Chamber and committees

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water I have asked them to respond. Their answer is:

The number of interns Scottish Water hired in each year since 2013 is set out in the table below. In 2020, the Covid 19 pandemic impacted Scottish Water’s ability to support internships and this continued to have an impact in 2021 and 2022.

The Scottish Government does not stipulate that private companies have to offset carbon emissions.

As Circularity Scotland is a private company, we therefore did not make any stipulation to them that they must offset any such emissions.

Scottish Water has recorded the following number of deaths since 2013 at the reservoirs it manages:

2013 – Mill Glen – 2 deaths

2014 – Torduff – 1 death

2018 – Glenburn – 1 death

Scottish Water takes a proactive role in reducing the risks around its assets, and is urging people to stay safe, behave responsibly and not take risks around watercourses such as reservoirs, rivers and lochs.

Guidance on wild swimming is now available to Public Health Scotland website and provides useful information - Wild swimming: how to swim safely in Scotland's outdoor water (publichealthscotland.scot) .

Good quality employment contributes to good health. We know that home and flexible working can have both positive and negative impacts on workers’ health and wellbeing. ONS data has found positive and negative health impacts vary by socio-demographic characteristics and factors, such as an employee’s work satisfaction and personal circumstances. Our understanding of the range of factors which may impact health system pressures remains informed by the latest emerging evidence.

Our commitment to the Promise is irrespective of any decision in relation to the National Care Service. As such, the timetable for the passage of the Bill does not have any impact on the aims of the Promise.

The R100 programme remains on track to meet its current contractual completion dates. The R100 contracts are currently delivering full fibre, gigabit capable connections at pace across the length and breadth of Scotland.

For any properties beyond the reach of the R100 contract build or commercial coverage plans, the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme – offering vouchers worth up to £5,000 – remains available to help secure a superfast broadband connection.

Our address checker at https://www.scotlandsuperfast.com shows the most recent plans and timescales for residential and commercial properties across Scotland, allowing access to the most up-to-date information.

Funding provided to NHS Boards for Childsmile programme delivery is set out in the following table.

In addition to direct programme allocations, funding is provided to NHS Boards through the annual Outcomes Framework allocation to deliver a range of core services, including for Childsmile. The total value of this allocation for each financial year is also set out in the following table:

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18901 on 21 June 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

Food Standards Scotland recommends following a healthy balanced diet as represented by The Eatwell Guide . Doing so will increase consumption of vegetables, pulses and wholegrains and will likely reduce the consumption of less healthy food and drink. The Eat Well Your Way website supports people to make small and manageable changes to improve their diet.

Scottish Government is supporting a range of actions set out in our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan to encourage people to include more vegetables, pulses and wholegrains in their diet.

For example, we fund the Healthy Living Programme which helps 2,400 convenience stores to increase the range, availability, quality and affordability of fresh produce and healthier products from other categories, especially in areas of higher deprivation.

We also provide funding to Community Food Networks to promote a range of services such as cooking classes, benefit checks, ‘grow-your-own’ food groups, cafés and food pantries.

Our Parent Club website provides free advice on healthy eating, as well as low-cost recipe ideas to support people and families prepare healthier meals.

The digital infrastructure requirements for the Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme (SVIP) are currently being explored in conjunction with our partners Public Health Scotland (PHS) and National Services Scotland (NSS). A report and roadmap will be considered with our partners in summer 2023 and will ensure all potential options are fully scoped and costed. This will enable the recommendation of preferred solutions for a future vaccination and immunisation system which meets the needs of the people of Scotland.