Chamber and committees

Social Security Scotland does not currently publish statistics on clients leaving the Adult Disability Payment caseload. It also does not currently publish statistics on Adult Disability Payment by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). It also does not hold information on the employment status of clients as it is not necessary to collect information on a client’s employment to assess their application.

Since April 2022, we have allocated over £6.2 million to territorial NHS boards to supplement core funding and support their responses to meeting the healthcare needs of people with long COVID. This has supported boards to undertake a range of activities including the development of long COVID rehabilitation pathways and providing additional capacity to existing services supporting people with symptoms resulting from long COVID.

Care and support for people with long COVID is being provided across the full range of services delivered by our NHS. This includes assessment in a setting close to home by local primary care teams, and referral to community-based rehabilitation services or secondary care settings for further investigation of specific complications where clinically appropriate.

Scotland’s national health information service NHS inform has a dedicated long COVID microsite containing information and advice on common signs and symptoms associated with long COVID and when to seek further advice from a healthcare professional. This is accessible at Long-term effects of COVID-19 | NHS inform.

Although the regulation of AI as a technology is unfortunately reserved to Westminster, Scotland can and has indeed been taking action for years to influence the national and global development of AI in a responsible way that reflects Scottish values. The purpose of Scotland’s 2021 AI Strategy is to make Scotland a leader in the development and use of trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI. The actions to deliver this vision include multiple, complementary interventions from education, with our foundational Living with AI course, supporting our business ecosystem, with the AI Playbook geared towards SMEs, and collaboration, through forums like the monthly public sector AI Taskforce and a strong public engagement programme led by the AI Alliance. Scotland’s position globally continues to be influential with Scotland being the first country to mandate a public sector AI Register and our unique Children and AI programme, which was featured in the brochure of last month’s AI Action Summit in Paris, the most important and selective global AI event since 2023 – and to which the Head of the Scottish AI Alliance was also invited. We engage closely with the UK Government to influence UK AI Policy, and internationally though membership of multilaterals such as the Disruptive and Emerging Technology Alliance (https://detalliance.com/).

As set within the answer to the question S6W-32198 on 12 December 2024, the Scottish Government will proceed with plans to reform the governance arrangements within the Glasgow and Lanarkshire college regions following consultation. Subject to the Parliamentary process, the new arrangements will be in place for the start of academic year 2025-26.

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 following table summarises VisitScotland’s paid media advertising spend in the UK and Republic of Ireland and international markets over the previous five financial years.

Currently, a breakdown of spending returns on AI business support is not available as it is challenging to break down elements of work that are specific to AI and their impact as it is implicated in so many wider business impacts. However, recent research indicates that private equity investments were up by a third in 2024, with VC investment in Scotland rising by 14% in the last quarter of last year indicating a strong investment growth into AI in Scotland. We continue to work with enterprise agencies to identify where the Scottish economy is benefitting from AI and SE are soon to publish research on the economic opportunities for AI in Scotland.

There are several measures Scottish Government is taking to assess AI-related industry activity in Scotland, in terms of size, location and specialisation. These include the Scottish Government BICS survey (with data on AI adoption for business and industry) and Scottish Government is supporting a suite of programmes driven by Scottish Enterprise which regularly assess AI activity in Scotland. Scottish Enterprise completed research in 2023 about AI and business and are currently preparing research that assesses the economic opportunities for AI in Scotland (i.e. the size of the market). They will also soon publish a report including assessments into AI activity specialisation and location in Scotland.

The Scottish Government's international offices all held both Burns Night and St Andrew's Day celebrations in the past year. These cultural celebrations have proven instrumental in fostering meaningful connections with international partners and engaging with Scotland's global diaspora. They provide valuable opportunities to showcase Scotland's rich cultural heritage while simultaneously advancing our trade and investment objectives.

The Scottish Government are supportive of SaxaVord Spaceport and their efforts toward reaching their first launch, which is currently understood to be later this year. This milestone will contribute significantly to Scotland’s launch ambitions and deliver end-to-end capability for the sector in Scotland.

The Scottish Government maintain regular contact with Saxavord Spaceport, however, as a private enterprise, the spaceport is responsible for managing its own communications and disclosures.

Sutherland Spaceport is a private sector project being delivered by the launch vehicle manufacturer Orbex. In December 2024, the company announced a pause in construction, to enable them to focus their initial launches from SaxaVord spaceport, with a view to return to developing Sutherland spaceport at a later date.

The Scottish Government maintain regular contact with the company, the UK Space Agency, and Highlands & Islands Enterprise as the relevant local economic development agency, to stay informed and address any pertinent issues.