Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has directly engaged with justice stakeholders to provide the following information. Police Scotland have confirmed that RAAC has been identified in three sites across the Police Scotland estate, in Edinburgh, Perth and Dundee. These sites are pre 2007, however where RAAC has been identified, appropriate mitigation measures have been put in place and there is no immediate risk to officers, staff or visitors.

Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) have confirmed ongoing structural survey work is underway, RAAC has been identified in one building within the North Lanarkshire area at Airdrie Sheriff Court.

The Scottish Government’s response to question S6W-21348 on 27 September 2023 provides the member with a response to the question “To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of any fire station buildings that contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC)”.

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

Since 2021, the only investment has been through the Just Transition Fund and is as follows:

2022-23: £457,559

2023-24: £169,175

The Scottish Government has directly engaged with justice stakeholders to seek updates on the current position across the justice estate. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) undertakes a regular rolling inspection regime of the buildings in its estate. There is an on-going programme of condition surveys underway to inform the programme of works needed over the short (1yr) medium (2-5yrs) and long (6-10yrs) term to undertake maintenance or remedial work identified on a managed risk basis.

In order to ensure a rigorous assessment in relation to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) the SCTS conducted desk-based and visual surveys of its estate over the summer and is conducting detailed structural surveys of the 10 buildings on its estate that were either constructed or had major works carried out during the time period in which RAAC was in use. These surveys will confirm whether or not RAAC is present in any facility and, if so, its condition and whether any remediation is required. At this point RAAC has been identified in one building – Airdrie Sheriff Court. No immediate signs of risk or deterioration of structural integrity have been identified. SCTS are conducting further work to identify any medium or longer term arrangements that may be required to ensure continued safety. The building is safe and the detailed survey will make recommendations to ensure that remains the case.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) based on their knowledge of the SPS estate, do not believe that RAAC is present within the prison estate. SPS is however conducting a further evidence based scoping exercise to identify any buildings that cannot be categorically ruled out as containing RAAC. Any buildings identified will require further investigation and may need more intrusive testing/inspection by specialist consultants. The initial scoping exercise is due to be concluded by 30 September 2023.

In April 2023, Police Scotland undertook visual inspections of 65 sites across its estate, resulting in 36 sites being confirmed as not containing RAAC. The remaining 29 sites were inspected by structural engineers, and RAAC was confirmed as present at 3 of these sites in Edinburgh, Perth and Baluniefield.

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) are not aware definitively of any RAAC buildings in their estate, however, COPFS have engaged surveyors to carry out a desktop study of their owned and leased estate. At this stage, of the owned 8 assets, only one; Dumbarton, may fall within the RAAC age band, suggesting it may require further investigation.

The Scottish Government’s response to PQ S6W-21348 on 27 September 2023 provides the member with a response to the question “To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of any fire station buildings that contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC)”.

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

On 13 September 2023, at the initiation of the Scottish Government, Ministers and senior officials from across the UK met to discuss single use vapes. They discussed the available evidence, recognised shared challenges, and committed to work together on a range of options to tackle the impacts, up to and including a ban.

The Scottish Government has engaged on the issue of single use vapes from an early stage with governments across the UK, and indicated the potential future requirement to raise relevant issues for consideration within the Resources and Waste Common Framework.

Despite the most difficult public spending environment since devolution, we maintained college resource budgets for 2023-24 at 2022-23 levels. The Audit Scotland report highlights that challenges and opportunities lie ahead as a result. The Scottish Funding Council also provided greater flexibility in the funding for colleges for academic year 2023-24.

On 13 September 2023, at the initiation of the Scottish Government, Ministers and senior officials from across the UK met to discuss single use vapes. They discussed the available evidence, recognised shared challenges, and committed to work together on a range of options to tackle the impacts, up to and including a ban.

The Scottish Government has engaged on the issue of single use vapes from an early stage with governments across the UK, acknowledging the potential impact of the Internal Market Act, and indicated the potential future requirement to raise relevant issues related to the Internal Market Act for consideration within the Resources and Waste Common Framework.

ScotRail confirmed that support for staff members is available from its in-house Occupational Health team and Mental Health Volunteers.

Additional support is available to employees through the following:

• Employee confidential assistance helpline which gives 24-hour, 365-day access for counselling, information, and support on mental health matters.
• Specialist healthcare case management support for a range of conditions, such as depression and anxiety.

ScotRail has confirmed that, where an employee has been off on long-term sickness and has an outstanding disciplinary issue, ScotRail would seek the medical opinion of its external Occupational Health provider, who would provide an independent medical assessment of the employee and consider if they were able to attend a hearing.

We have developed core standards for mental health services with a focus on adult secondary services. These include transitions and outline an expectation that people will receive help as close as possible to home. The core standards also aim to reduce unnecessary delays in transitions and improve information sharing, including with carers and their families. The standards emphasise the importance of the continuity of care and the need for follow-up support after discharge. We will publish these standards shortly and we will work with our partners in the Standards Implementation Advisory Group to implement these.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering the Coming Home Implementation Report recommendations to reduce inappropriate out-of-area placements and delayed discharges experienced by people with learning disabilities and complex care needs.

This includes working with the local bodies that have statutory responsibility for providing and commissioning services to ensure that the appropriate planning is in place for people who are receiving care and treatment in an out-of-area placement.

The Review of Purpose Built Student Accommodation has now concluded. The recommendations from the review are currently being considered by the Scottish Government. We will write to the group members on proposed next steps shortly.