The guidance is expected to be published before summer recess.

The Scottish Government will hold a data summit with all local authorities in Scotland on Additional Support for Learning focused on recommending actions for improving consistency of identification, support and reporting of children’s needs at a local level.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-35337 on 11 March 2025 which covered the costs of the current charter agreement. 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

Network Rail has spent £461 million of Network Grant funding and £163 million of Enhancement Grant funding in year one of the control period. The quoted figures represent Network Rail spend alone.

MV Alfred has operated 2,720 sailings since 1 May 2023 (covering up to 30 April 2025).

This is a matter for NHS Boards. The information requested is not held centrally.

This is a matter for NHS Boards, which the Scottish Government expects to provide high quality, person-centred care and support for everyone, including people with postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS). Support is often provided via primary care, with referral to secondary care if necessary to rule out other causes of symptoms or provide management advice.

PoTS UK is a charity which provides information about managing and living with PoTS. This includes information and advice on self-management, mental health support and medication guidance. Their full resources can be found here: Managing PoTS - PoTS UK. Additionally, STARS (the Heart Rhythm Alliance) provide information on PoTS and resources for patients, which can be found here: Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) – STARS – UK (heartrhythmalliance.org).

This is a matter for NHS National Services Scotland, which established the national Long Covid Strategic Network and requested that Health Improvement Scotland perform the evidence review.

In our response to the recent report by the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, we committed to prioritising progress to introduce penalties for fish farm escapes in 2026-2027 and to publishing a revised Technical Standard for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture in 2027-2028.

The escape of fish from a fish farm is not a statutory offence. However, the Fish Health Inspectorate assesses whether satisfactory measures are in place on farms for the containment of fish. Where they are not, Scottish Ministers may serve an enforcement notice and failure to comply with this is an offence.

Jury service is an important civic duty, and I am grateful to all those who undertake it.

It is the view of the Scottish Government that the pool of potential jurors should be as wide as possible, to ensure that an accused person is being judged by their peers from all walks of life. This also prevents the burden of jury service falling on a narrower section of society than can reasonably be helped.

However, it is recognised that there will always be people who have difficulty in serving as jurors. Therefore, in addition to those eligible to be excused as of right as set out in Schedule 1 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Scotland Act 1980, individuals may also apply for excusal.

Clerks of Courts will be as sympathetic as they can to requests for excusal, and will consider, amongst other things; commitments at work, the cancellation of which would cause abnormal inconvenience - while at the same time balancing the need to have sufficient numbers of prospective jurors from which to ballot a jury.