Chamber and committees

The minutes for the 18 April 2024 and 24 October 2024 meetings of the Joint Working Group on Sources of Local Government Funding and Council Tax Reform are available on the Group webpage. The webpage can be accessed at the following link, Local government finance sources and council tax reform: joint working group - gov.scot.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34339 on 28 February 2025. 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 Scottish Government established the Psychiatry Recruitment and Retention Working Group as committed in the Mental Health Workforce Action Plan (November 2023) to address recruitment and retention challenges facing psychiatry in NHS Scotland.

The working group is actively considering the pipeline of trainee doctors as well as issues such as the use of locum staff and how we can encourage and support applications to permanent positions within NHS Health Boards. We also continue to invest heavily in our future consultant workforce and have created additional training places in psychiatry.

Representatives from the Royal College of Psychiatry in Scotland and the Senior Medical Managers in Psychiatry Group are critical partners in this work.

The working group is due to report to Ministers with recommendations in Spring 2025.

The Scottish Government does not hold FTE data on contractors. Information on the headcount of contractor staff whose information is captured in the Human Resources Management Information System statistics are available on the quarterly published statistics on Scottish Government workforce. (Scottish Government workforce statistics - gov.scot).

FSS collects and monitors Local Authority sampling data and commissions its own national food sampling programmes, which provide assurance on the safety and standards of food sold in Scotland. These include targeted sampling programmes informed by FSS horizon scanning activities, Horizon Scanning | Food Standards Scotland and commodity specific surveys to generate data on the prevalence and levels of contaminants in different foods for the safety assessments that are used to underpin the FSS Risk analysis | Food Standards Scotland. The sampling programmes data is published in FSS’ Our Food Our Food 2023: An annual review of food standards across the UK | Food Standards Scotland; the annual report on food standards in the UK, which is produced jointly with the Food Standards Agency, and DEFRA’s biennial UK Food Security Report 2024 published - GOV.UK. Further information on FSS’s Food Surveillance System can be found on the FSS website: Food surveillance system | Food Standards Scotland.

In March 2024 Processed_and_Ultra-Processed_Foods_-_Board_Meeting_-_2024_March_20_-_240307.pdf the FSS Board agreed the organisational position on processed and ultra-processed foods, based on the SACN review published in July 2023 SACN statement on processed foods and health - GOV.UK. Subsequently, they published a position paper FSS_Advice_-_Processed_and_Ultra-Processed_Food_UPF_-_Position_Paper_-_FINAL_-_August_2024.pdf outlining the evidence in relation to processed and ultra-processed foods and reiterating the advice for healthy and sustainable diets. This was accompanied by consumer advice on the FSS website, summarising ‘five key facts’ Processed and ultra-processed foods | Food Standards Scotland on the topic, alongside social media posts to further raise awareness.

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-35156 on 27 February 2025. 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 SG has today published a Legal Aid Reform Discussion Paper which sets out the three areas of work the Scottish Government will be undertaking to improve legal aid. We will bring forward Regulations by the end of 2025 to simplify the regulatory framework which governs the eligibility for legal assistance and to improve the application process, reducing the burden on both solicitors and those that need legal services and ensuring funding is provided as quickly and easily as possible.

We will also resume work to conduct research on legal aid fees and to implement changes informed by that research. Both of these areas of work will make it easier for solicitors to work with legal aid funding and for those who need help to obtain it.

Longer-term we will take forward a review of the whole system to ensure that it is adaptable, flexible, affordable and sustainable for the future.

We are committed to working with private sector law firms, third sector organisations and users of legal assistance services to develop that system and identify what primary legislation would be required to deliver it.

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-35156 on 27 February 2025. 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

Taxis and private hire cars (PHCs) are licensed under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.

While the Scottish Government has responsibility for the overarching legislation, the day to day administration of the licensing regime is devolved to independent licensing authorities – in effect the 32 Scottish local authorities.

All licensing authorities have wide discretion to determine appropriate licensing arrangements according to local needs and circumstances and their own legal advice.

Within this context, the information requested is not held by the Scottish Government. These are operational matters for individual taxi drivers and/or operators, in conjunction with licensing authorities.

In May 2023 the Scottish Government published updated best practice guidance for local licensing authorities and taxi and PHC operators on the licensing of taxis and PHCs and their drivers.

The guidance was updated with the assistance of a working group that consisted of representatives from the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, various local licensing authorities, taxi and PHC trade representatives and UNITE the Union.

The guidance can be viewed at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/taxi-private-hire-car-licensing-best-practice-licensing-authorities-taxi-private-hire-car-operators-3rd-edition/

Chapter 5 (vehicles) of the guidance provides examples of best practice that independent licensing authorities may wish to consider in relation to security in vehicles, such as the use of CCTV.