The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) provides a snapshot of the domestic housing stock in each survey year, including the construction age, built form and primary and secondary heating system and fuel.

The SHCS currently records the following heat systems: Boiler, Community Heating, Storage Heaters, Room heaters, Warm Air Systems, Heat Pumps (with and without and MCS certificate), and Room Heater Back Boiler: no Radiators (these are systems which have a solid fuel fire with a back boiler where the back boiler is used only for heating water, and is not connected to radiators for heating the house). As these are the most common types of heating systems in Scotland.

The SHCS does not currently record heating systems, such as fuel cells, hybrid heat pumps and hydrogen ready boilers. However, we review the survey questions annually and these forms of heating will be considered for inclusion in future surveys when they become more prevalent in the Scottish dwelling stock.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.

The Health and Social Care Standards set out the expectation that care should be provided by health and social care professionals based on the most relevant evidence, guidance and best practice, as is appropriate to their profession and patient group. In July 2022 we wrote to health boards and GPs to raise awareness of the NICE guidelines and highlight key changes in practice, and these remain the most current national guidelines on the management of ME/CFS.

It is not appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on the clinical opinion of health professionals.

We expect Health Boards to ensure their staff are appropriately trained and developed for their roles, as per the Staff Governance Standard. The standard complements the training expectations set out in individual professional and regulatory requirements.

We have funded Action for ME and partners to disseminate an online Continuous Professional Development training module on ME/CFS for health and social care professionals. Evaluation data suggests it is significantly improving participants’ ability to diagnose and manage ME/CFS. Recent activity around the module has included a focus on increasing uptake among clinicians.

The National Entitlement Card allows the holder to access rail concession schemes, where such schemes exist. It is a feature of these Local Authority sponsored schemes that tickets may only be purchased in face-to-face transactions – either at ticket offices or on board a train. The Scottish Government specifies that all ScotRail trains should have a member of staff on board and therefore these concessionary fares are always available for eligible passengers.

In line with the Tobacco and Vaping Framework, work is underway to improve the technical infrastructure of the existing register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product retailers.

Officials are working with Scottish IT developers ePass, selected by the Scottish Government through CivTech Challenge 9, to create and deliver an up-to-date web-based register product. It is expected that this new product will make enforcement easier, will support improvements in data quality, as well as support engagement with retailers and increase the value of registration for retailers. It is expected to launch in Spring this year.

The number of established training places in each specialty is determined by anticipated future demand and workforce need for consultants and General Practitioners rather than foundation programme numbers.

While resident doctors are eligible to apply to specialty training after completing foundation training, other career routes are available and many choose deferred application or alternative routes including periods in locally employed doctor roles or periods of travel alongside options to develop their skills and experience through SAS grade roles. Data shows a trend of increasing proportions of Foundation Year 2 doctors delaying NHS specialty training in the whole of the UK and in Scotland. However, of all the cohorts from 2017 to 2021, only 8% of Foundation Year 2 doctors did not receive any offer of a training post after applying in the same year they completed foundation training.

There is no evidence to show that the reduction in Foundation Year 2 doctors entering specialty training has had an impact on the availability of medical professionals. Progression data from the General Medical Council shows that 90% of trainees have obtained a specialty training post in the UK within three years of completing the Foundation Programme.

The Scottish Government has not made specific representations to the UK Government in relation to spectrum policy, however we continue to engage with Ofcom, who has responsibility for allocating spectrum and assessing appropriate levels of local content, to press for a network of radio stations that ensure that Scotland’s needs across rural and urban areas are met.

Ofcom is reviewing public service media and the Scottish Government will be closely engaging with this and making representations on the importance of a diversity of voices being maintained and strengthened across broadcasting services in Scotland, including community radio.

The Scottish Government responded to Ofcom’s last review of public service broadcasting setting out our expectation for enhancing representation of people and place in Scotland to strengthen the a sense of community and culture. Local voices and coverage of local issues, whether through news coverage, or programming about and told by the people in Scotland’s diverse communities, need to be protected in the regulatory framework.

Fundamentally, we believe that broadcasting should be devolved so that the decisions that impact audiences and the creative industries in Scotland can be determined by the Scottish public through the Scottish Parliament.

The reach of radio across Scotland remains strong and the Scottish Government recognises that community radio plays a valuable role in the broadcasting ecosystem in reaching out to communities right across Scotland, including rural and island populations. Community radio provides a platform for diverse cultural outputs and for local voices and the Scottish Government is highly supportive of the role it has in promoting language and culture to those communities.

Output being produced across radio broadcasters contributes to the learning and use of the Gaelic language and it is a vital part of the fabric of what will serve and sustain the Gaelic speaking community in Scotland. We therefore continue to make the case to the UK Government and Ofcom of the importance of greater support for indigenous languages across all aspects of the broadcasting ecosystem.

MG ALBA has on occasions supported and encouraged Gaelic input into local and community radio and will continue to do so. SG has also supported Frieda Morrison, presenter and producer of Scots radio and with her distinct Doric programmes. Also, Isles FM, located in Stornoway broadcasts in English and Gaelic for local audiences.

I have asked Alison Byrne OBE, Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland (NRS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The total annual operating costs of NRS for the last five years are:

• £32,845m (2023-24)
• £63,812m (2022-23)
• £61.905m (2021-22)
• £49,557m (2020-21)
• £40,990m (2019-20)

NRS operating costs (excluding depreciation) include the costs of the Census Programme 2022.