Chamber and committees

Scottish Government expenditure is allocated across portfolios to various sectors, including the third sector, to improve a wide range of outcomes. Spending is not all specifically classified as to whether or not it is allocated to third-sector organisations to deliver services. Consequently the figures requested are not available.

The Scottish Government is investing £79.5 million, an increase of almost 60% from 2022-23, to deliver climate action through an updated climate change plan and Scottish adaptation programme, a public engagement strategy and community action.

The Scottish Government will provide £50 million in capital and financial transactions to support the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray to accelerate the development of a transformed and decarbonised economy in the region. This increase from 2022-23 is part of the Scottish Government's commitment to spend £500 million over ten years.

The Scottish Government will also continue to influence positive and progressive international climate action investing at least £6m in the Climate Justice Fund.

This is a matter for local government. The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Provision of school libraries, which deliver a wide range of benefits and access to learning materials and resources for pupils, is a matter for local decision making in each local authority area.

We support the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) to deliver the School Library Improvement Fund and support Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools – A National Strategy for School Libraries in Scotland 2018-23 .

Over the last 12 months Marine Scotland Directorate has recruited a significant number of new staff across Marine Scotland Licensing Operations Team, Marine Scotland Planning and Policy Division and the science function within Marine Scotland to address increased demands expected from processing ScotWind applications. Resources will be kept under review in light of the number of lease options awarded for ScotWind and applicants’ proposed timelines. In addition, the Marine Scotland Directorate has established a streamlining team to identify and implement efficiencies in consenting processes.

The PVG Scheme was established on 28 February 2011. The number of PVG disclosures completed in each financial year since that date is set out in the following table.

Disclosure Scotland’s Annual Report and Accounts, which includes figures about PVG disclosures, is laid in the Parliament each year and published on the MyGov.Scot website: Disclosure Scotland Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22

We do not have plans to introduce legislation to establish an Older People’s Commissioner. There are existing commissions that protect the rights of older people. The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) already play a role in relation to the rights of older people in respect of age as a protected equality characteristic. In addition, we continue to work closely with the Older People’s Strategic Action Forum on a range of priorities for advancing age equality.

We are committed to promoting the rights of older people and ensuring that they benefit from all that we are doing to improve people’s lives. That is why we provide over £2.2million to support older people's organisations to tackle inequality and discrimination and support our aim to promote the rights of older people.

The following table details the precision medicines accepted by the Scottish Medicines Consortium where the companion diagnostic test is not yet offered by NHS Scotland laboratories, and the anticipated roll-out of the appropriate test.

Validation is required for every companion diagnostic test to ensure the accuracy of the test meets the indication required. A number of tests have completed validation and are currently awaiting implementation throughout the course of 2023. We continue to work with key partners, such as the Scottish Strategic Network for Genomics Medicine (SSNGM), to ensure there is capacity within laboratories for companion diagnostics tests.

*Olaparib (SMC2366) for the treatment of prostate cancer

**Olaparib (SMC2368) for the treatment of ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer requires two companion diagnostics tests in order for patients to access the treatment. One of the tests, BRCA, is available in NHS Scotland labs, however, the other, HRD, is not available due to its complexity. While testing isn’t available in NHS laboratories, it is available through an alternative provider ensuring patients can still access the medicine.

Avian influenza viruses remain predominantly a pathogen that affects birds with a small number of cases of mammals being infected worldwide. Evidence of mammal-to-mammal transmission in the wild remains very limited and the available genomic surveillance data reported by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) in the UK does not suggest widespread mammalian adaption of the virus.

The infection of mammals with influenza of avian origin remains uncommon, including in humans. Public Health Scotland (PHS), who lead on public health responses, have established processes in place should a human case of avian influenza be reported in Scotland, in line with any other notifiable disease.

The Scottish Government are working closely with PHS, and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on avian flu. Work undertaken by PHS to date includes; contributing to, and adopting interim guidance on the management of contacts of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 and participating in the UKHSA national incident management team, and a 4 Nations Operational Avian Influenza Subgroup.

PHS are also part of the Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) group. HAIRS is a multi-agency cross-government horizon scanning and risk assessment group, which acts as a forum to identify and discuss infections with potential for interspecies transfer (particularly zoonotic infections). PHS contribute to risk assessments on avian influenza led from there, including on the risk of avian influenza from mammals.

The delivery of Scotland Genomics strategy is being overseen by the Scottish Strategic Network for Genomic Medicine (SSNGM). The Network is supported by a Scottish Government funded transformation team which is led by a Consultant Clinical Scientist and supported by Clinical Leads for rare disease and cancer.

The Network draws on a wide pool of stakeholders including clinicians and scientists. Many of which are supporting us directly to shape The Strategy through various working groups.