Chamber and committees

For the advisory non-Departmental Public Bodies that the Scottish government holds employee information for, our data shows no employees are assigned on our HR management information system to more than one advisory non-Departmental Public Body.

For the significant national bodies that the Scottish government holds employee information for – our data shows no employees assigned on our HR management information system to more than one significant national body.

For the Executive Agencies that the Scottish Government holds employee information for, our data shows no employees are assigned on our HR management information system to more than one Executive Agency.

The number of pupils that have been recorded with a part-time timetable absence code for 1 or more openings (half-day sessions) in each local authority from 2018-19 is set out in the following table.

The Scottish Government remains committed to expanding the national thrombectomy service, and ensuring access to this treatment is as equitable as possible. The delivery of a national thrombectomy service has already received over £38m of investment.

Most NHS Boards now refer to thrombectomy Hub centres, increasing geographical access to thrombectomy procedures. We have also funded thrombectomy specialist nurse posts in spoke hospitals with high rates of ischaemic stroke to ensure people who would benefit from thrombectomy are promptly identified.

Through the National Thrombectomy Programme Board and Thrombectomy Advisory Group, planning is being undertaken to drive expansion of the thrombectomy service. Work is ongoing to establish how the £16 million funding announced in the Scottish budget, subject to parliamentary scrutiny, will be best used to maximise the number of patients able to benefit from thrombectomy.

A Bill to update and modernise the Adults with Incapacity Act is expected to be introduced during the 2024-25 parliamentary year. A consultation on proposed amendments ran between July and October 2024, with analysis of the responses due to be published later this month.

The Scottish Government provides funding to local authorities and third sector delivery partners to provide throughcare support to people leaving custody to help them transition back into the community.

This includes over £3 million a year to support short-term prisoners address essential needs such as healthcare, social security payments, housing and employment opportunities. This support is available across the prison estate and begins 12 weeks before an individual is released.

We will be building on this existing support by funding a new national throughcare service for all short-term prisoners and those on remand, commencing in April 2025.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-33707 on 29 January 2025. 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/questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government actively promotes cyber security. Our goal is to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks and protect against the unauthorised exploitation of systems, networks, and technologies. As the Scottish Health Competent Authority for health in Scotland we promote best practice, regulatory requirements, and global international standards for the improvement of cyber security practices.

Health Boards must individually go through the Network Information Systems Regulations audit lifecycle, demonstrating continual improvements against the Scottish Public Sector Cyber Resilience Framework to the Scottish Health Competent Authority.

The Scottish Government has also invested in the Cyber Centre of Excellence (CCoE). The CCoE empowers continuous improvements by focusing on key enablement pillars including Centralised Security, 24/7 Monitoring, Threat Hunting, Incident Response and Training & Awareness. It is complimented by the Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre which is a key partner to the CCoE, enhancing our national incident response capacity and capabilities.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-33707 on 29 January 2025. 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/questions-and-answers.