Public Health Scotland's latest monthly statistics publication Delayed discharges in NHSScotland monthly - Figures for September 2024 - Delayed discharges in NHSScotland monthly - Publications - Public Health Scotland, published on 5 November, shows the number of delayed discharges by Health Board and by month, up to and including September 2024.

The relevant information can be found in Summary tables to September 2024 2024-11-05_delayed_discharges_summary_tables_to_september_2024.xlsx (live.com) on sheet Tab 1 Summary, by selecting the relevant health board and date range using the drop down options.

Scottish Government officials meet quarterly with the Net Zero Technology Centre to discuss a variety of financial matters, including the Centre's plans for future funding beyond the term of the Aberdeen City Region Deal and its journey towards financial self sustainability. Officials will continue to meet with the Centre to discuss these matters for the remainder of the Deal period.

The governance review will be completed by the end of 2024. As part of the review, the First Minister has formally agreed to the creation of the Cabinet Sub-Committee for Investment and Economy.

The Scottish Government has fully committed to ensuring that treatment services are available for all forms of substance use. The MAT standards are an essential part of the National Mission on Drugs, to save and improve lives.

The National Mission focuses on actions and initiatives to address the harms associated with drugs, but these can and do support people affected by all substances including alcohol. For example, through an increase in residential rehabilitation places; initiatives to tackle the stigma directed by people affected by substance use; and an increased understanding of the co-occurring nature of problem substance use and mental health issues.

A National Specification for treatment and recovery services is also currently in development, which aims to provide clarity on the range of substance use support services that should be available in local areas. The Specification will help local services set out future strategic plans to deliver on their commitment to reduce alcohol and drug harms and deaths, improving the lives of those impacted by alcohol and drugs.

In addition, the Scottish Government is supporting the UK Government on reviewing and updating the UK clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment: consultation document - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) to introduce new approaches to treatment that will apply to a broad range of settings including primary care, hospital and justice settings.

The Scottish Government has provided the following funding to the Net Zero Technology Centre from its foundation to the end of the second quarter of financial year 2024-25:

• £148,696,581 through the Aberdeen City Region Deal and paid through Aberdeenshire Council as the Deal's Accountable Body (including funding provided on behalf of the UK Government whereby both governments have committed up to £90 million each over 10 years to financial year 2026-27)
• £4,521,000 through the Decommissioning Challenge Fund, payments concluding in financial year 2018-19
• £15,151,601 through the Energy Transition Fund
• £709,126 through the Just Transition Fund.

A report on public bodies data, including spend on different corporate functions in 2022-23, will be published on 15 November 2024 on the Scottish Government website, but this does not include information on bodies that have chosen to use their own procurement and finance IT systems or consultancies instead of the centrally funded eCommerce Shared Service. That information is not held centrally. We are engaged with public bodies via various forums where opportunities are identified to promote and drive uptake of the eCommerce tools. Detailed below is a list of how many public bodies currently use the eCommerce Shared Service.

Annual outturn against budget is provided in the Scottish Government’s Consolidated Accounts. Results on a portfolio basis are reported within the Summary of Total Outturn section, and more detailed portfolio information is included within the relevant Consolidated Portfolio Outturn Statement.

In 2023-24, the Scottish Government reported an overall underspend of £277 million, representing 0.5% of the total budget. The underspend in 2022-23 was £509 million, 1% of that year’s total budget.

The underspends do not represent a loss of spending power to the Scottish Government. Under the current devolution settlement, the Scottish Government must manage spending within fixed limits. It is not allowed to overspend its budget and has limited powers to carry forward funding through the Scotland Reserve. As a consequence, the Scottish Government has consistently adopted a position of controlling public expenditure to ensure we live within the budget limits that apply, whilst remaining able to carry forward any fiscal underspends for use in a future year within the current Scotland Reserve Limits.

The Scottish Government’s Consolidated Accounts are published annually and are available on the Scottish Government’s website.

2023-24:

scottish-government-consolidated-accounts-year-ended-31-march-2024.pdf (www.gov.scot)

2022-23:

The Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023 (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested as it relates to inspection activities undertaken by the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland, who will be able to provide analysis of inspection grades on request.

Religious observance (RO), plays an important role in pupil’s education. However, there is also a longstanding parental right to withdraw a pupil from both RO and religious instruction or religious and moral education (RME).

As with any decision which affects children and young people, it is only right that their views should also be taken into account when this right to withdraw is being exercised. Doing so is in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), and is especially relevant as pupils mature and take more responsibility for their own learning. However, while consideration of pupils’ views has long been a feature of our guidance on RO, this is not reflected in legislation.

The UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 builds upon a strong record on children’s rights in Scotland, but the commencement of the Act is merely a step on our journey to uphold and promote children’s rights. It is with this in mind that I am announcing that the Scottish Government will shortly be bringing forward a narrowly focussed Bill, with the purpose of amending the current legislation to require that pupils’ views are considered when parents or carers are exercising their right to withdraw their child from RO and RME. This will bring legislation into line with existing guidance as well as strengthening our commitment to upholding children’s rights in all aspects of their lives, including education.

These changes in no way diminish the significance of RO and RME in the work of schools, helping pupils to grow and develop their own sense of themselves, to be confident in expressing their own beliefs and values, and to develop an understanding of and empathy towards others. This approach will strengthen the rights of Scottish children and young people, which are a key priority of this government, but I am also conscious of the wide range of views on this issue and will discuss these issues with members across the chamber and with other interested parties.

As part of this, although the proposed changes on RO and RME merely bring legislation into line with existing guidance, a public consultation will launch tomorrow to seek views on any implications of these changes, as well as insights into how the right to withdraw currently works in practice to help inform implementation. The consultation can be found here: https://consult.gov.scot/education-reform/religious-observance-education-legislation-schools.

The number of employers and the amount they deduct is not a statistic (figure) that the Scottish Government collects or has access to. The amount deducted is a contractual agreement between employer and employee and would only be investigated during a wages complaint or routine inspection if the amount deducted was more than the maximum allowed under the Agricultural Wages (Scotland) Order (AWO). The AWO does not differentiate between agricultural workers on the Seasonal Worker Visa scheme and other seasonal workers or permanent employees.