Chamber and committees

The number of posts advertised annually by NHS Education for Scotland is determined by two factors: (1) the number of trainees who have completed training, obtained a CCT (Certificate of Completion of Training) and whose posts are therefore vacant, and (2) whether any additional posts have been created.

We funded the creation of additional training places this year in both Medical and Clinical Oncology. This, coupled with high CCT rates, has led to lower fill rates. All unfilled posts are being readvertised in the last recruitment round of 2023, meaning these fill rates could improve. The end-year position will be known in November.

During the development of the Bill Scottish Government officials have been in regular contact with officials from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to understand the UK Government’s plans for the legislation and the impact it will have on organisations in Scotland as well as with subject-specific officials in other Departments. There have also been exchanges between the various Ministers in both Governments throughout the process.

Of particular focus in these discussions has been: the need to balance the rights of individuals with reducing the burden on organisations using personal data; the potential for impact on EU data adequacy for Scotland as a result of the Bill, which the Scottish Government has sought assurances on; and the areas which require Legislative Consent from the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Government also issued a response to the UK Government’s 2021 consultation ‘Data: a new direction’ which informed the development of the legislation.

The Scottish Government gathers data on displaced Ukrainians applying for homelessness support as part of the statutory collection which feeds into the Homelessness in Scotland official statistics series. The intention is to publish this data six-monthly, in line with the timing of the Homelessness in Scotland publication schedule. Annual statistics are published around late August and a six-monthly update, to give an indication of trends ahead of the next annual publication, is published around late January/early February.

The Scottish Government is providing the funding per the following table for the financial year 2023-24. Health boards can use this funding to manage and remove asbestos as and when it is appropriate to do so.

The following table presents the budget for NHS estate maintenance in each of the last three financial years. It is the intention of the Scottish Government to double the NHS estate maintenance funding over the Capital Spending Review period of 2021-2026.

Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm is one of three critical missions of this government.

The Tackling Child Poverty Ministerial Oversight Group, which I will convene, will provide Ministerial-level oversight and assurance of the delivery of the actions set out in Best Start, Bright Futures.

Scottish Government analysis, published in April 2022, estimated that reversing key UK Government welfare changes that have taken place just since 2015 could lift an estimated 70,000 people out of poverty, including 30,000 children, in Scotland this year. We will continue to urge the UK Government to match our ambitions in tackling child poverty head on through reversing its policies such as the benefit cap and child cap and bedroom tax.

We recognise the hazard of asbestos and the risks to health it poses. However, asbestos is only dangerous when it is disturbed or in poor condition. The Health and Safety Executive’s guidance states that it is safe for asbestos to remain in place if it is in good condition, well-protected and unlikely to be disturbed. Health boards carry out annual asbestos monitoring surveys and asbestos management plans are in place across the NHS estate.

Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm is one of three critical missions of this government.

The Tackling Child Poverty Ministerial Oversight Group, which I will convene, will provide Ministerial-level oversight and assurance of the delivery of the actions set out in Best Start, Bright Futures.

The Scottish Government provides £169 million in funding for the provision of free school meals – which is one of the most generous of anywhere in the UK. All pupils in primaries one to five, and eligible pupils in primary six through to S6, can benefit from free school meals, saving families an average of £400 per eligible child per year.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills has announced that the next phase of our free school meal expansion will see them rolled out to all primary six and seven pupils, whose families are in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment. This will be the next step in fulfilling our commitment to universal provision in primary schools and we are working with partners to take this work forward. Further phases, including a pilot at secondary, are being considered.

Monitoring compliance with conditions attached to planning permissions is a matter for the relevant planning authority. Planning authorities have a range of enforcement powers, and a general discretion under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 to take enforcement action against any breach of planning control if they consider such action to be in the public interest and proportionate to the scale of the breach, having regard to the provisions of the development plan and any other material considerations. The Scottish Government and Scottish Ministers have no remit under planning legislation to intervene in or comment on individual cases.

The Scottish Government is aware of the pressures faced by the Social Care sector at present and while the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, it is local authorities and health and social care partnerships who have the responsibility for commissioning appropriate services for local needs. We are however, taking steps at a national level to assist in reducing these pressures.

We are continuing to invest in social care to support the people who deliver, and rely, on these services with £1.7bn being provided for social care support and integration in 2023-24.

We have invested a further 3.6 million pounds to continue the development and expansion of Hospital at Home services. This additional funding brings the Scottish Government’s total investment in Hospital at Home services to more than 10.7 million pounds since 2020 and will see the number of patients accessing Hospital at Home grow by 50%.

We are progressing our commitment to increase spend in social care support by 25% by the end of this Parliament - an increase of over £840m, laying the groundwork for the establishment of a National Care Service.