The funding for the 38,000 apprentices in training is committed. SDS commenced contracting for up to 25,500 new Modern Apprenticeship opportunities at the start of April.

The Scottish Government’s role is to set the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, NHS Boards are responsible for service delivery and treatment. A requirement has been placed within the NHS Territorial Boards annual delivery guidance to bring attention to the requirement for the Boards to consider transport to health for patients and ensure patients have access to information.

The Transport (Scotland) Act section 120 and 121 commenced in 2023, placing a requirement on Boards to work with community transport providers and consider the economic and social impacts of non-emergency patient transport.

The Scottish Government has undertaken extensive engagement with a range of faith and belief stakeholders throughout the development of proposals on ending conversion practices in Scotland and following the launch of our public consultation document on 9 January. This includes both individual and group meeting with faith-based organisations on at least 14 separate occasions since the launch of our consultation on 9 January 2024. In addition, a roundtable event specifically for faith and belief representatives was held on 3 April 2024, managed by independent, impartial external facilitators to support a free expression of views.

This engagement with faith and belief stakeholders has informed the development of our proposals, and feedback and consultation responses will be analysed and considered to inform future legislation to be introduced into Parliament.

Social Security Scotland is focused on making the right decision first time, whilst aiming to process all applications as quickly as possible.

Our Charter sets out a range of standards for our performance and each year we publish the Charter Measurement Framework to share how we are delivering against our Charter commitments. As part of this research, we invite feedback from our clients and stakeholders on our performance, through our annual client survey.

In addition, we have committed to processing Funeral Support Payment applications within 10 working days of receipt of a completed applications and to process Special Rules for Terminal Illness disability payment applications within seven working days.

All colleagues have agreed work objectives which are reviewed as part of our performance management process and are further supported to perform effectively through learning and development programmes. We also use system data and internal management information to promote continuous improvement.

We have for example taken extensive action to drive down processing times and have seen significant improvements. Latest published figures show that average processing times for Adult Disability Payment have fallen by almost 40%.

The Scottish Government has met with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) around the issue of insurance and we have been clear that we would expect responsible insurance companies to offer as much assistance as possible to residents affected by RAAC. The actual cover available will be dependent on the individual policies that homeowners have in place. Building insurance is designed to cover damage caused by defined perils such as storms or floods and would not cover building defects or maintenance issues that develop over time. Homeowners should still be able to claim on their insurance policies if they suffer damage from these perils.

The ABI has indicated that the majority of their members will not void insurance policies as a result of RAAC being identified and that households can expect to continue to be covered for the defined perils outlined in their policy. We have also been assured that insurers will consider the renewal of cover for properties with RAAC, but these may be less commercially attractive as their construction could present a risk of more extensive damage from a named peril. ABI advice remains that policy holders should consider their renewal needs early and may wish to shop around providers to find a policy that provides best value.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people living with kidney diseases are able to access the best possible care and support and that they benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective, and put people at the centre of their care.

The Scottish Government recognises that Transport plays an important role in supporting patients’ health journeys and the Scottish Government has recently prepared a draft Transport to Health delivery plan which has commitments against transport and healthcare across the work of Health Boards including Scottish Ambulance Service, Regional Transport Partnerships and Scottish Government.

We have committed to undertaking an evaluation of the effectiveness of the smoke-free perimeter around hospital buildings as part of the first Implementation Plan of the recently published Tobacco and Vaping Framework. We do not centrally hold information on the number of fines issued since the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 came into force.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people living with respiratory conditions receive the best possible care and treatment to enable them to live longer, healthier, and more independent lives.

We provide baseline funding to NHS Boards and it is for them to determine how best to meet the needs of their local populations, including people with respiratory conditions.

Since the publication of the Respiratory Care Action Plan, we have formed a number of workstreams dedicated to improving care and treatment of respiratory conditions, including COPD. An example of this is the development of guidance for improving access to Pulmonary Rehab across Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people living with respiratory conditions receive the best possible care and treatment. We expect clinicians and NHS Boards to follow all relevant national clinical guidelines to support those living with COPD.

This data is not currently held centrally. However, we recognise the importance of having access to meaningful data and have recently commissioned Public Health Scotland (PHS) to begin development of a national respiratory audit programme. This will allow us to ensure people are receiving the best possible care, treatment, and support for their condition and also support respiratory services to better understand the needs of their patients.

In October 2022, the Career Review Programme Board published ' Delivering Careers By Design', including 10 recommendations co-created working with stakeholders and young people.

Since then, 'Career Review Final Report' published in March 2023 set out in further detail how the recommendations will be implemented.

Two of the ten recommendations have already been delivered. Recommendation 1; establishment of a new career development model and Recommendation 10; creation of a career services coalition – the Careers Services Collaborative.

The Collaborative continues to meet, chaired by Grahame Smith, to oversee further implementation of improvements to the careers offer, with a focus on the remaining recommendations. Further information on progress will be published via www.careerreview.scot over the course of the year.