Chamber and committees

In the 2022 Programme for Government, and more recently in the FM’s policy prospectus, the Scottish Government has committed to launch a Talent Attraction and Migration Service for Scotland. The service is in the early stages of development and we intend to launch it before the end of 2023. The service will improve Scotland’s ability to attract and recruit workers with the skills that our economy will need in the future and support international workers in the migration and relocation process.

The Scottish Government will update the guidance regularly to ensure displaced people from Ukraine have up to date information. Updates have been made since the guidance was first published in 6 th April 2023. We will continue to review the guidance – and listen to our stakeholders, partner organisations and displaced people from Ukraine living in Scotland – to ensure it is up to date and meets needs.

A high level of CA-125 in the blood can be a sign of cancer, particularly ovarian cancer, the 5 th most common cancer in the UK.

The Royal College of General Practitioner’s curriculum provides detailed sections on the management of gynaecological cancers and management of patients with cancer. All GPs are expected to have competences in the presentation and management of such conditions.

For doctors training to be GPs in Scotland, the current training programme involves 18 months in various hospital posts and 18 months in a GP Practice. During the 18 months in hospital, they may rotate through Obstetrics and Gynaecology where under supervision, trainee doctors will be able to manage, such conditions. In the 18 months they spend in General Practice, the doctors will see and manage patients at all stages of the disease including early presentation.

All GP practices receive funding for protected time consisting of one session a month, (usually within practice time), to allow GPs to maintain and develop their training and skills.

The Talent Attraction and Migration Service will be delivered through an online digital platform. Users will be able to access the service from anywhere in Scotland. The service will help employers navigate the UK’s immigration rules and provide reception support to people moving to Scotland. The service is still in the design stage, but we expect the service to help a wide range of employers across the Scottish economy and individuals moving to Scotland.

The following two tables provide details of funding:

1. Awarded under various funding schemes to each of the local authorities for public EV charging infrastructure and to local authorities and other public bodies for public sector fleet EV charging infrastructure.

2. Awarded through the Energy Saving Trust to private businesses and domestic customers.

In addition to the figures in the Table 1, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Councils jointly benefited from a £5.3m grant to supporting public EV charging infrastructure through project PACE between 2019 and 2021, this resulted in the installation of 167 new charge points at 44 hubs across the region.

Table 1. Funding to Local Authorities

The Scottish Government deliver assistance and funding to local volunteer groups for the procurement of electric vehicles, e-Bikes and associated electric vehicle infrastructure through the Plugged-in Communities and eBike grant funds. This scheme is administered on behalf of Scottish Ministers by the Energy Saving Trust (EST). Some of the groups provided assistance through this scheme may not be full volunteer organisations but will have volunteers and volunteer drivers.

Table 1 – Funding for Electric Vehicles and e-Bikes procured through Plugged-in Communities and eBike Grant Fund in each Financial Year since 2016.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) publishes information on college withdrawals, as well as retention statistics for undergraduate courses at colleges and universities.

These statistics are measuring different things and are not comparable.

College withdrawal statistics (Chart 10) : College Performance Indicators 2020-21 (sfc.ac.uk)

College and university retention statistics (Background Table 3) : Report on Widening Access 2020-21 (sfc.ac.uk)

As Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees, I have portfolio responsibility for older people and this Scottish Government remains committed to delivering access to opportunities and services people need to ensure they are healthy, happy and secure in older age.

We will continue to work closely with the Older People’s Strategic Action Forum to review progress on the 2019 “A Fairer Scotland for Older People: framework for action” to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

There is no mandatory curriculum within Scottish schools and local authorities have the flexibility to decide upon the content of their lessons at the local level taking account of the needs and circumstances of children and young people in attendance at their schools.

However it is important that we all know how to stay safe in and around Scotland’s waters. We are fully aware that conditions in open water sites change constantly and can be dangerous. Indeed, there is a significant difference between swimming in a heated indoor swimming pool and a cold open water site such as a loch. Therefore issues such as the importance of floating to live or the dangers of cold water shock also must be communicated in order to prevent drownings.

Water Safety Scotland and Education Scotland have launched a full progression pathway for water safety education for schools in Scotland. This pathway focuses on the provision of age and stage appropriate water safety education to support all children and young people aged 3-18 to develop valuable lifesaving knowledge, skills and understanding.

This pathway is available for use by all school practitioners when delivering water safety education, and it is available on Education Scotland’s website through the following link: Water Safety | Learning resources | National Improvement Hub (education.gov.scot) .

Furthermore, the Scottish Government will continue to work with Scottish Swimming, Education Scotland, sportscotland and Scottish Water to develop interventions and approaches to provide opportunities for children to become confident, safer and competent swimmers.

The Scottish Budget for 2023-24 confirms funding of £4 million to deliver the Young Patients Family Fund.