Implementation of the reduction of class contact time requires agreement through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT).

The Scottish Government remains committed to reducing class contact time, and we will continue to work with COSLA and the teacher unions, through the SNCT to agree our approach to delivering this important commitment at pace.

The Scottish Government’s 2021-22 Programme for Government included a commitment to progress work to tackle violence against men and boys, investing in services which support male survivors of rape and domestic abuse.

In line with our PfG commitment we have invested in services which support male survivors of abuse by funding the following organisations:

• Men’s Advice Line, who provide emotional support and practical advice and information for male victims of domestic abuse in Scotland.
• SACRO’s FearFree Project which supports male and LGBTI survivors of domestic violence.
• AMIS, a charity that support men experiencing domestic abuse through their national helpline, website and training services.
• The Scottish Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline to support both male and female victims and survivors.
• ASSIST, who as part of their work provide advocacy support to male survivors of domestic abuse in the West of Scotland and the Lothians.
• LGBT Domestic Abuse project, which works across Scotland to raise awareness and improve service responses of LGBT people's experiences of domestic abuse and other forms of gender based violence.

All legislative changes adopted to address domestic abuse and rape and sexual assault, such as the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 similarly protect both female and male victims.

Furthermore, Equally Safe, Scotland’s strategy to prevent and eradicate all forms of violence against women and girls, recognises that men and boys can also be victims of violence and abuse. Its focus on the disproportionate harm women and girls face due to this type of violence is in line with United Nations and World Health Organisation approaches, and enables us to meet our obligations under international human rights legislation such as CEDAW and the Istanbul Convention.

Ministerial pay is set and administered by the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government has no role in this. You may, therefore, wish to direct any detailed questions on pay to the Scottish Parliament. A breakdown on Ministerial salaries is provided on the Scottish parliament website - MSP salaries | Scottish Parliament Website.

I can confirm that all Ministers accepted the equalisation of the MSP element of their salary, with the exception of the First Minister who chose not to do so to avoid any perception that he was personally benefiting from his own decisions on Ministerial pay.

Offshore oil and gas licensing, as well as consenting and the associated fiscal regime, are all matters that are currently reserved to the UK Government.

The Scottish Government has been clear in our commitment to achieving net zero by 2045. Any further extraction and use of fossil fuels must be consistent with Scotland’s climate obligations and just transition commitments and we have advocated for a licencing approach that has a Climate Compatibility Checkpoint as well as taking energy security into account. It is vital that we take an evidence-based approach to the energy transition. At the heart of our approach is ensuring a just transition for Scotland’s valued and highly skilled oil and gas workforces whose skills will be critical to the success of Scotwind and other low carbon energy projects.

The Scottish Government has the utmost sympathy to the women who were prescribed diethylstilbestrol (DES) and the impact it had on them and their families.

However, Scottish Ministers have no plans to establish a working group on this issue as the regulation for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines is reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Calls to the 111 service can go unanswered for a variety of reasons, including callers choosing to end their call after being connected to the automated messaging service and hearing the options available to them – including an NHS 24 callback service during busier periods.

Other options include accessing self-care advice via the NHS Inform website or contacting another area of the health service which may be more appropriate to meet their needs.

We continue to support NHS 24’s ongoing work to help reduce unanswered calls, including recently revising NHS 24’s key performance indicators to better reflect and understand the current demands on the service.

This work allows the Service to capture any unmet demand, and any potential risks where callers have made multiple attempts to access 111 without success.

In addition, over the past two financial years NHS 24 has received additional funding of £28.3m to support their wider role in the re-design of unscheduled care. This has allowed the service to boost their staffing numbers with 22 WTE additional clinicians recruited this year and the Service now almost at desired capacity in terms of call handlers.

The latest available information on convictions is for the financial year 2022-23.

The following table provides the number of people prosecuted under the Dog Fouling (Scotland) 2003 Act, where it was a main crime, 2010-11 to 2021-22.

Scottish Ministers are legally required to consult, develop and implement fisheries management measures for inshore Marine Protected Areas and Priority Marine Features.

Developing the evidence-base for effective fisheries management measures, and undertaking statutory requirements, for more than 160 sites and areas within the inshore region is a complicated and challenging process. We are continuing to work at pace to complete the necessary statutory social, economic and environmental assessments ahead of launching a public consultation.

Fisheries management measure will be implemented as soon as possible following analysis of the consultation responses and a final decision on the measures has been taken.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital importance of a skilled plumbing workforce and is actively supporting its growth. A key route is our continued investment in Modern Apprenticeships, backed by £185 million this year. We are also exploring how to maximise the impact of this investment.

We are engaging directly with industries and employers to shape a new skills planning approach that will aim to effectively address national and regional needs. including considering how Recognition of Prior Learning can help individuals with experience enter the sector.

While we take these actions, it's crucial to acknowledge that Brexit and current UK immigration policy exacerbate skills gaps and hinder Scotland's progress, which is why we advocate for a tailored migration approach for Scotland.

Decisions on the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) are reserved to the UK Government. The UK Government has published impact assessments and is updating its analysis ahead of a final decision this summer. We are awaiting sight of this updated modelling.

In addition, a range of impact assessments have been carried out by consultancies and industry bodies.

We met with researchers, industry and consumer organisations – as well as international electricity market experts – in December 2024 to consider the evidence and have engaged extensively with stakeholders over the past two years to understand all impacts.

This is a complex area and the Scottish Government is clear that UK Government reforms must reduce costs for Scottish consumers, ensure Scotland’s communities feel the benefit of the energy transition and protect investment in our renewables industry and supporting decarbonisation.