Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government values the skill and dedication of our nurses and midwives, particularly in recent difficult circumstances. This is reflected in a pay deal worth more than £1 billion over the last two years, ensuring that nurses and midwives in Scotland continue to be the best paid in the UK.

We continue to strive towards developing and retaining a sustainable healthcare workforce in NHS Scotland and work is already underway supporting the Work-life Balance polices, that include flexible working, retirement and leave policies. As well as, the development of the NHS Scotland Interim National Arrangement on Retire and Return that supports retiring employees to return to employment in their health board.

In addition, we have also established a Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce, to build on efforts to make Scotland the best place for nurses and midwives to come and work by developing plans to bolster retention and recruitment of the existing workforce, and aim for our people to have the best conditions and career opportunities.

This is a matter for NHS Boards. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government is currently engaging with stakeholders taking into consideration their ambitions and priorities to develop an International Education Strategy which works for Scotland.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and I have engaged frequently with the college sector and its key stakeholders since 1 April 2023. This has been done through in-person meetings, visits, online meetings and written communication.

Ministerial Engagements

24 April – Visit to Sabhal Mór Ostaig

2 May – Letter to Ronnie Smith, Chair of New College Lanarkshire

3 May – Meeting with Shona Struthers, Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland

3 May – Visit to Borders College

4 May – Letter from Cabinet Secretary to Shona Struthers, Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland

9 May – Meeting with a number of senior leaders from the college sector including college chairs and principals

9 May – Meeting with Shona Struthers, Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland; Angus Campbell, Chair of College Sector Finances; and Audrey Cumberford, Vice-Chair of Colleges Scotland Board and Chair of the College Principals’ Group

9 May – Meeting with Audrey Cumberford, Principal of Edinburgh College

10 May – Meeting with representatives from EIS FELA

17 May – Visit to West Lothian College

Additionally, a number of Scottish Government officials have engaged with stakeholders within the college sector through college visits and stakeholder meetings both in person and online.

The regulation of consumer protection is reserved to the UK Government. As such, the Scottish Government does not hold the requested information.

However, the Scottish Government is determined to take action where it can to try and prevent consumers experiencing harm as a result of activity which breaches regulations, particularly throughout the cost of living crisis.

One of these actions is the funding of an Energy Efficiency Measures Coordinator Post in Trading Standards Scotland to support work in tackling energy marketing scams.

We recommend that householders should always call the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland service for advice before deciding to make energy efficiency improvements to their home.

The Scottish Government has no role in directing individuals to a particular university programme. Universities are responsible for their own admissions processes and it is for them to decide how they wish to allocate places to each course.

We remain absolutely committed to the principle that access to education should be based on the ability to learn and not the ability to pay, and will continue to work with SFC and the sector to maintain our commitment to the widening access agenda.

SFC are committed to investing in education that is accessible to learners from all backgrounds and monitors each institutions progress on widening access as part of their role.

Scotland's universities are amongst the best in the world. We want every child, no matter their background, to have an equal chance of entering and succeeding in higher education. By 2030, we want 20% of students entering university to be from Scotland's 20% most deprived backgrounds. With 16.5% of full-time first degree entrants coming from the 20% most deprived areas in 2021-22, we achieved the interim Commission on Widening Access target to have 16% by 2021.

Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme has been based on successful schemes across Europe. The Minister has been thoroughly briefed by Zero Waste Scotland on relevant research findings throughout the policy’s development.

Research was undertaken by Zero Waste Scotland, who designed the scheme, and met with a range of international scheme administrators and operators, including those from Norway, Estonia, Sweden, Lithuania, Germany, Iceland, Denmark and Finland.

This research and briefing has meant that the minister has been fully appraised of the main characteristics of schemes across Europe and has not therefore personally travelled to the countries listed or personally met the chief executives from these schemes.

As an example of recent Ministerial engagement with the higher education sector on climate change, on 8 February the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport met the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre at Heriot-Watt University to discuss how research can support a just industrial decarbonisation which realises socioeconomic opportunities and wider environmental benefits.

As Circularity Scotland is a private company, contractual arrangements they have with their members, including any payments as part of their producer agreement, is a matter for them and it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to intervene in such commercial arrangements between private companies.

Purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) does not make any contribution to public revenue through either council tax or non-domestic rates.

PBSA is the primary domestic residence for students and is therefore considered a "dwelling". As such, it is not subject to non-domestic rates. PBSA is also exempt from council tax as it is occupied solely by full time students.