Chamber and committees

While the promotion of workforce diversity is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Scottish Government set clear ambitions on equality, diversity and inclusion in the Strategic Police Priorities 2023 and the Fire and Rescue Framework 2022 .

Police Scotland’s Joint Equality Outcomes for Policing include outcomes on workforce diversity monitoring, leadership, recruitment, progression and retention. Progress across a broad range of activity is highlighted in the Police Scotland EDI Mainstreaming and Equality Outcomes Progress Report 2021-2023 , published in April this year.

SFRS has developed a Positive Action toolkit to proactively engage with Scotland’s diverse communities, host community targeted recruitment events and present SFRS as an inclusive employer. SFRS also has a range of initiatives to encourage retention of its diverse workforce for example in developing a Race Employee Network and in mainstreaming its dignity and respect policies.

As advertised on the Traffic Scotland website a single lane closure and 50mph speed restriction was in place in both directions on the dual carriageway section of the A9 between Kincraig and Dalraddy between 7:00am on 12 June and 12:00pm on 16 June 2023. The traffic restrictions were required to ensure the safety of road users and road workers whilst maintenance works, including repairs to surfacing, structures and roadside infrastructure as well as landscape maintenance, were undertaken by the Contractor responsible for the A9 Dualling: Kincraig to Dalraddy contract.

The Minister does not sit on the stakeholder groups however the Minister does receive updates from the groups.

The Minister chairs the Ministerial Strategy Assurance Group, referred to in answers to questions S6W-18537, S6W-18540 and S6W-18541 on 15 June 2023. The Ministerial Strategic Assurance Group’s purpose is to discuss issues which may need escalated following discussions at the stakeholder groups. The Ministerial Strategic Assurance Groups includes representatives who sit on the individual stakeholder groups to ensure these discussions are joined up.

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

The member will be aware in March of this year the previous Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care approved the plan for integrated maternity services across the North of Scotland with consultant-led obstetric services at Dr Gray’s Hospital, supporting this with initial investment of up to £6.6m. NHS Grampian and NHS Highland are moving forward with implementation, including progressing local recruitment and marketing, and progressing the NHS Highland Business Case for Raigmore redevelopment. I mentioned in the Chamber on the 31 st May I was expecting to have the revised NHS Highland Business Case which I have now received. I will be considering this carefully and seeking views from the External Assurance panel led by Prof Linda de Caestecker. I have already received specific questions from the Keep MUM campaign group and my officials will be following up on these points.

The SPCB provides a range of benefits to support the physical health and wellbeing of MSPs, MSP staff and SPCB employees.  This includes the provision of a free on-site gym, corporate gym membership discounts and the cycle to work scheme.  

The Healthy Living Scheme, which reimburses costs associated with physical activity, is currently open to SPCB staff.  Members can however choose to utilise their own Staff Cost Provision Budget to replicate this scheme for their own employees.     

The SPCB recently implemented a new Employee Assistance Programme which is delivered by Spectrum Life.  One of the benefits of this new service is that it provides all staff, including MSP staff, with free access to an online wellbeing platform as well as an app which includes:

• fitness programmes
• nutrition guides and recipes
• on-demand e-learning webinar across multiple wellbeing topics
• self-guided meditation; and
• wellbeing podcasts
  

The SPCB also provides a range of measures to support financial wellbeing.  Examples of this include membership of the Capital Credit Union and regular pension webinars.   

The SPCB takes very seriously its responsibility to support the wellbeing of staff (both those employed by the SPCB and those employed by Members).  The Positive About Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy sets out the SPCB’s aim to support a workplace environment that promotes good mental health and wellbeing of all colleagues.

The Scottish Government is committed to aligning with EU law where that is possible and where it will have a meaningful impact on the outcomes we share with the EU.

In doing so we acknowledge that alignment in all cases is not possible. Consideration of alignment with EU law is part of the policy development process and varies depending upon the relevance of EU law to Scotland regarding the matter in question, the extent of the devolved settlement and UK Government decisions which might have a constraining effect on Ministers ability to take effective action.

The Scottish Government’s policy statement on the approach to EU alignment, approved by parliament on 8 June 2022, sets this out in detail, acknowledging that a broad section of EU legislation is now not applicable in Scotland since the UK’s departure from the EU.

It is therefore not possible for the Scottish Government to provide a definitive answer to the question asked, although officials are working with their parliamentary counterparts to significantly expand the information provided to parliament regarding the commitment to align with the EU.

The number of unpaid carers who receive short breaks or respite is reported in the accompanying tables of the Scottish Government Carers Census . This collection only covers unpaid carers who have a support plan and/or receive support from local services, rather than the total caring population. Table 1 below does not include data from 2018-19, as it is not comparable to subsequent years.

Table 1: Number and percentage of people who received short breaks or respite in 2019-20 to 2021-22 (all areas submitted) (Source: Carers Census, Scottish Government)

The breast screening programme is commissioned by NHS National Services Scotland (NHS NSS) and operates out of six centres across Scotland. Scottish Government do not hold the information requested centrally as this is a matter for Regional Screening Centres. However, Public Health Scotland publish programme statistics on an annual basis and the most recent publication can be accessed on the following link : https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/scottish-breast-screening-programme-statistics/scottish-breast-screening-programme-statistics-annual-update-to-31-march-2022/

NHS Health Boards deliver the Pregnancy and Newborn screening programme locally. Scottish Government does not hold the information requested centrally.

NHS Health Boards deliver the Pregnancy and Newborn screening programme locally. Scottish Government does not hold the information requested centrally.