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The Scottish Government recognises that bycatch and entanglement in any type of fishing gear can pose a risk to our iconic marine life and we remain committed to continuing to tackle this issue in our waters through our various domestic and international obligations. Relying on observer monitoring programmes and mandatory reporting already underway to record bycatch and entanglement events across the fishing fleet, we will build on the proactive steps that industry has taken in this area to explore effective measures that can be taken to minimise such instances. The Future Catching Policy will review technical measures which are already in use through both regulation and voluntary good practice as well as any promising, innovative solutions to determine potential improvements.

Using our core stakeholder engagement group, FMAC and our dedicated Future Catching Policy Subgroup, we intend to host technical and spatial workshops to develop a suite of measures in step with Scotland's unique and diverse geographical and fishing challenges and on a fleet segment basis, to avoid blanket approaches to technical measures and ensure a more tailored and effective suite of measures which match the unique issues faced by each fleet segment. Once we have developed a suite of measures collaboratively with stakeholders we will then consult again before taking forward legislation to implement these measures.

Engagement on the Bill, on the Bill proposals, and on the wider Agriculture Reform Programme is constant and extensive.

The Agriculture Reform Programme is currently hosting engagement sessions across Scotland to hear from farmers and crofters and increase awareness of Agricultural Reform.

The Agricultural Reform Roadshow started in June 2023, visiting 25 agricultural shows and marts across Scotland.

A full list of the roadshow dates can be found at Agriculture Reform Programme (ARP) roadshow dates 2023 (ruralpayments.org) .

The 14 Combined Sewer Overflows identified by Scottish Water catchment studies since 2015 as being at risk of spilling during dry weather are a high priority under Scottish Water’s Improving Urban Waters Route Map. Any reports of dry weather spills are also investigated for potential operational reasons, such as blockages, and Scottish Water follows established reporting requirements for pollution incidents and provides this information in their annual reports: Annual Reports - Scottish Water . New technology is being trialled with a view to identifying and solving problems before customers and the environment are affected.

We are working to improve neurodevelopmental support for children and young people, including children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to ensure that children and young people can receive the support they need quickly. Our National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People aims to ensure that children and families receive the support that meets their needs at the earliest opportunity, based on the Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) approach.

In terms of the referral process, a diagnosis is not required for children and young people to receive support. The Neurodevelopmental Specification makes clear that support should be in place to meet the child or young person’s requirements when they need it, rather than being dependent on a formal diagnosis. For many children and young people, such support is likely to be community based, and should be quickly and easily accessible. In Lothian for example, Edinburgh’s Citywide Neurodevelopmental Diversity Support is a partnership between Barnardo’s, Tailor Ed Foundation and Autism Initiatives aimed at children and young people who have neurodevelopmental diversity. This service provides one-to-one support for children and young people, and also offers support to parents and siblings.

To support national implementation of the Specification, we have funded five Tests of Change to implement various aspects of the specification. These are taking place in Grampian, East Lothian, Highland, Fife and Forth Valley. We are working to collate and share learnings from these Tests of Change to inform next steps around implementation of the ND specification and support wider roll out across other areas in Scotland.

I am pleased to confirm the Scottish Government has no plans to close any ScotRail ticket offices, unlike proposals from UK Government train operators to close ticket offices elsewhere and this includes the Avanti ticket office at Glasgow Central station.

I have written to the UK (Rail) Minister setting out the Scottish Government’s objection to these proposed ticket office closures and raising strong concerns around potential impacts on disabled and other passengers who rely on support from station staff to access rail services. My letter was copied to Andy Mellors, Managing Director, Avanti West Coast and Antony Smith, Chief Executive, Transport Focus.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20938 on 26 September 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 number of family members who overrode their relative’s express authorisation for organ donation after that relative’s death, in each of the last 10 years, is set out in the following table. Express authorisation is where someone, in life, has documented their donation decision either on the NHS Organ Donor Register or in some other form of writing.

The Scottish Government thanks Audit Scotland for a thorough, clear and wide-ranging report on Adult Mental Health Services in Scotland. Ministers recognise how closely some of the content of the report mirrors our vision, outcomes and priorities that we set out in our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

The Scottish Government recognises that as frontline practitioners, GPs and their wider practice teams are often the first port of call for those seeking mental health and wellbeing support. In recent years we have prioritised significant investment to build mental health capacity in primary care through Action 15 and the Primary Care Improvement Fund.

We will now take the time to carefully consider both the specific recommendations, and the wider substance of the report. We will publish the Delivery Plan for our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, together with our Workforce Plan, this Autumn, which will set out the actions we will take to address many of the issues set out by Audit Scotland, including those around mental health support in primary care.

The Scottish Government engages regularly with COSLA, both at official and Ministerial level, to discuss a wide range of issues as part of our shared commitment to working in partnership with local government to improve outcomes for the people and communities of Scotland.

As part of the Verity House Agreement, the First Minister has committed to meeting with the COSLA Presidential Team at least twice a year. Most recently this included a meeting on 30 August to discuss the forthcoming Programme for Government and 14 September to discuss progress on a range of topics.

The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering Anne’s Law within the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill (NCS) to further support the rights of people living in adult care homes to connect with their loved ones.

At Stage 1 of the NCS Bill, evidence was heard from seven committees and many individuals and representatives on a wide range of topics. The extension to Stage 1 has allowed the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government the necessary time to consider all of the evidence to best inform the development of the NCS Bill including Anne’s Law. During this time we have continued to work with care home providers, relatives and other stakeholders to develop the detail of Anne’s Law and prepare for its implementation.

Meantime, the Scottish Government has already utilised existing powers to adopt the core foundations of Anne’s Law through the development of two new Heath and Social Care Standards introduced in April 2022.

The new Standards establish that people living in care homes can expect to see someone who is important to them, even during an infectious outbreak and be able to name a person or persons who can directly participate in meeting their care needs. The Care Inspectorate now refer to these Standards when registering, inspecting and supporting care homes.

Furthermore, Public Health Scotland’s COVID guidance supports visiting during an infectious outbreak situation. Three named visitors can visit a resident, one per day, in the event of an outbreak, and essential visiting for end-of-life care and distress should always be supported, regardless of the circumstances.

Taken together, these measures have resulted in over 99% of care homes in Scotland reporting that they are supporting indoor visiting (in week ending 17 July 2023, COVID-19 in Adult Care Homes in Scotland , Public Health Scotland). The Scottish Government will continue to work with all parties to ensure that people living in care homes are supported to connect with their loved ones.