more young people.

NHSScotland supports and encourages an environment where those working in our health service feel confident to raise any concerns they may have, in the knowledge that these will be treated seriously, and where appropriate, fully investigated. This includes concerns about staffing levels and any compromise to patient safety. Boards are expected to investigate concerns in line with the NHSScotland Whistleblowing Policy.

The Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO) was set up to provide a mechanism for external review where there are concerns of how a Health Board, primary care or independent provider has handled a Whistleblowing case.

Additionally, the Scottish Government seek assurance of the whistleblowing support in place for staff, as well as the process in Boards through regular contact with Board Executives, the Board Whistleblowing Champions, and via the annual Staff Governance Monitoring exercise.

All NHSScotland Health Boards report directly to the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer (INWO) on the recommendations from investigation reports. The Scottish Government do not become involved in INWO investigations, instead we will seek assurance through regular contact with Board officials and through the annual Staff Governance Monitoring exercise that actions are taken in line with the report.

It remains an unwelcome reality that our communities experience health, quality of life and even life expectancy differently across our society. Increasing healthy life expectancy and reducing health inequalities across Scotland remains a clear ambition for the Scottish Government.

We know that deprivation is a significant driver of excess mortality and so reducing poverty and inequality sits at the heart of our investment across all portfolios, and remains the best way of improving life expectancy. In 2022-23, we invested £3bn across a range of programmes targeted at low income households, with £1.25bn directly benefitting children. We increased the Scottish Child Payment to £25 per eligible child per week – an increase of 150% in less than a year - and expanded the payment to all eligible children under the age of 16.

We have Community Link Workers and Welfare Rights Advisers embedded into 180 GP practices within our rural, island and deprived communities; who offer advice to patients regarding social security eligibility, debt resolution, housing and employability issues. We are also progressing a range of action to reduce population level health harming activities across tobacco control, preventing and treating alcohol related harm, improving the food environment to enable healthy weight, and improving physical activity.

We will continue to work with our partners to understand what is needed at a national and regional level to support local, preventative action to drive improvements in health, and embed health considerations within wider policy making.

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) engage regularly with colleges, which, are key anchors for the transition to Net Zero, acting as both community enablers and demonstration hubs in cities and regions.

Published in November 2022, SFC’s ‘Net Zero and Sustainability Framework for Action’ establishes a clear, long-term plan to support Scotland’s colleges and universities through the transition to Net Zero, reflecting improved corporate accountability and collective responsibility across the Further and Higher Education sector.

The plan sets out a clear timeline of actions which aim to embed net zero and sustainability across all aspects of the sector which you can find more information about here: https://www.sfc.ac.uk/net-zero/net-zero-reponse.aspx .

Information on students and qualifiers is collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

The table below shows the number of students who qualified from Scottish HEIs between 2012-13 and 2021-22 academic years grouped by domicile.

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) regularly engage with universities on a wide range of issues, such as budgets and priorities for the future, including Net Zero.

Published in November 2022, SFC’s ‘Net Zero and Sustainability Framework for Action’ establishes a clear, long-term plan to support Scotland’s colleges and universities through the transition to Net Zero, reflecting improved corporate accountability and collective responsibility across the Further and Higher Education sector.

The plan sets out a clear timeline of actions which aim to embed net zero and sustainability across all aspects of the sector which you can find more information about here: Net Zero response (sfc.ac.uk)