Chamber and committees

This information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The member may wish to contact British Transport Police who might be able to provide this information.

The Scottish Government is aware of the health and wellbeing impacts of access to broadcast services on particular demographics from our assessment of research conducted by Ofcom, such as their annual Media Nations reports, and through our engagement with stakeholders, including audiences in Scotland.

Their Media Nations 2023 report showed that almost a third of Scottish households only used television services delivered via aerial. [1] Research conducted by Ipsos Mori for Arqiva shows that these services are of particular importance to older people, people living in rural areas, and households from lower socio-economic backgrounds. [2] Due to Scotland’s demographics in terms of an ageing population, and numbers living in rural or island locations, this issue is therefore especially important in Scotland.

Ofcom’s report also shows the continued importance of broadcast services to Scottish audiences, who watch the most broadcast TV of all the UK nations. The report also notes that nearly nine in ten people in Scotland listen to the radio weekly, for an average of almost 19 hours.

[1] Media Nations: Scotland 2023 (ofcom.org.uk)

[2] The Future of Broadcast TV & Radio (arqiva.com)

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22410 on 7 November 2023. 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 has not had any conversations to date with the UK Government in relation to the future of broadcasting beyond 2034. Although decisions on broadcasting are reserved to the UK Government, the Scottish Government retains a strong interest, and we believe that broadcasting policy should be devolved to Scotland to ensure that proportionate decisions can be taken which recognise the requirements of viewers and listeners in Scotland. We continue to make clear, in our engagement with the UK Government and Ofcom, the importance of audiences across Scotland having continued access to the high-quality broadcast TV and radio services they rely on, and we would welcome any conversations with the UK Government to support this aim. We will also continue to engage with stakeholders, such as Arqiva who I am meeting on 6 December, who are driving work on this issue.

We have not commissioned any reviews into the effects of second-hand cannabis smoke, so we have no outcomes to report. We are aware of studies which have been conducted in North America including What are the effects of secondhand exposure to marijuana smoke? | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (nih.gov)

The Scottish Government has not made specific representations to Ofcom in relation to the changes to spectrum allocations due to be discussed at the World Radiocommunication Conference 2023, or the impacts of those changes on particular groups. We understand that the UK Government, who lead on decision-making around broadcasting as it is a reserved issue, have directed Ofcom to represent the UK at WRC-23, and have expressed that their preference is for no change to international spectrum allocations. The Scottish Government understands that, if a different spectrum allocation is agreed at WRC-23, the UK would still have considerable freedom over how to use the spectrum going forward.

The Maths Recovery Pilot report is currently in the final stages of quality assurance and is expected to be published by the end of this year, 2023.

The antenatal booking appointment is usually the first contact point between the primary or named midwife and pregnant women. We expect all women to have an initial assessment of their health, obstetric and social needs completed, and be offered appropriate screening referrals and other care options by the 12th full week of pregnancy.

The Scottish Government Local Delivery Plan standard for early access to antenatal care states that at least 80% of pregnant women in each Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile will have booked for antenatal care by the 12th week of gestation. This standard has been met or exceeded consistently since 2013-14. Public Health Scotland published its latest annual statistical report on antenatal booking, Antenatal Booking in Scotland , in March 2023, which shows that 92.8% of pregnancies were booked by 12 weeks in the year ending 31 December 2022.

As I set out in my statement to Parliament in May, I will begin to take forward a more focused consultation in the autumn on the detail of proposed regulations to restrict the promotion of less healthy food and drink where those are sold to the public. We have begun engaging with stakeholders as part of this process. It is important that engagement on our proposals is extensive and as inclusive as possible.

The overall response landscape in Scotland is set out in our guidance document “Preparing Scotland - Responding to Emergencies”.

A review of this suite of guidance is currently underway. The review, which is being undertaken in consultation with resilience partners, will consider whether the inclusion of additional mechanisms for the coordination of mutual aid should be built into the arrangements.