Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13105 on 23 December 2022. 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

All applications for EPS licences are considered on a case by cases basis and it is expected that applicants use appropriate models and calculations such as those set out in the Marine Scotland guidance document - faq_adds_and_eps_including_annex_1_and_annex_2_-_version_5_-october_2021_-_final.pdf (marine.gov.scot) . Relevant models use data that is the best current representation of the locations where cetaceans are expected to be found.

Marine Scotland is currently updating this guidance document to include finer resolution species density surfaces and this will be published early in 2023. All applications for EPS licences will be expected to follow the updated guidance.

Fares on the Northern Isles Ferry Services network have been frozen until the end of March 2023 to help combat the ongoing cost crisis facing communities across Scotland.

I appreciate the need to get bookings released so that businesses and individuals can plan ahead, and aim to confirm fares and open bookings beyond 31 March as soon as possible.

For staffing and resourcing, the Scottish Government set a maximum staffing support rate of 15% of their total allocation or £57,143 for individual Local Action Group (LAG) areas. However, LAGs could use their revenue allocation to source additional freelance support from out with their Local Authority where needed.

Area spend is ongoing and until all claims have been processed at the end of the financial year, an accurate figure cannot be given for staffing and resourcing costs.

The LAG allocation breakdown is provided in the following table;

There were no applications to the Ayrshire Rural and Islands Ambition (ARIA) Fund that indirectly included local authorities as beneficiaries.

The outcome of the technical checks is detailed in the following table:

In response to your query, my officials have provided the data below as requested.

The following table shows the number of accidents where a defective or poor road surface was a contributory factor.

The Scottish Prison Service publish information regarding all deaths in SPS custody on a quarterly basis, which includes the ‘medical certificate of cause of death’ (MCCD). However, data is not held by either the Scottish Government or the Scottish Prison Service on the number of instances of deaths in prison custody determined to be suicides involved non-prescription or illegal drugs found or suspected to be present in the deceased.

Steps are being taken through the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Response to Deaths in Prison Custody to improve availability of data relating to deaths in prison custody.

Superfast broadband coverage in Glasgow currently stands at 98.7% - in large part, thanks to commercial coverage, which also serves as a key strand of our Reaching 100% programme, particularly in extending coverage in Scotland’s urban areas.

However, our R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme remains available for those who are not expected to receive superfast broadband through either the R100 contracts or commercial build, offering a voucher worth up to £5,000 per property to secure a connection.

All children and young people should receive the support they need to reach their full potential.

Education authorities are legally responsible for identifying and meeting the additional support needs of their pupils, including any additional support needs of pupils receiving Gaelic-medium education. The Scottish Government has supported education authorities in the delivery of these duties through the preparation and publication of statutory guidance.

We are also working closely with local government partners, through the Additional Support for Learning Project Board , to ensure we continue to see progress with the delivery of the recommendations from the 2020 additional support for learning review. In November 2022, we published an updated action plan and progress report to further support improvement in the implementation of additional support for learning, including within Gaelic-medium education.