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The consultation paper Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation sought views on several proposals for inclusion in a new Land Reform Bill. It included proposals for a Public Interest Test on certain land transfers, and set out the criteria for the type of landholdings that would be in scope for such a test. The consultation opened on 4 July 2022 and closed on 30 October 2022, asking a total of 51 questions. It also invited respondents to give us views on other ideas and proposals. Our proposals for the Public Interest Test were set out in Parts 4 and 7.

The consultation sought to gather views from a range of stakeholders and from members of the public across Scotland. As part of this we also undertook five in-person engagement events across Scotland with a further event taking place online.

Further information about the analysis of responses to the consultation, and the responses themselves, may be found here: Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space

The proposals for the Public Interest Test were developed in the light of a series of reports on the scale and concentration of land ownership in Scotland published by the Scottish Land Commission, which led to their discussion paper, Legislative proposals to address the impact of Scotland’s concentration of land ownership (February 2021).

Since the consultation we have commissioned analysis of the responses to it: these included a range of views and suggestions for the parameters of the Test. We have considered these responses carefully as we develop our proposals. We have also engaged, and will continue to engage, with a range of internal and external stakeholders over the Test, along with the other measures proposed for the Bill.

Medical training establishment is determined by the need for future trained doctor output, and modelling for supply takes into account a number of factors, including age of retirement. 153 additional trainee doctor posts were recently agreed for recruitment in 2024. These posts will be spread across 24 different specialties, including core psychiatry, which will gain an additional 12 posts.

Islamophobia has no place in our society. The Scottish Government is committed to tackling all forms of Islamophobia, wherever it may take place.

All policy and delivery is subject to an impact assessment process which would include consideration of intersectional factors such as the intersection of faith and gender.

The number of Expansion Posts created in 2023 was not impacted by the reprofiling of the Health Workforce Expansion Posts budget line, as set out in the letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance to the Finance and Public Administration Committee of 21 November 2023. The number of postgraduate specialty training expansion posts to be added in 2023 was set by Scottish Ministers in late 2022, on the basis of recommendations from the Scottish Shape of Training Transitions Group.

The Expansion Posts budget line was reprofiled in 2023, following the budget setting process for the 2023-24 financial year. The number of specialty training expansion posts being recruited to was not amended as a result of the reprofiling of this budget line. The budget was reprofiled in accordance with the application of directorate savings targets in the 2023-24 financial year; £3 million was the savings target for Health Workforce, with the saving being applied to the Expansion Posts line for budgeting and accounting purposes. The savings target was applied to this line as historically the forecast budget for Expansion Posts has exceeded actual costs incurred in year.

While the Material Flow Accounts are useful for quantifying how much of a resource we are consuming and producing, Zero Waste Scotland has indicated that the current model has a limited degree of granularity in the materials being consumed and it does not explicitly attribute this material consumption or waste generation to individual economic sectors. Zero Waste Scotland is currently exploring the scope for mapping material flows to economic sectors.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23191 on 7 December 2023. 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 Material Flow Accounts model is being reworked so that its new trade data will be aligned with EU material flow accounting practices. Zero Waste Scotland is also exploring the scope for mapping material flows to economic sectors.

As a result of the UK’s departure from the EU, the Material Flow Account model can no longer source its trade data from Eurostat and the model needs to be significantly reworked as its new trade data will not be in alignment with EU material flow accounting practices. Zero Waste Scotland has therefore decided to make these methodological changes before reporting results to ensure clear communication of Scotland’s current material consumption.

Zero Waste Scotland will confirm a publication date once the review is complete.

The Primary Care Reform and Delivery Budget total was £262,500,000 in 2023-2024.

Reductions, slippage and reprofiling has taken place across a variety of programmes focused on GP workforce, sustainability, rural healthcare, data and digital improvements.

The Scottish Government does not currently collect data on national reuse rates in Scotland.

Following the publication of the Scottish Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy in summer and Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan and Mental Health Workforce Plan in autumn we will shortly consult on a draft Student Mental Health Action Plan which flows from these recent publications.

Targeted consultation with Members of the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Working Group, on the draft Student Mental Health Action Plan will be undertaken in the coming weeks, with the aim of publishing a completed Plan in early 2024.