Chamber and committees

The following tables provide a breakdown of homes delivered in rural (mainland) and island areas through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund since 2016-17 by local authority area.

Operational decisions on pay and staffing matters are for college employers and trade unions to negotiate collaboratively, in the spirit of national bargaining. Ministers have no direct role in these decisions.

I expect management and trade unions to make every effort to reach a settlement that is fair and affordable, and without the need for further industrial action.

Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) Staffing levels in Occupational Therapy have increased by 19% or over 400, from 2161.4 at September 2007 to 2573 at December 2022. Overall, NHS Scotland’s staffing levels are up by around 28,900 WTE. This is a 22.7% increase, from 127,061.9 WTE at September 2006 to 155,926.9 WTE at December 2022).

In March 2022, the Scottish Government published the National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social care, which sets out our long term vision for achieving a sustainable health and care workforce, alongside the action we are taking now to support the training, attraction and recruitment of staff, including allied health professionals. This includes a commitment to investing over £11 million in the current parliament, in international recruitment activity, and the provision of some £22 million in 2022-23 to local authorities, to support the employment of additional staff including occupational therapists.

Scottish Government Ministers and officials meet regularly with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Royal College of Radiologists, to discuss areas of mutual interest.

Scottish Government Ministers and officials meet regularly with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, to discuss areas of mutual interest.

Scottish Government Ministers and officials meet regularly with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists, to discuss areas of mutual interest.

The Scottish Government provided funding to a number of delivery partners to support the delivery and operation of the application process for the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme which includes costs associated with customer service, technical support, card production and distribution, marketing and other operational activities. The breakdown of funding is as follows;

• The Improvement Service has been provided funding of £2,382,100 for activities relating to the online application process, support for local authorities, customer service, and other operational costs.
• The National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO) has been provided funding of £1,352,332 for activities relating to the management of application systems and processes, card production and distribution, and other operational costs.
• Young Scot has been provided funding of £159,000 for activities relating to customer service, marketing and promotion, and other operational costs.

The funding outlined is correct as of 25 May 2023 but is subject to change pending conclusion of financial reconciliations.

The Scottish Government spent a total of £1,173,257 on the communications, marketing and promotion of the scheme and its application process.

The Scottish Government does not hold this data.

It is important that women are provided with consistent information and care when they seek help with menopause symptoms, be it through primary or specialist care.

Through the delivery of the Women’s Health Plan , we want to ensure that all women have timely access to menopause support and services when required, and more information about the progress we have made on delivering this action can be found in our Women’s Health Plan: A Report on Progress .

Through the Women’s Health Plan we are working to improve collection and use of data, including qualitative evidence of women’s lived experiences to inform service design and improve healthcare services and women’s care and experiences.

Consultation was undertaken prior to publishing design guidance on bus stop bypasses in the updated ‘Cycling by Design’ document in 2021, and considered impacts on those walking and wheeling as they interact with cycling infrastructure. The consultation included representation from the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland, Guide Dogs Scotland, Royal National Institute of Blind People, Spinal Injuries Scotland, Living Streets, Cycling UK and Cycling Without Age.

To inform the design guidance further, Transport Scotland commissioned Living Streets in 2021 to investigate issues of inclusion where bus stop bypasses have been introduced, primarily to accommodate cycle facilities. The study has visited sites across the UK, photographing, measuring and recording behaviours of pedestrian and cyclists, and has analysed footage using fixed cameras. The study has also included a literature review, and consultation with a wide range of user groups including disabled people and others who are most at risk. The study is due to report late summer 2023.

There are currently 170 Civil Servants working within the National Care Service Programme. Due to the matrix style approach to delivery of the Social Care business area, staff may not be working on the National Care Service Programme objectives 100 percent of their time.

The number of Civil servants working within the Programme can be broken down into:

• Full time: 154
• Part time: 16