Chamber and committees

In 2022/23, the Scottish Government provided £2.35million to NHS24 for Breathing Space; this forms part of our overall funding package to NHS24 (of almost £10million), to provide a range of advice and support to people experiencing mental health problems.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital service Breathing Space provides and intends to continue funding the service. Our funding enables NHS24 to provide a high quality listening service for people experiencing low mood. It also allows the continued development of the service using user insight and evaluation. For example, the service recently expanded to include a webchat facility which provides support in a way that meets users’ needs whilst also offering a new way to help manage demand for this valuable service.

The requested information on the number of recorded crimes of having in a school an article with a blade or point, split by local authority area, is provided below. As with the national picture, at least part of any reduction at the local authority level during 2020-21 (and any subsequent increase in 2021-22) will likely reflect the closure of the school estate during the pandemic related lockdowns.

Table 1: Having in a school an article with a blade or point not used in other criminal activity

We recognise that rises in the cost of living are putting a huge strain on some families and they are facing unforeseen challenges.

The management of debt is an issue for education authorities and their finance departments. Councils have the power to make discretionary offers of free school meals to families, where they are experiencing financial hardship due to exceptional circumstances, who do not meet the regular eligibility criteria.

COSLA, working with partners from across Local Government, have developed a set of good practice principles for the management of school meal debt, which were published on 20 February 2023. The intended audience for these principles is local authority staff across a range of departments (including education, catering, finance and debt collection) as well as Head Teachers, class teachers and other school staff. The principles can be accessed through the following link: COSLA Publish Good Practice Principles for Managing School Meal Debt - 20th February 2023 | COSLA

The following table provides a breakdown of the number of homes in the South Scotland region delivered through the demand-led Rural and Islands Housing Fund in each year since 2016-17, broken down by local authority area.

The homes provided through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme comprise homes for social rent, for mid-market rent and for low cost home ownership. These homes take various forms including; new build homes, rehabilitation projects, conversions and off-the-shelf purchases of both new and second hand homes.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on work being carried out in either new or old housing developments to support bat conservation.

All bats in Scotland are protected under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 and therefore any development work, including housing, has to take into account the conservation and protection of the species and ensure that there will be no adverse impacts on their conservation status.

We do not currently hold data to quantify the provision of school childcare clubs within schools in particular local authority areas.

There are a variety of delivery models for the range of services being provided before and after school and in the holidays which might provide childcare options for families.

Services whose primary purpose it to provide childcare must register with, and be inspected by, the Care Inspectorate (dependent on their hours of operation). The majority of regulated school age childcare services are delivered by private, voluntary or third sector organisations. Only a minority are delivered directly by the local authority. The Care Inspectorate hold central data about regulated services.

Where a school offers clubs outside the school day as part of its activities programme (such as hobby or activity clubs), or for less than 2 hours each day (such as many breakfast clubs), these are not required to be registered or inspected by the Care Inspectorate. These may be provided by teachers, activity providers or volunteers. Data on these clubs is therefore not collected centrally.

The following table provides a breakdown of the spend on the demand-led Rural and Islands Housing Fund in the South Scotland Region each year since its introduction in 2016-17, broken down by local authority area. The Rural and Island Housing Fund plays an important role in offering support to community organisations and others while complementing the significant delivery through our mainstream programme by Councils and Registered Social Landlords in rural and island areas .

In the 2021-22 Programme for Government and as part of the Bute House Agreement, the Scottish Government committed to undertake an in-depth analysis to better understand our energy requirements as we transition to net zero. Following a procurement process, EY was appointed as independent contractor to carry out this work and an independent panel provided challenge and scrutiny. Independent Panel members have globally recognised expertise across the oil & gas industry, climate science, the energy sector and Scotland’s economy. They are Laura Cozzi: Chief Energy Modeller, International Energy Agency; Professor Gabi Hegerl: Chair - Climate System Science, University of Edinburgh; Professor Paul de Leeuw: Director of the Energy Transition Institute, Robert Gordon University and Professor Mairi Spowage: Professor of Practice and Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute. Whilst they provided feedback on the outputs and reports throughout their preparation, the panel has remained entirely objective and the report in no way represents the views of the respective panel members themselves, or of their institutions.

Work is now complete and the analysis, which includes a detailed assessment of oil and gas production in Scotland; a study of energy demand; and assessment of the just transition implications of the energy transition has been published on the Scottish Government website today. This work is a significant contribution to the evidence base for future policy making and we are therefore extending the consultation on the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan by five weeks, to 9 May, to allow stakeholders sufficient time to engage with this material.

Mairi Gougeon: From the Farming Opportunities for New Entrants (FONE) programme, seven of the eight 2022 priorities have been met. They made 265 hectares of publicly-owned land available to new entrants in 2022, with an additional 263 hectares, originally planned for 2022, being made available in Spring 2023.

The FONE group’s members have worked incredibly hard to reach positive, year-on-year results. And I continue to support them as they aim to make 600 hectares available for new entrants in 2023.

I am delighted to be able to confirm that, following an intense period of scrutiny, that I am approving the plan for Integrated Maternity Services for the North, with consultant-led obstetric services at Dr Gray’s hospital. This is supported by an initial commitment of £6.6m to support implementation. I am also pleased to report that Linda de Caestecker, as lead for the external assurance panel has agreed to continue her involvement for at least the next 12 months as Boards move forward with implementation. The collaboration and innovation from NHS Grampian and NHS Highland on this plan provides a solid platform to build from as we look to strengthen maternity services in the north in a safe and sustainable way.