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The treatment and disposal of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) is the responsibility of those who collect this material – local authorities and private businesses.

However, as part of the Government-commission report published in October 2024 ("Landfill Ban Assurance Study"), commentary was provided on residual waste markets external to Scotland and their "capability to contribute towards managing any capacity deficit in Scotland from 2026".

Officials continue to work with waste sector partners, including local authorities on these matters.

Health and safety legislation applies to all employers across the UK without exception and is a reserved matter under the authority of the UK Parliament.

It is an employer’s duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their staff and where death or injuries at work occur, there are a range of reserved offences which can be used to hold employers to account, if they are found to be criminally liable.

The Health and Safety Executive states one factor that Scotland’s higher workplace death rate is in part due to more workers in high-risk industries.

The Scottish Government promotes workplace health and safety through its Fair Work policy and supports initiatives like Healthy Working Lives, a Public Health Scotland programme offering resources and training to improve workplace wellbeing.

The Mental Welfare Commission publishes percentage of all place of safety orders under 18 but not the numbers.

In addition, the Commission does not publish numbers that small: as a rule it suppresses any figures equal to and under 5 and in some cases it uses secondary suppression to ensure that there is no statistical disclosure.

Information on Care at Home hours is not held centrally. Instead, Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) submit data to Public Health Scotland (PHS), detailing the number of hours of Care at Home services received. This data is published annually and can be accessed via the following link: Dashboard - Care at Home Hours Planned/Received.

The Scottish Government does not centrally hold information on assessed needs. In addition to the annual data, HSCPs also provide PHS with a weekly snapshot of the current demand for Care at Home services. This includes information on the total number of care hours people are waiting to receive following an assessment of their needs. This data is available at: Dashboard - People requiring a social care assessment and care at home services.

In her role as Chair of the Working Group, Baroness Kennedy was paid £109,117.20.

Publication costs associated with Working Group totalled £8,182.18, and a further £600 was spent on venue hire for the Report findings launch.

Aside from Baroness Kennedy’s fee, members or advisors of the Working Group were not remunerated.

The Scottish Government is grateful to all Dispensing Appliance Contractors and community pharmacies for the service offered to stoma patients across Scotland and is committed to putting in place arrangements to best support them. Data shows that the volume of items provided by stoma suppliers has steadily increased by over two thirds (72.5%) since 2011 and suppliers are reimbursed for all items dispensed, resulting in a £2.539m increase (48%). Suppliers also benefit from a Global Sum of £3.8 million. Nevertheless, the Scottish Government recognises the requirement to keep arrangements under review and will explore whether changes are required to the fee structure and are within the affordability of the wider public sector finances.

1.New commercial arrangements were introduced in 2011 for the supply of stoma appliances to patients in the community and have been in place since. These arrangements are set up through contractual arrangements put in place by NHS Scotland National Procurement acting on behalf of Health Boards. They provide a framework which controls the cost of dispensing these items which is carried out by both Dispensing Appliance Contractors (DACs) and community pharmacy contractors who sign up to offer the service.

2.The arrangements are made up of a Global Sum for stoma appliance supply remuneration and fees for customisation and delivery. Suppliers are able to make profit on the sales and customisation aspects of the service. The Scottish Government’s Pharmacy Policy team holds meetings with the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) who represent DACs in the UK. They have called for improvements to the current arrangements and discussions are currently being arranged to hear details of these proposals.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government has not had any recent discussions of this specific human resources issue with Scottish Water, as this is an operational matter for them to determine. However, I have asked Scottish Water to provide a response and I understand that there have been no changes to its policies – private companies operating on Mull are being asked to adhere to well-established, existing protocols.

The Mental Welfare Commission publishes percentage of all place of safety orders under 18 but not the numbers.

In addition, the Commission does not publish numbers that small: as a rule it suppresses any figures equal to and under 5 and in some cases it uses secondary suppression to ensure that there is no statistical disclosure.

In line with the Labour Party Motion, it is for Scottish Enterprise to decide the scope, timescale, and terms of reference of the review. The Scottish Government has remained in close contact with Scottish Enterprise on this work, exchanging relevant advice and views.