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The Scottish Government has made a 14.5% pay offer to Junior Doctors covering the period of 2022-24. This represents a £61.3 million investment in junior doctor pay - the largest in the last 20 years and the best offer in the UK. This will be funded from within the Health and Social Care budget.

In Scotland the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) Scotland is responsible for registering all power of attorney documents. If an individual has experienced any issues involving the recognition of a Scottish power of attorney in other parts of the UK they can contact the OPG for assistance.

There is already legislation in place that provides recognition of Scottish powers of attorney in England and Wales. This is about ensuring that the institutions and organisations have awareness and are educated on the legal status of Scottish powers of attorney.

The Scottish Government will be working with third party organisations to raise awareness and publicity about the validity of Scottish powers of attorney in England and Wales.

Academic year 2021-22 represented the first graduating year of the ScotGEM course with 52 students qualifying at this time. The second cohort of students will graduate later this summer.

The following table illustrates the number of boarding's in Scottish waters by Marine Scotland Vessels each year since 2009.

We are unable to provide the information requested as we do not have access to data on doctors entering training in parts of the UK other than Scotland, or who have left to pursue other careers or overseas opportunities.

From 2010 to 2019 the UK Foundation programme carried out a career destination survey of all F2 doctors. The UK F2 Career Destinations Reports used data collated from an annual UK-wide survey of outgoing F2 doctors. These reports helped to understand career aspirations and career destinations if known. This report was discontinued in 2020 due to Covid-19.

Scottish Government has not had any recent direct engagement with the UK Government regarding cross-border recognition of powers of attorney granted in Scotland.

However, in previous meetings both parties have agreed the existing legislation allows for automatic recognition of powers of attorney in both jurisdictions. Difficulty in recognition is an issue of the training and knowledge of those being presented with a power of attorney from a different jurisdiction.

Access to green and blue spaces in Scotland is underpinned by the rights of responsible access to land and inland water enshrined in Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 . From a marine perspective, as part of our Blue Economy Vision for Scotland , by 2045 our ambition is for thriving, resilient, regenerated, healthy communities to have more equal access to the benefits that ocean resources provide.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was approved by the Scottish Parliament and adopted by the Scottish Ministers in February 2023. Through a number of policies, it sets out the long-term spatial strategy for Scotland.

National Planning Policy 20: Blue and Green Infrastructure , National Planning Policy 15: Local Living and 20 Minute Neighbourhoods , and Open Space Strategies , support access to green and blue spaces. This is reflected in two National Performance Framework indicators: Visits to the Outdoors , reporting the proportion of adults making one or more visits to the outdoors per week; and Access to Green and Blue Space , reporting the proportion of adults who live within a 5 minute walk of their local green or blue space.

National Planning Policy 4: Natural Places , National Planning Policy 7: Historic Assets and Places , and National Planning Policy 8: Green Belts , support protection of areas of outstanding scenic quality and enhancement of landscape features. Both the Historic Environment Scotland Green Recovery Statement and the recently refreshed strategy for the historic environment in Scotland, Our Past Our Future , highlight the heritage sector’s ambitions for sustainability and accessibility in our historic landscapes through regeneration and responsible land management.

Building on the success of the piloting of Green Health Partnerships (GHPs) through NatureScot’s Our Natural Health Service partnership, the Scottish Government is working with the NHS and other partners to expand the use of nature based solutions in health practice, including increasing the use of green and blue spaces to deliver mental health outcomes. This includes an action within the NHS Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy to establish and embed GHPs and similar approaches.

Access matters are devolved and the Scottish Government has no liaison with the UK Government in relation to these.

Academic year (AY) 2021/22 represented the first graduating year for ScotGEM, of those who graduated there were four students who took up a bursary but did not take up a place within Scotland for foundation training. Of these four students:

• One is on a repayment plan.
• One has paid their bursary back in full.
• Two are delaying their payment until the beginning of speciality training which starts in August 2024, as they may return to Scotland which will change the amount due to be repaid.

For those graduating in AY 2022-23 confirmation of where the students will be taking up a place after graduating has only recently been received. There are five students who have taken up the bursary and who do not now intend to remain in Scotland for foundation training and discussions have begun regarding repayment.

The Scottish Government places great importance on swimming pools. They are crucial to the wellbeing of all our country and most importantly, for our children and young people to be healthy and active.

The financial package announced by the UK Government to support swimming pools in England has resulted in consequentials being added to the overall Scottish block.

We will continue to work with sportscotland, Scottish Swimming and local government partners to consider what additional support can be provided to swimming pools and the wider sport and leisure sector in Scotland. At present, no additional funding has been provided to local authorities.

Property owners and landowners have primary responsibility for protection of their land and property from flooding. A range of other bodies have responsibility for different aspects of flood risk management. These roles and responsibilities are clearly set out in Flood Risk Management (Scotland) 2009 Act. The Act creates a joined up and coordinated process to manage flood risk at a national and local level.

Scottish Government oversees the implementation of the Act. Scottish Ministers are responsible for setting the policy framework for implementing how flooding is managed in Scotland including the responsibility for approving the objectives and actions set out in the national flood risk management plans.

SEPA is Scotland’s national flood forecasting, flood warning and strategic flood risk management authority. They produce the national flood risk management plans, provide flood forecasting and warning services, provide flood risk advice to planning authorities and carry out awareness raising activities to increase community resilience.

Local authorities ensure local accountability by leading on the preparation of local flood risk management plans, which supplement the national plans prepared by SEPA and ensure actions are locally targeted and delivered. They also have the ability to make and build flood protection schemes. Local authorities also inspect, clear and repair watercourses to reduce flood risk and routinely maintain road gullies on public roads and highways to ensure adequate road drainage. During severe flooding, local authorities will work with the emergency services and co-ordinate shelter for people evacuated from their homes.

Scottish Water are responsible for the operation of public foul and combined sewers and the public waste water network; managing problems caused by sewers either flooding or becoming restricted due to chokes or collapses; removing foul drainage and the drainage of rainwater from roofs and paved areas, from within the curtilage of premises, on connection to the public sewer.