Chamber and committees

There is no plan to re-introduce prescription charges in Scotland. Prescription charges were abolished in April 2011 because Scottish Ministers believed that they were a tax on ill health and a barrier to good health for many people. This was particularly so for those with long-term conditions and those on a low income who in the past faced choices about which medicines they could afford. The introduction of free prescriptions has been fully funded by the Scottish Government, at no cost to NHS budgets.

The Scottish Government has no plans to ban the installation of uPVC windows in conservation areas.

Following extensive consultation, and taking account of the need to address the cost and climate crises, new permitted development rights (PDR) were introduced in May this year. These PDR allow for (amongst other things) the alteration or replacement of windows without the need to apply for planning permission. The measures strike an appropriate balance between allowing owners/occupiers to improve the environmental performance of their properties whilst safeguarding the overall character and appearance of the historic environment.

Reflecting the importance of conservation areas, PDR for the alteration/replacement of windows on buildings in such areas, are subject to prior approval arrangements in some cases where the windows are located on the building’s front elevation or side elevation fronting a road. This enables planning authorities to consider the design and external appearance of proposed replacement windows

The new PDR do not apply in World Heritage Sites, and they do not remove any need for listed building consent. Additionally, planning authorities have the power to use an Article 4 direction to restrict PDR in certain locations should they consider that appropriate.

Scottish Government funding of over £2.5m has been committed to support the mental health and wellbeing of health and care staff in 2024-25. These resources include a 24/7 compassionate listening service, confidential mental health treatment through the Workforce Specialist Service and access to psychological therapies and interventions.

Prioritising these treatment and therapeutic programmes reflects our commitment to offer care and support to those staff suffering from burnout, stress, anxiety and other conditions. In addition, the National Wellbeing Hub offers a range of self-care wellbeing resources and signposting to relevant mental health and support services.

It is expected that the draft outcomes from the Review, which includes a climate compatibility assessment and other impact assessments, will be consulted on this Autumn, before a final decision can be reached.

We are aware of two alcohol death reviews that have been conducted since 2020. These were completed by the Borders Alcohol and Drug Partnership and NHS Fife.

No - we have set out a clear definition of what counts as residential rehabilitation and used it consistently since its publication in 2021.

The Scottish Government uses the Residential Rehabilitation Development Working Group definition of residential rehab as "facilities offering programmes which aim to support individuals to attain an alcohol or drug-free lifestyle and to be re-integrated into society, provide intensive psychosocial support and a structured programme of daily activities, and which residents are required to attend over a fixed period of time."

The Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland have worked collaboratively with stakeholders to establish an experimental core minimum dataset to support the monitoring and evaluation of the residential rehabilitation programme. It is expected that the first extracts will be published in December 2024, which will allow us to gauge the current status of the research gaps identified in 2022 and address those remaining as appropriate.

Further detail on the research gaps identified in the 2022 literature review can be found in pages 27-30 of the report. The report recommends further research in several areas, including impact on specific demographics and the differences between residential rehabilitation models.

Seven improvement works were re-scheduled in the Highland Council Area. One set of repair works was re-scheduled in the Highland Council Area. All programmed works for the period in question have been completed.

We have asked Public Health Scotland (PHS) to investigate the reasons behind the apparent 40% reduction in the number of people accessing specialist alcohol treatment services. We will use this information to better understand the reasons for treatment number decline and how we can improve and better support alcohol treatment services in Scotland.

The ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) operator, SWARCO Smart Charging, introduced the STRIPE payment system in April 2024. Transport Scotland were made aware of technical issues during the introduction period which affected some CPS customers. In line with agreed incident management procedures, the issues were investigated by the CPS operator and actions outlined for their swift resolution. On 27 June 2024, Transport Scotland met with the CPS operator to discuss the effectiveness of the actions and to ensure no other issues had been reported. There have been no further reports of issues relating to the STRIPE implementation. CPS has not been contacted by any customers requesting compensation to-date.