Chamber and committees

The following table outlines the opening dates set out in the 2020 NHS Recovery Plan and the current projected opening dates for National Treatment Centres without approved Full Business Cases:

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19985 on 7 August 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

It is not possible to compare the current proposal with the previous one at this point. The Full Business Case is still under development and the proposed number of patients treated will be revised to reflect the impact of inflation, net zero carbon targets, plot change and updated clinical brief to align with national treatment targets.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19964 on 7 August 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

Information on the share of population 25 to 64 years old with tertiary education is published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and is available here.

Based on HM Treasury’s Country and Regional Analysis (2021-22), frontline Health spend per head in Scotland is £3,377, which is £323 (10.6%) higher than in England and £74 (2.2%) higher than in Wales. Proportionally, this equates to almost £1.8 billion more spending on frontline health services in Scotland compared to England, and almost £405 million more compared to Wales – equivalent to around 44,000 and 10,000 nurses, respectively.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Estimates of Police Recorded cybercrime were most recently published in the Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2022-23 - (gov.scot (www.gov.scot) statistical publication and are based on a review of a sample of recorded crimes which are considered likely to include a cyber element. The amount of money defrauded through cybercrime is not recorded.

Estimates of Police Recorded cybercrime were most recently published in the Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2022-23 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) statistical publication and are based on a review of a sample of recorded crimes which are considered likely to include a cyber element. The amount of money defrauded through cybercrime is not recorded.

In 2022-23 there were an estimated 14,890 police recorded cyber-crimes, accounting for 5% of all recorded crime in Scotland. This estimate is based on a review of crime records, whereby a random sample of cases was drawn across Scotland for those types of crime that could in theory involve a cyber-element.

Of these 14,890 estimated cyber-crimes, the most common types were crimes of fraud (57%), sexual crimes (26%) and crimes of threats and extortion (12%).

The estimate of Police recorded cyber-crime does not provide information on the characteristics of all cyber-crime committed in society, as not all these crimes are reported to the police. To better understand cyber-crime committed in Scotland, including those cases not reported to the police, an updated section on fraud and computer misuse has been included in the 2023-24 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey.

The consultation on the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan closed on 9 May and we received a very high level of responses. We will shortly publish all consultation responses on the Scottish Government’s Citizen Space website (according to the preferences stated by respondents in their Respondent Information Form).

The Scottish Budget delivered a package of reliefs for 2023-24 worth £749 million, including the Small Business Bonus Scheme which offers up to 100% relief for eligible individual properties in Scotland with a rateable value of up to £20,000.

To improve the design of the scheme, the Scottish Government expanded the upper eligibility threshold for the Small Business Bonus Scheme from £18,000 to £20,000 and made the relief more progressive by introducing a taper for properties with a rateable value between £12,001 and £20,000. The Small Business Bonus Scheme remains the most generous scheme of its kind in the UK, and continues to take 100,000 properties out of rates altogether. Table 1 provides a comparison of small business rates reliefs in Scotland, England and Wales.

Table 1: Small Business Rates Reliefs in Scotland, England and Wales in 2023-24