Chamber and committees

Information regarding superfast broadband coverage in Scotland can be accessed on Ofcom’s website. Ofcom’s most recent figures, published in December 2022 , show that as of September 2022 the percentage of residential and commercial premises able to access superfast broadband (30 Megabits per second or above) in the island local authority areas was as follows:

Research has shown that employee-owned businesses and other inclusive ownership models are fairer, more inclusive places to work and as a result enjoy greater financial and social resilience.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to increase the number of employee owned businesses seeks to widen the benefits of employee ownership to as many businesses and as many employee-owners as possible across Scotland. For this reason the number relates to businesses operating in and based in Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not currently have guidance for people who may be trapped in a cult, or for those who believe their loved ones are trapped in a cult.

We are aware of the recently published UK Government Faith review “Does Government do God” which recommends that Government should fund a programme that supports vulnerable people to leave high demand groups or high-control movements (often referred to as Cults) or religious groups. We will continue to build our understanding on how the Scottish Government can best support vulnerable people and communities.

However, if any criminal activity is suspected in relation to a cult this should be reported to Police Scotland immediately. Any form of exploitation or criminal coercion is completely unacceptable, and we condemn it in the strongest terms.

The Scottish Government plans to publish a draft of the next Climate Change Plan in November 2023, with a final version due by March 2025.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with the steering group, made up of Disabled People’s Organisations, to co-design the new Disability Equality strategy. The group met several times in 2022 and are focused on developing responses to the challenges and obstacles disabled people face.

The group last met in April 2023 and a further meeting is planned for June 2023. It is anticipated that the strategy will be published on the conclusion of the co-design process.

Our current focus with the Disabled People’s Organisations is the development of an Immediate Priorities Plan that will respond to the negative impact of the cost of living crisis on disabled people. This plan will be published in the Summer. A publication date for the Disability Equality Strategy will be determined following the work on the Immediate Priorities Plan.

Table 1 below provides the gross teaching funding allocations per Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) place in college in cash and real terms (2022-23 prices), since 2007-08. Please note that data between the periods of 2007-08 to 2012-13 and 2013-14 to 2022-23 are not directly comparable due to a change in methodology of how FTEs in college were calculated.

Modern Apprenticeship statistics are published on the Skills Development Scotland (SDS) website at Modern Apprenticeships | Skills Development Scotland . Year-end statistics for 2022/23 are expected to be published in May 2023.

The proportion of individuals who completed their apprenticeship, known in the published reports below as ‘achievement rate’, are published by SDS at the following links:

Foundation Apprenticeships - https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/50223/foundation-apprenticeship-report-2022-published-version.pdf

Modern Apprenticeships - https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/49237/modern-apprenticeship-statistics-quarter-4-2021-22.pdf

Graduate Apprenticeships - https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/49924/graduate-apprenticeship-annual-report-2022-final.pdf

Earlier years data can be found in older publications.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17036 on 4 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

No testosterone products are currently licensed in the UK for use in women. We are aware that some NHS menopause specialists are following prescribing advice from the British Menopause Society (BMS) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and prescribing testosterone off-label (out with the terms of its current licence) for individual women who are experiencing a loss of libido during menopause.

The decision to prescribe a medicine, and which medicine to prescribe, is entirely for the clinician in charge of an individual’s care, having considered the individual’s clinical condition and any associated safety considerations. This includes prescribing a medicine off-label.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport periodically receives expressions of interest regarding purchase of the Airport. The management team at Glasgow Prestwick Airport follow due process in reviewing proposals to ensure that offers are credible and provide value for money.

It is important that we safeguard the integrity of confidential and commercial discussions to avoid any detrimental impact on any negotiations, therefore further disclosure would not be possible.

We have committed to updating Parliament at the appropriate time on the sale of Glasgow Prestwick Airport.