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An aim of the Scottish Government's scientific trial is to put in place appropriate regulatory arrangements to help ensure a sustainable fishery.

Officials are considering options for management measures, informed by scientific findings, and will engage with trial participants if further measures are considered necessary.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23070 on 04 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 Scottish Government have no plans to carry out any assessment of the impact of the dissolution of the Scottish Milk Marketing Board and are not considering re-establishing a Milk Marketing Board.

The dairy sector is supported by bodies such as Dairy UK, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), the Scottish Dairy Hub and the Scottish Dairy Growth Board.

The Scottish Government are not seeking to increase the number of plans for individual health conditions and are therefore not developing a national strategy to tackle chronic kidney disease. Rather, we are focussed on how we can best support Health Boards to deliver high quality, value-based, person-centred care for all people, irrespective of condition.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission publish estimates and forecasts of the number of people receiving payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance. The Scottish Fiscal Commission do not publish estimates and forecasts for the number of people receiving payments by area within Scotland. In their May 2023 publication it was forecast that a total of 29,000 people will receive payments in the financial year 2023-24.

Social Security Scotland publish statistics for the number of historic payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance by Local Authority but not at constituency level. Statistics for 2023-24 are not yet available. In the South Lanarkshire Local Authority, 1,955 payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance were made in the Winter of 2022-23.

Internal Scottish Government analysis using the Social Security Scotland statistics, in combination with published population data, suggests an estimate of 500 payments were made in East Kilbride in the Winter of 2022-23.

In February 2023, the National Hub published a report which provided an overview of activity undertaken since the launch of the Hub in October 2021. The report can be viewed at National Hub overview report: Year 1: 01 October 2021 - 30 September 2022 (healthcareimprovementscotland.org). The first data report for the National Hub for Reviewing and Learning from the Deaths of Children and Young People will be published in the new year.

The Scottish Government has not forecast the potential incidence of cerebrovascular disease including stroke, over the next five years. Public Health Scotland’s Scottish Stroke Statistics show the age and sex adjusted incidence rate for cerebrovascular disease has decreased by 8%, from 265 cases per 100,000 population in 2012-13 to 244 per 100,000 in 2021-22.

Local authorities have statutory responsibility for assessing and evidencing housing need and demand, and setting out through local housing strategies and local development plans the housing requirements for their area. We have committed to delivering 110,000 high quality, energy efficient affordable homes by 2032 and work closely with a wide range of housing partners including local authorities, to ensure the delivery of homes to meet the housing needs of communities across Scotland. The Minister for Housing engages regularly with Homes for Scotland to discuss a wide range of issues and most recently met on 7 November.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission publish estimates and forecasts of the number of people receiving payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance. The Scottish Fiscal Commission do not publish estimates and forecasts for the number of people receiving payments by area within Scotland. In their May 2023 publication it was forecast that a total of 29,000 people will receive payments in the financial year 2023-24.

Social Security Scotland publish statistics for the number of historic payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance by Local Authority. Statistics for 2023-24 are not yet available.

Table 1: Number of payments for Child Winter Heating Assistance made in Winter 2022-23 by Local Authority area

The National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care, for the first time, will combine rural specific workforce and service development, with research and evaluation into one National Centre.

The Centre’s initial focus is identifying and promoting approaches that improve rural and island primary care recruitment of staff including: increasing skills of remote and rural GPs and other practitioners to ensure there is the workforce capacity to deliver care close to home, develop further support networks and career development opportunities for rural practitioners and to support development of skilled mixed workforce teams.

Work has already begun on two key pieces of work, improved support and training for remote and rural dispensing practices and developing supervisory training hubs.