Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the administrative, management and other operating costs of each Integration Joint Board.

The Scottish Government receives quarterly financial reporting from IJBs which includes information regarding funding and expenditure. This exercise began in 2018 and no data collection was performed by the Scottish Government in respect of IJB funding or expenditure prior to this. The reports consolidate information already in the public domain as published by individual IJBs, and are published on the Scottish Government website. They can be found here: NHS Scotland and Integration Authorities consolidated financial reporting: 2020-2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

Should the information requested not be available from this resource then a direct enquiry should be made with the relevant IJBs.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19223 on 28 June 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 am pleased to announce that the Scottish Government has today published a high-level response to the Scottish Mental Health Law Review .

The Review, chaired by Lord Scott KC, recommended changes to mental health and capacity law, policy and practice to improve the protection and fulfilment of human rights in the short, medium and long term.

Our response outlines our intention to establish a new long-term programme of improvement and reform in response to the ambition set out by the Review. In it, we set out our vision for change and outline our priorities for reform.

The Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme will update and modernise our mental health and capacity legislation to better align with international human rights. It will be a long term programme that supports change to give people greater control over their own lives, care and treatment.

An early focus will be on strengthening rights protections for Adults with Incapacity, improving support for decision-making and the way in which human rights are put into practice. The response and early priorities have been informed by our initial engagement with a range of stakeholders.

A process of broader engagement will commence over the coming months to develop and refine the detail of our plans and support progress in putting these into action. Further detail about the Programme and plans for delivery will be published in stages from Autumn 2023. I will seek to secure a slot for a Ministerial statement at that stage to ensure that members can contribute to a discussion on our plans for a Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme.

On 16 June 2023, the First Minister represented the Scottish Government at the Summit meeting of the British-Irish Council hosted by the Government of Jersey. The meeting was attended by Ministers from seven of the eight of the BIC Member Administrations with Northern Ireland represented by senior officials in an observational capacity.

The Summit meeting was chaired by the Chief Minister of Jersey Kristina Moore, who welcomed delegates to Jersey at a dinner on the Thursday evening ahead of the Summit.

The Summit focussed on “Building for the Future: Green and Affordable” which offered the opportunity to discuss housing challenges faced by all of the BIC member administrations. This included affordable housing, decarbonisation of heat and modern methods of construction and whilst in Jersey, the First Minister attended a site visit to a building project in St Helier which employs offsite construction methods.

This discussion followed on from a meeting of the BIC Housing Ministers on 5 June at which I represented the Scottish Government. I welcome the opportunity that this forum presents the Governments of these islands for closer collaboration and look forward to increased engagement around the common challenges we face.

On the latest Political Developments item, the First Minster reflected on the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and the importance of re-establishing political institutions in Northern Ireland. The First Minister highlighted the continued importance of developing measures to help support households and business during the cost-of-living crisis, EU relations intergovernmental relations in the United Kingdom, and voiced continued solidarity with the people of Ukraine. The First Minister also took the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with the Taoiseach, the Tnaiste, the First Minister of Wales, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and had introductory meetings with the Chief Ministers of the Crown Dependencies.

The Communiqué that was issued by the British-Irish Council after the meeting can be found on its website at: britishirishcouncil.org.

The Scottish Government has today published the new National Litter and Flytipping Strategy, which is available at: http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781805251545 .

The Strategy sets out a refreshed approach to tackling litter and flytipping in order to protect and enhance Scotland’s environment, ensure safer and cleaner communities and contribute to a thriving circular economy for Scotland. It sets out how national and local government, business, third sector, communities and individuals can work together to support behaviour change, improve infrastructure and strengthen enforcement.

The strategy is accompanied by an action plan outlining priority activity for the first year of implementation. Actions for 2023-24 include measures to strengthen enforcement (including raising fixed penalty notices for flytipping to £500), support private landowners, improve data collection, engage communities and influence behaviours.

Actions will be reviewed and refreshed on an annual basis over the six-year lifespan of the Strategy to ensure these are adapted to suit a changing external environment and are informed by emerging insights and wider action to accelerate Scotland’s transition to a circular economy.

Zero Waste Scotland will publish their report on the environmental impacts of single use vapes on 30 June 2023.

The review was commissioned by myself on 20 January 2023 in response to emerging concerns including litter, plastic waste and risk of fires. The report examines the impacts of single use vapes on the environment and considers potential policy options to tackle the issue. The report will be available on the Zero Waste Scotland website. Following publication, the Scottish Government will consider the review, with a view to setting out a preferred way forward as part of its response.

All planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4), adopted 13 February this year, forms part of the statutory development plan alongside the relevant Local Development Plan (LDP).

NPF4 places climate and nature at the centre of our planning system and makes clear our support for all forms of renewable, low-carbon and zero emission technologies, including onshore wind.

NPF4 policy 11 makes clear that potential impacts on communities, nature and other receptors remain important considerations in the decision-making process. Additionally, the policy requires that project design and mitigation will demonstrate how impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including residential amenity, visual impact, noise and shadow flicker will be addressed. All applications are subject to site-specific assessments, including Environmental Impact Assessment where applicable.

NPF4 replaces Scottish Planning Policy (2014) ‘SPP’, including the approach to spatial frameworks for onshore wind previously set out in Table 1 of SPP.

In developing the Bill, the Scottish Government engaged extensively with key stakeholders, including legal stakeholders such as the Scottish judiciary as well as carrying out a full public consultation exercise. This engagement has culminated in careful consideration of a wide range of views by Scottish Ministers.

This has led to the Bill as introduced into the Scottish Parliament which will implement a modern regulatory framework that will best promote competition, innovation, and the public and consumer interest in an efficient, effective, and efficient legal sector, while also improving the transparency and accountability of legal services regulation and the legal complaints system.

The Scottish Government very much recognise the importance of an independent legal profession and is committed to maintaining that independence.

The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill retains and builds on the current oversight role of the Lord President of the Court of Session in respect of the legal regulatory framework in Scotland as well as providing necessary checks and balances. The Bill incorporates safeguards that deliver a balance between the independence of the legal profession with their duty to work in the public interest.

The Scottish Government is committed to continue engagement with stakeholders representing both the consumer and the legal perspective as the Bill proceeds through Parliament.

A person can attend any minor injuries unit in NHS Fife subject to opening times, with or without an appointment.

The Scottish Government continues to work with boards to reduce pressure on hospitals through the Unscheduled Care Collaborative programme, which supports health boards to implement a range of measures to reduce waiting times and improve patient experience. Through this approach, the Redesign of Urgent Care aims to improve patient safety by scheduling urgent appointments to EDs and MIUs and avoiding unnecessary waits, however we are clear that anyone can still attend any ED or MIU without an appointment.