Chamber and committees

The following litigation requires to be concluded:

Imran Ahmad v the Lord Advocate: Proof before answer was heard by Lord Harrower in respect of quantum between 1-10 March 2023 and Lord Harrower made avizandum. The decision in this case is still pending.

David Grier v the Lord Advocate: On 12 April 2023 the Court of Session refused Mr Grier’s application for leave to appeal to the UK Supreme Court. Mr Grier thereafter filed an application for Permission to Appeal directly to the UK Supreme Court on 9 May 2023.

Shelagh McCall KC has been instructed to independently consider reports of criminal conduct from a legal perspective in relation to the prosecutions connected to Rangers Football Club. This process is in place to ensure that any allegations of criminal conduct are considered fairly and objectively.

The aforementioned cases and the work of Shelagh McCall KC remain ongoing at this time.

The Scottish Government and the Lord Advocate have committed to a process of a judge-led inquiry once all legal proceedings relating to the malicious prosecutions are at an end. The exact form and timing of an inquiry will be determined once all legal proceedings are concluded.

The Justice Directorate has been identified as the directorate to lead on providing advice to Ministers.

Most Integration Joint Board (IJB) reserves are earmarked for specific purposes, including the response to COVID-19, and cannot be used to fund other spending commitments. In 2022-23, surplus COVID-19 reserves were redistributed to meet COVID-19 costs across health and social care, whilst ensuring that IJBs continued to have sufficient funding to cover their COVID-19 costs.

Ultimately, it is for IJBs, including locally-elected representatives, to make informed decisions on how best to deliver services to their local communities.

Video appointments are an option across social work in Scotland via Near Me, through the Scottish Government’s purchase of a national licence for the use of Near Me by any part of the public sector that wishes to use it. Work continues supporting the social work sector on considering how and when video appointments work best, for example in accessing out of hours support. This work includes a funded and expert-supported programme in Fife HSCP (Health and Social Care Partnership) to establish use cases and develop pathways by the end of the year.

The Scottish Government published the responses to the consultation on the Data Strategy for Health and Social Care, and the analysis of those responses in November 2022.

Permitted development rights (PDR) apply to, amongst other things, the demolition of buildings, including public houses.

Our PDR review is ongoing. We consulted in 2019 on what we considered to be the priority areas for the review. The fourteen development types identified at that stage did not include demolition. A programme for a phased review of development types was then established. This programme is itself subject to periodic review as circumstances and priorities change.

The main focus of the current Phase 3 consultation is new and extended PDR for domestic and non-domestic renewable energy equipment, in light of the cost and climate crises.

The financial package announced by the UK Government to support swimming pools in England has resulted in consequentials being added to the overall Scottish block.

The Scottish Government places great importance on swimming pools. They are crucial to the wellbeing of all our country and most importantly, for our children and young people to be healthy and active.

We will continue to work with sportscotland, Scottish Swimming and local government partners to consider what additional support can be provided to swimming pools and the wider sport and leisure sector in Scotland.

Health and Safety legislation is not devolved to the Scottish Government. The HSE are carrying out research currently across the UK focused on buildings which contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Building safety is a matter for the owner of the building, in this case local authorities are the relevant duty holder. For this reason the Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of schools which contain RAAC. We remain in close contact with local authorities, and expect them to provide a safe environment for all users.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18462 on 15 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 .

Given the importance of sandeel to the wider ecosystem and the subsequent benefit in aiding long-term sustainability and resilience, it remains an overarching Scottish Government position, which is reflected in Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy, not to support fishing for sandeel in our waters.

There are several measures in place for the protection of sandeel stocks through the network of Marine Protected Areas. Furthermore, the Northeast UK closed area in sandeel management area 4 has been in place since 2000 and, the UK has not allocated sandeel quota to UK vessels since 2021.

However, recognising a commitment to consider what additional measures could be put in place to manage the sandeel fishery, in May 2023 I announced that the Scottish Government will be undertaking a public consultation this summer on potential measures to manage fishing for sandeel in Scottish waters. I refer the member to the answer to S6W-18244 on 19 May 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 .

We’re taking a wide range of actions to tackle the drug deaths crisis. Through the National Mission on drugs we have:

• Continued to expand Residential Rehab, more particularly over the course of this parliament, we are working to increase overall residential rehabilitation capacity by 50% which is an increase from 425 beds to 650 beds. Through our work on pathways into rehab and investment in capacity, we aim to increase the number of statutory funded placements by 300% over this parliamentary term so that in 2026 at least 1,000 people are publicly funded for their placement.
• Provided £15m a year funding to community and grass-roots organisations that supported over 300 projects across Scotland, including 48 projects in the most recent funding round last month.
• Continued to drive implementation of the MAT Standards. All Health Boards, IJBs and Local Authorities have returned delivery plans and will be regularly reporting on progress to the Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister.
• Announced a target focused on increasing the number of people in community based opioid substitute therapy to 32,000 by April 2024.
• Progressed work on introducing safer drug consumption facilities, facilitating development of a proposal which is now being considered by COPFS.
• Continued to expand the National Naloxone Programme to ensure naloxone is easily available to anyone at risk of overdose.
• Established the National Collaborative to ensure that the voices of those with lived and living experience are at the centre of policy and decision-making.
• Published a rapid review into mental health and substance use services , including recommendations to improve service delivery and support other work such as implementation of the MAT standards.
• Published our response to the Drug Death Taskforce Report , detailing over 80 actions, supported by significant new spending commitments of over £68m for the remainder of this parliament.

Last year we published National Mission on Drugs: annual report 2021 to 2022 which sets out the progress made between January 2021 and 31 March 2022 by national government, local government and third sector partners towards reducing drug deaths and improving the lives of those impacted by drugs in Scotland.

The second annual report on the progress of the National Mission 2022 to 2023 is due to be published this summer.