Chamber and committees

Tree Planting is a critical element of the Scottish Government’s plans to tackle the climate emergency and help achieve a net-zero Scotland.

Although data on land use prior to woodland establishment is not available, tree planting takes place on a range of land types, including agricultural, former agricultural, sporting, conservation, restored land, on golf courses and in association with built and infrastructure development.

Official statistics show that 82,840 hectares of new woodland was created in Scotland in the last decade.

The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme (SSIP) Lead conducts a review process and meets with all NHS boards to understand the provision of stroke services and create a local action plan to improve performance where needed.

We recognise that the Scottish Stroke Care Standards are challenging for the service and expect Stroke Managed Clinical Networks and Health Boards to work together to drive forward quality improvement programmes of work to achieve these.

The programme board is chaired by senior Scottish Government officials and comprises representatives from SEPA, Cosla, Solace and Zero Waste Scotland.

The board regularly reports to Scottish Ministers, and is supported by an advisory group which is composed of industry and local authority representatives.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10404 on 20 September 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

The following table shows the number of cardholders under the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme as of the end of the day on 12 September 2022, broken down to local authority level.

This data is supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office (NECPO). NECPO support the 32 local authorities by assisting with the integration of various national and local public services on the National Entitlement Card (NEC) and are the joint controller with local authorities of this data. The table includes travel products collected from the Transport Scot Pass Collect mobile application.

The Scottish Government recognises more than ever, the importance of people with mental health problems getting the right help, at the right time and in the right place. We are committed to providing clear, comprehensive and accessible support for those with mental health needs.

Under The Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 local authorities have a duty to provide support to adult adoptees. If an adult adoptee or any other person affected by adoption requires support they should approach their local authority who are required to carry out an assessment and provide support to address any needs, including mental health, that are identified.

The 2022-23 Local Government Settlement of almost £12.7 billion provides local authorities with a cash increase of over £1 billion or 9.2 per cent compared to
‎ 2021-22, and it is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on support for adult adoptees, on the basis of local needs and priorities.

In 2020-21 NHS Mental Health Expenditure was £1.25bn. Through investment of £21m in 2021-22 in our Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults, including people affected by psychological trauma or adverse childhood experiences, we have made over 1,800 awards to community projects focused on prevention and early intervention. The Scottish Government is providing a further £15m in 2022-23.

At June 2022 our latest published statistics show that Social Security Scotland had reached 3,061 employees with 1,050 these colleagues employed with Dundee as their office location.

By Autumn 2022 we expect Social Security Scotland to directly employ more than 3,500 people. We have made 2,000 offers of employment with new staff joining up until the end of 2022. We have 11 organised campaigns to launch with a Dundee specific location in 2022-23. We have/have not yet planned the specific Dundee campaigns for 2023-24.

Scottish Ministers and officials regularly meet with representatives of the financial services sector, including lenders, to discuss a range of matters including measures to support households and businesses.

The Deputy First Minister met with the financial services sector (the quarterly Financial Services Growth and Development Board (FISGAD)) on 30 August 2022. Details of the membership of the Board can be found at https://www.gov.scot/groups/financial-services-growth-and-development-board/

Officials also regularly engage with UK Finance (representative body for the banking and Finance Industry). Details of UK Finance membership can be found at https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/

Attendees at such meetings vary according to representatives' availability.

We are considering a wide range of information and evidence on rent controls, including a bespoke research briefing from experts in the field at the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence. This research included assessment and references to previous academic work on rent controls systems in both Berlin and Ireland. In addition, I met with members of Ireland’s Residential Tenancies Board on 9 August 2022. Consideration of international comparisons will help continue to inform our thinking as we progress policy development in this important area of work.

The Scottish Government Environment Strategy (2020) recognises the urgent need for action at all levels, in tackling the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. Sadly, the evidence tells us that in common with the rest of the world, Scotland has not yet done enough to prevent the continuing decline in biodiversity. We recently consulted on our new biodiversity strategy, which sets out our ambition to halt nature loss by 2030 and reverse it by 2045. The consultation closed on 12 September and we are currently analysing responses.