Chamber and committees

A new contract was provided for the Chief Entrepreneur earlier this year. The procurement notice was published as per our standard procurement processes. There has been no further extension to this contract.

The Chief Entrepreneur has been fundamental to the development of some of our most ambitious economic policies, including but not limited to: the building of a new policy agenda embodied by the Scottish Tech Ecosystem Review; the Entrepreneurial Campus Blueprint report to enhance the economic impact of our universities and colleges, and promote the teaching of Computer Science in schools; the Pathways report to increase women’s participation in entrepreneurship; and the delivery of Techscaler, a programme central to our ambitions to create one of the finest state-funded entrepreneurial systems in the world dedicated to the creation of high-growth businesses.

The Scottish Government has not yet met with the Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group to discuss employment and training initiatives for the renewable energy sector.

The Scottish Government engages with industry regularly via a number of mechanisms including the Scottish Energy Advisory Board (SEAB) and the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC).

The Just Transition Fund has allocated £75 million to date, supporting a cross-sector portfolio of projects ranging across sectors like energy, agriculture, digital innovation and construction while also supporting communities across the North East and Moray to create jobs, support innovation, and secure the highly skilled workforce of the future.

The most recent discussion on workplace planning for renewable energy projects took place at The Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC) on 18 September 2024, where members discussed barriers and opportunities in relation to skills and the workforce for the offshore wind industry.

We will continue to engage with industry stakeholders to plan for a multi-skilled energy workforce that can benefit from opportunities across the energy system.

Following the recent resignation of Mark Logan from the role of Chief Entrepreneur, Ministers will now take time to consider how the role can be optimised in future.

There is no set timescale for ministerial decisions on energy consents. The consideration to be undertaken by ministers before reaching a determination will depend on the particulars of each application.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS have no specific evidence as to why the use of steroids is reportedly increasing within prisons. However, in collaboration with our Partners at Dundee University, the regular re-calibration of Rapiscan machines does support our ability to identify new substances.

We recognise the profound impact that illicit articles entering our prisons and acknowledge the continued need to support to those in our care who misuse substances and those who are on their recovery journey.

The Migraine Trust were awarded £85,675 in 2022-23 through the Scottish Government Neurological Care & Support Framework, for work upskilling community, primary and secondary care pharmacists across NHS Grampian to help people with migraine manage their symptoms and treatments more effectively.

The Scottish Government funded an additional £135,501 in 2023-24 to further embed this work locally, and to partner with other Health Boards to extend the reach of pharmacists trained and increase care and support for people living with migraine based on the blueprint NHS Grampian approach.

We understand that a further six NHS Boards are working towards adopting this model of migraine care in future, including NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Lothian & NHS Tayside who have project teams in place with plans to undertake work with support from the NHS Grampian/Migraine Trust project team.

An eLearning programme for NHS Education for Scotland’s platform TURAS has been developed through the project. This comprises a suite of training materials available for all pharmacists and pharmacy teams in Scotland to access.

The project in Grampian has forged links with Robert Gordon University’s School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences with the aim of helping to shape students’ learning, towards create a sustainable change to the way migraine care is given.

We receive regular progress updates from the Migraine Trust and myself visited the project in August. We are discussing options with the Migraine Trust for further adoption of this approach to delivering care for people with migraine.

Eligible Scottish pre-registration nursing, midwifery and paramedic science students receive funding through the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary Scheme (PNMSB) which is administered by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

Eligibility for support depends on three conditions:

• that the course is eligible;
• that the individual has not had previous PNMSB funding; and
• that they meet the residence requirements.

Bursaries are for eligible students attending courses which:

• lead to registration on the Professional Register maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which may include degree, honours and masters levels; or
• lead to the award of a BSc Paramedic Science; and
• are partly or wholly funded by the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates (SGHSCD).