Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14291 on 7 February 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

Advanced Practice Academies do not currently include Advanced Clinical Nurse Specialists. However NHS Education for Scotland has confirmed they will be included when work on the implementation of the paper’s recommendations has concluded.

The Scottish Government commissioned independent research into the steel sector in Scotland: this included consideration of the scope for Electric Arc Furnaces in Scotland. This report is available to read online and can be found here .

There will be opportunities through the ScotWind programme, which promises to be transformational in delivering wider economic supply chain benefits to help power Scotland’s green recovery in communities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise have also discussed the potential for an Electric Arc Furnace with Liberty Steel Dalzell. The Group continue to have Green Steel practices at the heart of their strategy to help ensure an economically and environmentally sustainable future for the business and industry.

Electric Arc Furnaces are large-scale ambitions that need large-scale solutions and will require significant private sector investment. We are encouraging any company interested in developing an Electric Arc Furnace to seek advice and support from their local Enterprise Agency.

Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) are focused on drug treatment as the primary means of reducing offending behaviour, by reducing or eliminating drug dependency. DTTOs allow drug testing and regular court reviews as features of a community disposal, and their effective delivery involves ongoing medical and other support services.

Where DTTOs are available, their supervision is a matter for local authorities, working in collaboration with relevant health services to ensure that support and treatment is provided, and arrangements vary by local area. The Scottish Government therefore does not hold the information requested.

However, in response to the Drug Deaths Taskforce Report and as noted in the cross government action plan published on 12 January, the Scottish Government will carry out a review of DTTOs, community payback orders and other community sentencing options to assess how they have been used, their outcomes and whether they are the most effective mechanism to support an individual’s recovery and reduce recidivism rates. The aim is to report in spring 2023.

Published in December 2021, the NHS gender identity services: strategic action framework 2022-2024 outlined actions to improve access, and delivery of, NHS gender identity services.

A description of the range of work referred to in the answer to question S6W-13576 is included in the 21 November 2022 letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to the Convener of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14269 on 7 February 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14269 on 7 February 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 .

Architecture and Design Scotland staff are not civil servants, however their pay and conditions are analogous with Scottish Government civil servants.

The Climate Action Towns project commenced in September 2021. The number of Architecture and Design Scotland staff working on the Climate Action Towns project is as follows:

The matter of strike action is a for Bòrd na Gidhlig to consider and to ensure that any vital services to the Gaelic community continue to be supported.

The eLearning module, “Equality and the Role of Board Members in Meeting the Public Sector Duty”, is available through NHS Education for Scotland. While this is not a mandatory module, it is recommended to all Board Members. This was promoted to NHS Board Chairs in July 2022 and all NHS Board members and staff can access the module.