Chamber and committees

Service Level Agreements (SLA) with other public bodies are a commonly used and effective way to procure specialist advisory services for a defined period. Underpinned in Scottish Procurement law by the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 Regulation 13, the SLA approach is used to deliver a specific service through an individuals’ existing specialist skills and experience and so are commonly used across Health and Social Care Directorates (HSCD) to bring in the specialist, clinical knowledge and experience to enhance our vital services.

An SLA is not, therefore, an employment arrangement as the individuals’ employment contract arrangements remain with their employer. In the case of those individuals brought into HSCD, the service level agreement is between the Scottish Government and the relevant NHS Scotland Board.

The Scottish Government holds only relevant information on Service Level Agreements, such as the names of the relevant individuals and organisations to which they belong, providing start and end dates for each Agreement. Whilst we cannot provide a complete picture of all Agreements that have been ended in the past 5 years, our records have indicated however, that from April 2022 to October 2023, 71 Service Level Agreements ended with each of the specialist advisors returning to their respective NHS Scotland health board.

The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill was introduced to Parliament on 5 October 2023 by Ms Gillian Mackay MSP. The Scottish Government has been working with Ms Mackay to draft and develop the Bill for the past 12 months, and I would like to congratulate her on reaching this important milestone.

Preliminary work so far has focused on identifying and considering targets in other countries and initial proposals for a circular economy indicators framework. Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) has published:

- a review of target setting legislation across Europe Target Setting Legislation A review of UK legislation and statutory Circular Economy targets across Europe;

- a report which highlighted that there is currently no consistent approach to measuring consumption in other countries and that consumption-based targets are rare Consumption Reduction Targets (Legal Status Research) | Zero Waste Scotland ; and

- ZWS has also published initial research on proposals for a circular economy indicators framework in Scotland Proposals for a Circular Economy Indicators Framework for Scotland.

Let me assure you that this scheme is a priority for us. It is a key recommendation in STPR2, it is included in the Programme for Government 2023 to 2024 as well as the First Minister’s Policy Prospectus, highlighting our commitment to a solution to the challenges at the Rest and Be Thankful. Also, at the travelling cabinet meeting in Inveraray on 2 nd October this year, the First Minister gave a firm commitment to the preferred route option for the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful and the funding needed to deliver it.

The next step for the project, which is the detailed design and assessment of the preferred debris flow shelter option announced in June, is progressing at pace. This step should conclude by the end of 2024 with the publication of draft Orders for comment. Progress thereafter will depend on the level and nature of any representations, including objections, to the published draft Orders.

As with all our infrastructure projects, construction of the long term solution can only commence if it is approved under the relevant statutory authorisation process and thereafter a timetable for construction can be determined.

At the same time, improvements to the existing Old Military Road (OMR) through the Glen Croe corridor are being made to make it a more resilient diversion route until the long term solution is in place. A detailed programme for the proposed improvements is being developed, but it is expected that these works will be carried out on a phased basis starting later this year.

As stated in the Scottish Policy Prospectus, I am committed to reform crofting law by 2026, subject to agreement by parliament, to support the future of crofting. The Programme for Government 2023-24 commits the Scottish Government to developing and consulting on proposals to reform crofting law. That is a key and necessary part of the process to develop and introduce a bill. We remain committed to doing so in this Parliamentary term.

Zero Waste Scotland last provided advice on textiles to the Scottish Government in August 2023.

Streetlighting is the responsibility of local councils. We are not aware of any particular supply chain issues but we would be happy to consider this if the member can provide more information.

The NatureScot licensing team will prioritise applications for practitioners to use more than two dogs as a means of controlling predators for preventing serious damage, and where there is a high risk of imminent damage, applications can be turned around within 48 hours.

The Scottish Government engages regularly with relevant stakeholders. Their work and input to our policies is valued greatly. We have met the Marine Conservation Society, and Surfers Against Sewage several times in the last two years. We have met them to discuss a wide range of topics including single-use plastics, the Circular Economy Bill, our Marine Litter Strategy and Aquaculture policy.