Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government receives quarterly financial reporting from IJBs which includes information on IJB reserves. The reports consolidate information already in the public domain as published by individual IJBs, and are published on the Scottish Government website. This exercise began in 2018 and no data collection was performed by the Scottish Government in respect of IJB reserves prior to this.

The reserve figures taken from the IJB reports provided have been collated in the following table. Any information regarding IJB reserves prior to 2018/19, and any additional information related to IJB reserves can be found in the IJB annual accounts published by individual IJBs.

This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days

There are currently no plans to develop a UK-wide Strategy on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). However, Scottish Government officials have made contact with Wales and Northern Ireland, and have met with counterparts in England regarding FASD policy We are also linking into international work and evidence in relation to FASD. We will continue to engage, and share learning and approaches.

The Scottish Government has funded Adoption UK (Scotland) to establish an FASD Hub in Scotland with the aim of providing support, training and advice to families, carers and professionals supporting children affected by FASD. This is the first of its kind within the UK. We also support a research, evidence and training base - the FAAST team at Edinburgh University.

The Scottish Government is aware that figures released by the Scottish Dairy Cattle Association (SDCA) in January reveal an annual reduction of the number of dairy herds in Scotland to 804 herds.

In their news release to accompany the publication of dairy herd statistics the SDCA however noted positively that there was considerable investment in new milking parlours and robots in South West Scotland.

We are continuing to support the Scottish dairy sector by funding the Scottish Dairy Hub, to provide dairy farmers with reliable, accurate and relevant information to inform decision making, as well as funding the Scottish Dairy Growth Board to champion growth of the Scottish Dairy sector in global markets.

As well as receiving farm payments through the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and other schemes, dairy farms have been eligible in recent years to receive support in purchasing farm equipment through the Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grant Scheme (SACGS) and the Agri-Environment and Climate Scheme (AECS).

As part of the Agricultural Reform Programme the Scottish Government has stated the intention of reforming agricultural support with conditions which reduce emissions and improve farm performance. In February we published details on areas of interest for future farm support conditions which included dairy cattle nutrition, breeding and health. If adopted these measures will support dairy businesses and herd improvement.

Regulation of short-term lets is vital to balance the needs and concerns communities have raised with wider economic and tourism interests. Local authorities are responsible for developing policies on short-term lets in line with the short-term let regulations, and other relevant factors such as feedback received through local consultations, and Scottish Government short-term lets guidance.

The Clydeport (COP 26 etc.) Harbour Revision Order (HRO) will not be revoked. The Order was put in place to cover a number of issues, including granting extraordinary powers to Clydeport for security purposes during COP26. As detailed in the Order, the extraordinary powers granted to Clydeport automatically terminated at 11.59pm on 15 November 2021, which was the last day of COP26. The Clydeport (COP 26 etc.) Harbour Revision Order was subjected to the full statutory approval process applied to all HROs.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has confirmed that the approach for Ukrainian students sitting exams in Scotland is consistent with the approach that is taken for all candidates for whom English is an additional language. Any candidates undertaking SQA external assessments who have English as an additional language may be allowed the use of a bilingual dictionary and have a standard extra time allowance of 10 mins for each hour of any assessment, subject to teacher assessment of the candidate’s needs. The use of the dictionary, and any additional time requested for using the dictionary, should reflect the candidate’s way of working in teaching and learning.

This approach is consistent with that taken by awarding bodies across the rest of the UK.

More widely, Education Scotland has provided resources to help schools and teachers support Ukrainian children’s mental health and wellbeing and to meet their learning needs.

Details of the current membership of Scottish Rail Holdings Board is available on Companies House via the following link:- https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC548826

The Chief Executive Officer, Rail Business Director, Finance Director and General Counsel of Scottish Rail Holdings are normally permanent roles. The Non-Executive Directors of Scottish Rail Holdings Board were appointed on an interim basis to the 31 March 2023.

Network Rail is initiating a tendering process to secure a contractor to deliver the Troon railway station project, which will provide clarity on the overall costs of the redevelopment. The proposed station includes provision for staff and the sale of tickets. Further information on the plans for the station, including timescales, can be found on the Scotland’s Railway website .

The Rail Trade Unions were consulted about the selection of an individual to sit as a Non-Executive Directoron the Scottish Rail Holdings Board. The individual currently selected is the General Secretary for the STUC.