The Scottish Government is focussed on addressing violence against women and girls which is why we are implementing Equally Safe, our strategy to prevent and address all forms of violence against women and girls, specifically violence, abuse, and exploitation directed at them because of their gender.

The Scottish Government response to the Independent Strategic Review of Funding and Commissioning of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Services was published in November 2023 and can be found here ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/violence-against-women-and-girls-joint-statement-with-cosla ). Since then we have established a VAWG Sustainable Funding Project Board to take forward our commitment to develop a flexible and stable funding model for VAWG services and the Review’s report will be considered as we develop a new funding model.

Equally Safe, Scotland’s strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls acknowledges the important role specialist and single-sex services play in supporting victim-survivors of violence against women and girls.

There are single sex exceptions in the UK wide Equality Act 2010, and it is the responsibility of service providers to comply with the 2010 Act. The Equality and Human Rights Commission as the body responsible for enforcing the 2010 Act has produced specific guidance to support organisations in their compliance, including a Statutory Code of Practice and a guide for service providers who operate a separate or single-sex service.

My officials at Transport Scotland meet with ScotRail and Scottish Rail Holdings regularly to discuss various matters. ScotRail keeps its services under constant review to ensure they best meet the passenger demand.

Since the publication of the 2009 Strategic Transport Projects Review, the Scottish Government has invested £330 million in delivering journey time improvements and greater connectivity for both passenger and freight services operating on the line between Aberdeen and Inverness. These works were undertaken as part of the Aberdeen – Inverness Rail Improvement Project.

The increase in the Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) balance relates to Taxpayers’ equity, which represents SFC’s investment in the university sector through low cost loans (SFC’s Financial Transactions programme) issued to universities to support them with longer-term projects since 2018.

Taxpayers’ equity is not a liquid asset which can be spent. It is a measure of the financial position of SFC from the perspective of its stakeholders showing what assets (tangible and intangible) remain after all SFC debts and obligations are met. It reflects the overall net worth of SFC which belongs to the taxpayer.

SFC’s ability to support the college and university sectors is framed by the allocation received in annual Budget Bills and SFC is required to live within the allocation set for that financial year. SFC does not hold any “reserves” of monies.

The Scottish Government meets and engages with Audit Scotland regarding their annual publications on Scotland's Colleges which are published on Audit Scotland’s website. Audit Scotland’s most recent publication can be found here : https://audit.scot/publications/scotlands-colleges-2023 . However, there has not been specific discussion regarding Audit Scotland’s scrutiny of overall staffing budgets and spend in colleges.

Staffing costs and pay structures are operational matters for colleges to determine. The Scottish Government has no locus to review pay structures and staffing costs in colleges.

The Scottish Government is working closely with Samaritans Scotland, as one of our key partners driving the delivery of the suicide prevention Creating Hope Together strategy, to better understand help seeking behaviour and increase signposting to local and national support. We recognise that there may be benefits for some mental health patients in accessing Samaritans’ listening services alongside NHS care.

At present, Samaritans provide pre-printed freepost envelopes in prison settings as part of their broader work to support people in prisons. However, while there is no specific scheme to provide pre-marked envelopes within hospitals, any individual can write to them for free by marking an envelope “FREEPOST SAMARITANS LETTERS”.

Samaritans can also be contacted 24/7 by phone for free on 116 123 and by email at [email protected]. They aim to respond to all emails within 24 hours.

We will continue to work alongside Samaritans Scotland to support any plans to further promote and expand access to its listening services within the NHS estate.

The Scottish Government hasn’t carried out analysis to establish reasons for students withdrawing from college, by week of course.

Information on college withdrawals is collected by the Scottish Funding Council. Some data on the reason for withdrawing is included in the technical annex of the College Performance Indicators publication, though this isn’t broken down to week of course. College Performance Indicators 2022-23 - Scottish Funding Council (sfc.ac.uk)

Given the commercial nature of these events the Scottish Government has not undertaken an assessment of the likely economic impact of the Taylor Swift concerts in Edinburgh.

There have been no specific discussions with stakeholders, by either Ministers or Officials, regarding the forecast impacts from the Taylor Swift concerts. VisitScotland however (as the national tourism agency for Scotland) has been undertaking PR and marketing activities to maximise the opportunity for Scotland's visitor economy from Taylor Swift fans attending the Edinburgh concerts - as it does for other major events across Scotland.

The launch of the refreshed “Scotland’s National Events Strategy 2024 – 2035” on Tuesday 28 May reflects the continued commitment by the Scottish Government to sustain and develop a dynamic, resilient, and responsible events sector that is a valued part of Scotland’s wellbeing economy, maintaining Scotland’s reputation as “The Perfect Stage for Events.”

The refreshed National Events Strategy has been the result of a collaborative effort, shaped by voices from across the event sector, Trade Unions, Local Authorities and the wider public sector. Following that consultation and engagement process clear agreed priorities have emerged to shape a strategy that provides focus for the whole sector, bringing everyone together to deliver a shared ambition.

Working with the sector and other partners we will ensure Scotland continues to support a dynamic portfolio of events – from regular local community events to Scotland’s signature events and festivals, to one off international business, cultural and sporting events.

A copy of the National Events Strategy may be found using the URL Scotland's National Events Strategy | VisitScotland.org

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27480 on 4 June 2024. 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 .