Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24110 on‎ 18 January 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 .

The Scottish Government takes a serious and proactive approach to road safety and has a specific procedure (Management of Occupational Road Risk (MORR) contained within the organisation’s Health and Safety Management System (HSMS) policy.

The purpose of the MORR procedure is to ensure the organisation meets its obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, to protect not only staff, but also other road users.

Included in the procedure are a number of steps to identify, mitigate and manage the risks associated with occupational driving, including: promotion of correct mode of transport e.g. consideration if driving is the most appropriate option, conducting and regularly reviewing risk assessments for all aspects of driving activities, annual e-learning Driver Safety Awareness training, completion of annual self-declaration forms, and being formally authorised to drive for official business prior to driving for work purposes.

Staff specifically employed to drive as their main work objective are required to complete an initial driver assessment as part of the recruitment process, and are also provided with additional training and work towards ROSPA advanced driver certification.

This delivers a proactive, supportive approach to the associated risks, and promotes transferable skills and experience which can be utilised outwith the work environment.

All new fleet vehicles are specified with the latest driver safety aids, wherever possible, and vehicles are maintained, as a minimum, in accordance with manufacturers recommended guidelines, and are frequently inspected to ensure they are in a safe and serviceable condition at all times.

We also have a policy where tyres are replaced when they reach below 3mm, which is well above the legal threshold of 1.6mm.

There are currently 5 Cabinet Sub-Committees in operation, the titles and membership of which are set out in the following table.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24111 on‎ 18 January 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 .

As agreed by the Respect for All Working Group, we expect the updated guidance to be published in late 2024.

he Scottish Government has one contract with Fujitsu (Case 440206 Electronic Counting for Local Government Elections) to deliver electronic vote counting for Scottish local government elections.

The Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning last met in May 2023. At that meeting, members continued to consider and refine the Taskforce’s workplan, with a particular focus on ensuring that its three strategic goals are consistent with its more detailed, thematic workplan. I will be present at the next meeting of the Gender Equality Taskforce, which will take place in early 2024.

Effecting the type of systemic change which the Taskforce aims to do is complex and long term. I am committed to continuing and accelerating such work to ensure that girls and young women do not experience gender inequality in so many aspects of education.

The Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (Miscellaneous Amendments)(Scotland) Order 2024 was laid before Parliament on the 19 January 2024. The Order proposes a number of amendments to the arrangements for the Additional Dwelling Supplement, including the extension of repayment timelines from 18 months to 36 months.

The proposed amendments will, if approved by Parliament, take effect from 1 April 2024.

The information requested on how many full-time equivalent staff days were lost due to illness across the NHS in 2023, broken down by illness is not centrally available.

Information on sickness absence rates broken down by NHS board and by financial year can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence

Any decisions on whether to introduce screening programmes in Scotland are guided by the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group which advises Ministers and the NHS in all four nations of the United Kingdom on screening policy. The UK NSC last reviewed adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) in 2021 and did not recommend screening for this condition. Further information regarding the reasons for this decision can be found on their website.

The UK NSC is expected to review ALD screening again in 2024-25. Should the UK NSC recommend screening for this condition, the organisations that oversee screening in Scotland, including the Scottish Screening Committee, will advise Scottish Ministers on introducing and implementing an ALD screening programme.