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Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited (FMEL) was put into administration in 2019 and since then the company has been dissolved. Operating the Crane at Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow is classed as an operational matter for Ferguson Marine as such the Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited (FMEL) was put into administration in 2019 and since then the company has been dissolved. Operating the Crane at Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow is classed as an operational matter for Ferguson Marine as such the Scottish Government does not hold this information.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19355 on‎ 29 June 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19355 on 29 June 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 Scottish Government has allocated £6 million from the City Centre Recovery Fund 2021-22 to the member cities of the Scottish Cities Alliance in support of City Centre recovery, to take forward the priorities identified by the City Centre Recovery Task Force. Funds were divided between the cities based on city centre population and paid directly to each local authority, rather than directly to the Scottish Cities Alliance.

The Scottish Government also contributes £196,000 per annum directly to the Scottish Cities Alliance. This is in addition to the £28,000 contributed by each of the 8 cities. It is from this contribution that any ongoing work undertaken by the Scottish Cities Alliance on City Centre Recovery is funded.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. We advise the member to contact the NHS Board directly.

All Ministerial Engagements, travel and gifts received are proactively published within 3 months in line with the Scottish Ministerial Code . I refer the member to the following link: Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

That information is not held centrally.

Building safety is a matter for the owner of the building. Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of public corporations, including information relating to any repair and maintenance works, are best answered directly by each public corporation.

The Scottish Government is acutely aware of the suffering of those who were infected with Hepatitis C or HIV, or both, as a result of NHS treatment in the 1970s and 1980s. Consequently, the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme (SIBSS), which was established in 2017, was set up to provide support and assistance for those people infected as a result of NHS treatment, as well as for their immediate family members.

The Scottish Government made extensive efforts in 2016 and 2017 to raise awareness of SIBSS through media campaigns and by distributing posters to GP surgeries and hospitals in an attempt to reach those who would be eligible for payments under SIBSS. However if, despite these efforts, a person has not previously claimed from SIBSS because they were not aware of their entitlement, that person could still make an application to SIBBS and, if successful, would receive any lump sum and regular support payments to which they are entitled. This includes widows, widowers and partners, with entitlement to such payments having effect from the date they apply to join the scheme.

Such infected persons, or their bereaved partners, would also be eligible, upon a successful application to SIBSS, to receive the interim compensation payments of £100,000 as recommended by the first interim report of the Infected Blood Inquiry, which was published in July 2022. These payments were made to all existing SIBSS members in Scotland in October 2022. The second interim report of the Infected Blood Inquiry, which was published in April 2023, sets out recommendations for further interim payments and for a wider framework for compensation. This second interim report is currently being considered, in consultation with all the Devolved Administrations, by the UK Government.

In common with the practice in all of the other UK infected blood support schemes regular support payments, which are designed to assist with the costs of day to day living, are only generally backdated to the date of application to SIBSS. However, the Scottish Government did publish an amendment to the SIBSS scheme document in April 2023 which allows for backdating of regular support payments for infected persons transferring late from the Skipton Fund, which was one of the previous UK support schemes, in cases where that infected person was not contacted by the Skipton Fund for the purpose of requesting their consent to have their details transferred to SIBSS. Further information is available on the Scottish Government website.

Since October 2022 local licensing schemes have been operational in Scotland, and licensing authorities continue to accept and process applications, and issue licences.

In terms of the judicial review (JR), this was a challenge specific to aspects of the City of Edinburgh Council’s short-term let licensing policy and not the overall licensing scheme. While the Judge found in favour of some of the petitioners’ grounds for challenge, these relate to the Council’s application of the legislation and not the legislation itself. It remains our view that licensing of short-term lets can be operated effectively by councils so as to respect the rights of hosts and guests in short-term let accommodation. There is therefore no need to repeal the legislation for Short Terms Lets Licensing or for licensing authorities to reimburse application fees.

I understand the City of Edinburgh Council is considering the JR decision and its legal options. As I mentioned above, the JR challenge was specific to certain aspects of the Council’s policy, however, the JR decision does not stop the Council from operating its wider licensing scheme; the Council continues to operate this and applications are still being received and processed. The Council has advised us that it will update its website and information for applicants, regarding the JR decision, to ensure there is clarity for hosts who have applied, or need to apply, for a short-term let licence. Additionally, our Scottish Government short-term let licensing guidance documents are being updated and will be published shortly.

In early 2024 we will provide a more formal, detailed but still relatively preliminary update on licensing implementation. We are currently engaging with stakeholders to gain their views on how we do this to inform the scope and handling. I will keep Parliament informed and provide further detail once we’ve concluded discussions and made a decision about the format of next year’s update, as well as the frequency and format of future implementation updates. In the meantime, we remain committed to engaging with stakeholders about the implementation of licensing and continue to be responsive about concerns.