I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-32583 on 14 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/written-questions-and-answers

The National Flood Resilience Strategy will not replace the Flood Risk Management Planning Process which is the primary delivery vehicle for flood risk management actions in Scotland.

SEPA are responsible for identifying Potentially Vulnerable Areas and producing Flood Risk Management Plans in collaboration with other Responsible Authorities.

Local Flood Risk Management Plans set out how specific actions will be delivered and local authorities work in partnership with SEPA, Scottish Water and other responsible authorities to develop these. During severe flooding, local authorities will work with the emergency services and co-ordinate shelter for people evacuated from their homes.

The Scottish Flood Forum is funded by Scottish Government and aims to reduce the impact of flooding by providing immediate support to flooded communities and establishing a network of community resilience groups in flood risk areas to equip communities to cope with the impacts and threat of flooding.

The budget allocated to each of Scottish Government’s nine international offices is published in the Level 4 budget tables for the draft Scottish Budget 2025-26, and these figures are available at the following URL:

As I set out in answer to question S6W-31933 on 16 December 2024, the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group is comprised of the Chief Executives of most of the independent Scottish hospices and their key partners and is not a Scottish Government group. As such, we do not hold minutes of the group or have summaries of the discussions held.

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 general maintenance of hand driers is included within the Building Maintenance Contract and the only spend is on replacement parts or replacement hand driers if they fail. Below is spend for last 3 financial years and note on current year.

·        21/22 – No Spend

·        22/23 – No Spend

·        23/24 – £1560.87 – Spend is on parts & machines only as labour is included within planned maintenance.

·        24/25 – No spend to date.

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 reply in writing within 20 days.

Significant additional activity is already underway following the allocation of £30 million funding to target reductions to the national backlogs that built up throughout the pandemic. This includes over 40,000 extra diagnostic procedures.

To specifically support scope based diagnostics we have published an Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan backed by £70 million. The plan focuses on key areas such as: Balancing Demand and Capacity; Workforce Training and Development; Infrastructure; and Innovation and Redesign.

To provide further support for timeous diagnosis, the Scottish Government commissioned Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) will shortly publish a newly developed Inflammatory Bowel Disease pathway to support earlier identification and management of the disease.

The Budget we set out on 4 December 2024 will throw the weight of the government behind performance improvements with almost £200 million to reduce waiting lists and help support reduction of delayed discharge. By March 2026, we expect no one to be waiting longer than 12 months for a new outpatient, inpatient treatment or day case treatment.

Changes to legislation came into force in November 2021 which allow for local authorities to put experimental projects on the ground with 7 days’ notice and a minimum 6 month consultation period which begins on the day the project is put in place. There is also a streamlined process to follow if the authority then wish to make the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) a permanent Traffic Road Order (TRO).

No full review of this process has been undertaken since 2021 but officials have had a number of discussions with local authorities to provide further information on the change in process and to assist in putting the new measures in place. No concerns regarding the new procedures have been raised during these discussions.

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) has developed the Softer Landing, Safer Care programme. When it was introduced health boards agreed with NES to implement the programme for International Medical graduates (IMGs) starting their first hospital placement in NHS Scotland. The programme is part of a coordinated offer that sits alongside the training pathway and is devolved for local implementation at local board level. IMGs, like other trainees, feedback their experience through established quality assurance processes such as the Scottish Training Survey. As such, the Scottish Government does not formally monitor the initiative and it has not yet been formally evaluated.

In May 2024, the Scottish Government issued a request for proposals for a supplier to support the delivery of the Scottish Peace Programme, including establishment of a Scottish Peace Platform and the 1325 Women in Conflict Fellowships. In developing a Peace platform the Scottish Government will be able to better assess the potential for further investment in a Peace institute, in line with the full recommendations of the research report on establishing a Peace Institute. More information is published on the Scottish Government website.

There are no plans at this time for the Scottish Peace Platform to focus on peacebuilding initiatives in Columbia specifically. However we have hosted nine peacebuilders from Colombia on the Women in Conflict Fellowship and the Scottish Human Rights Defenders programmes.