Chamber and committees

Scottish Government officials meet regularly with their Welsh Government counterparts sharing best practice, including discussing mobility programmes and ways to maximise participation opportunities for those who need it most. In this context, wider discussion around mobility and exchange, including Taith, take place regularly to ensure both sides collaborate, are up to date and improve efficiency in developing and delivering opportunities for learning and exchange.

We are taking the capacity issues at Dargavel Primary School very seriously, and we continue to be in close contact with Renfrewshire Council.

On 30 November, I met with Dargavel Primary Parent Council, Neil Bibby MSP and Natalie Don MSP, and had a constructive discussion about this important matter. Officials will remain in close contact with the Council on this matter going forward.

As set out in answer to S6T-00961, the Scottish Government will consider the recommendations made in the Asylum Inquiry Scotland’s inquiry report when preparing our response to it. That response will be published in due course. I have already written to the Home Secretary to seek a meeting about the issues raised in the Asylum Inquiry Scotland report and the wider asylum system.

All answers to Topical Questions are available on the Official Report, the search facility for which can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/meeting-of-parliament-15-11-2022?meeting=13988&iob=126730

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12299 on‎ 1 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

Consultation was undertaken on the broad principles of land use change with Scottish Forestry (SF) and RPID, prior to Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) submitting their offer. Officials from FLS would be happy to provide the responses received from SF / RPID.

In line with the UK Wide DDRB recommendations, Junior Doctors in Scotland have been awarded a 4.5% pay uplift this year, the same position in Wales. Junior Doctors in England did not receive a 4.5% uplift due to agreeing a previous multi-year deal.

Housing statistics on new housebuilding and affordable housing supply are published quarterly on the Scottish Government website and can be accessed using the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/housing-statistics-for-scotland-new-house-building/.

The next set of quarterly housing statistics are expected to be published in January 2023.

The amended final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), published on 22 December 2021, gave our assessment of the impact of DRS on online sales. The BRIA is available here; see paragraphs 215-218:

https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/impact-assessment/2021/12/deposit-return-scheme-scotland-final-business-regulatory-impact-assessment/documents/deposit-return-scheme-scotland-final-business-regulatory-impact-assessment-bria/deposit-return-scheme-scotland-final-business-regulatory-impact-assessment-bria/govscot%3Adocument/deposit-return-scheme-scotland-final-business-regulatory-impact-assessment-bria.pdf

As stated in the response to S6W-12236 on 1 December 2022, we are considering measures to address concerns that have been raised by industry, including representatives of the food delivery industry, regarding the obligation to provide a takeback service for scheme articles sold online under DRS.

Customers buying drinks through online sales do not have to use the takeback service provided and can return their empty containers to any return point.

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

The DRS Regulations allow return points to refuse returns where the number of containers is disproportionately greater than the number of containers that retailer would sell in an average single transaction. This will allow food delivery drivers to refuse such requests from customers.

Funding of £18 billion is provided for the health portfolio in 2022-23. This builds on frontline health spending in Scotland that, per head, is 2.2% (£74) higher than in Wales and 10.6% (£323) higher than in England - equivalent to around 10, 000 nurses and 44, 000 nurses, respectively - and takes investment in our frontline NHS Boards to £12.4 billion. This investment supports both existing staff costs and ongoing recruitment, in line with local workforce and service planning.

In addition to this, in October this year funding of £7.98 million was announced to recruit up to 750 nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to offset the up-front recruitment costs of international recruitment by the end of March 2023. Last winter we announced funding to build infrastructure within boards and support international recruitment to recruit at least 200 registered nurses. By the end of August 2022 c.230 nurses have been recruited. Boards may also independently pursue overseas recruitment for specific roles or indeed as part of a campaign and routinely do so.