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Each year the Scottish Government receives a copy of the Scottish Mountain Rescue (SMR) Annual Review which includes the total number of mountaineering incidents and callouts involving the 25 volunteer teams and 3 Police Scotland teams that are affiliated with SMR. The collated information from the reports for each year since 2021, where available, is provided in the following table:

Repairs made under the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 are private matters, for individual homeowners in affected properties. As such the Scottish Government does not collect or hold this data.

The Scottish Government welcomes the insight provided by the British Society for Haematology in this report and recognises the challenges facing haematology services and our overall workforce.

The Scottish Government is responsible for setting the strategic policy direction for NHS Scotland and its workforce. Operational matters, including the staffing of individual services, are the responsibility of each NHS Scotland Health Board.

At a local level, the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 places duties on Health Boards to ensure that at all times suitably qualified and competent individuals are working in such numbers as are appropriate for the health, wellbeing and safety of patients, the provision of high-quality care and the wellbeing of staff.

We are working with NHS Scotland to address staffing as a matter of urgency, working closely with NHS Boards and clinical leaders from across the country to address pressures in a sustainable way. This includes retaining staff in specialist roles and prioritising staff wellbeing, as evidence shows that positive wellbeing enhances staff retention and engagement, which in turn raises standards of patient safety and quality of care.

I also refer the member to the answers to questions for S6W-39724 and S6W-39726 on 14 August and S6W-39725 on 20 August. 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 encourages individuals who suspect that they (or someone else) may have been spiked to call NHS 24 on 111 for advice and to seek medical help right away, but in a life-threatening emergency to always call 999. Spiking is a criminal offence. All suspected incidents should be reported to Police Scotland by calling 101.

In addition, and to address concerns that the link between health professionals and Police Scotland has in spiking cases not always been clear to victims presenting at A&E, the Scottish Government, in collaboration with NHS 24 and Police Scotland, has developed a consistent narrative for health professionals to ensure consistent guidance is provided.

As part of this multi-agency national response, Scotland’s 111 service has also been updated to include spiking-related guidance, helping to better identify and support potential cases. This approach has been endorsed by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.

Additionally, the NHS are introducing changes to their digital system which will allow us to record those who present to A&E as potential victims of spiking. This will provide invaluable data on previous unrecorded incidents and will allow us to better understand the extent to which these lead on to formal police reporting.

The Central Legal Office (CLO) within NHS National Services Scotland provides in-house legal services to NHSScotland Boards and wider public sector organisations. They provide cost effective advice by having fees that are competitive, flexible and compliant with the requirements for the proper handling and reporting of public funds as laid out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

Furthermore, their specialist legal advice and representation supports clients make legally informed decisions to promote cost-efficient practice in litigation matters.

The Central Legal Office is a department within NHS National Services Scotland (NSS). As a sponsored statutory body, NSS is subject to Annual Reviews from Scottish Government. This forms part of the overall monitoring of operational performance, governance and delivery of National Priorities. Since 2020-21, NSS has had ministerial-led annual reviews, with their Annual Review letters made publicly available on their website.

We are making positive progress towards a reformed National Performance Framework (NPF), and we intend to launch a reformed framework in the new parliamentary session following the 2026 Scottish Election.

We are currently engaging with a range of experts and stakeholders on the detail of a reformed NPF, and as such, no decisions have been made on future outcomes or indicators. We intend to provide a written update on our progress to relevant parliamentary committees after the summer recess. Additionally, officials are scheduled to meet with several MSPs from across the Chamber in September to discuss NPF reform.

Regulation of artificial intelligence is a reserved matter, and the Scottish Government continues to engage with the UK Government on this issue. We understand that the UK Government is preparing to introduce new legislation related to AI, and we will continue to work closely with them to ensure that Scotland’s interests are represented.

While we do not have plans to introduce legislation specifically aimed at preventing job losses due to AI, we are focused on mitigating potential impacts through proactive measures. This includes investment in AI literacy and skills development to ensure that individuals and communities are equipped to adapt to technological change.

The Scottish Government is working closely with local authorities and enterprise agencies to explore opportunities for AI-related investment.

While certain aspects of economic zoning and investment policy may intersect with reserved matters, the planning, infrastructure, and economic development components are largely devolved responsibilities.

We remain committed to ensuring that Scotland is an attractive location for AI investment and data infrastructure, and will continue to work with partners to assess the feasibility and benefits of such zones.

While there are currently no dedicated programmes specifically for workers displaced by AI, the Scottish Government is taking steps to support individuals through broader digital and AI literacy initiatives.

Programmes such as Living with AI aim to help people understand and adapt to the changing technological landscape. In addition, we are working with Skills Development Scotland and other partners to address AI-related skills gaps and support workforce transition.

We also fund postgraduate programmes and industry placements through The Data Lab, helping to build a resilient and future-ready talent pipeline. Strengthening the AI skills base remains a key priority for Scottish Government.