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We are pleased to announce today the launch of our New Dementia Strategy for Scotland , in partnership with COSLA.

It sets a 10-year vision for dementia policy, directly informed by the voices of lived experience and wider partners.

The strategy identifies a number of areas where we will focus our attention to improve the lives of people living with dementia, their families and care partners, with a focus on the role of our communities.

It also follows an 8-month engagement process, including a National Conversation with individuals and organisations from across Scotland, and an independent evidence review focussed on health inequalities, and what is making a difference in practice here and internationally.

Building on our strong record of working closely with the voices of lived experience, our National Dementia Lived Experience Panel played a direct governance role in the Strategy’s development. This has ensured their voices are central to the formation of this vision, and that this Strategy’s aspirations reflect their own.

We are clear that the strategy is only the first part, and that we change experiences through delivery. Our first 2-year delivery plan will be agreed with people with lived experience and wider partners by December 2023.

There are currently 72 NHS CT scanners operational within NHS Scotland. In addition, three mobile CT scanners have been deployed to provide additional capacity to support waiting times recovery.

The Independent Review of the Skills Delivery Landscape will be published before Parliament goes into recess at the end of June.

The review of our Good Practice Principles for Community Benefits from Offshore Renewable Energy Developments is ongoing. We are using insights gathered from recent stakeholder engagement, alongside input from our steering group and wider research, to develop our approach with a view to consulting on draft guidance later this year. A date for public consultation will be agreed in due course.

We have held four regional engagement sessions with community representatives. The makeup of the sessions was shaped by suggestions from steering group members. An initial session was also held with a group of renewable energy developers, with invitations coordinated by Scottish Renewables. Dates and attendee details are included below.

The purpose of these sessions was to raise awareness of the work and to gather early views; we will of course gather wider input and feedback through the formal consultation process.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has delivered Skills for Growth to the following number of employers:

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of the Fracture Liaison Service audit and, following the completion of a scoping exercise currently being undertaken by Public Health Scotland, will provide funding. The Scottish Government has advised the Royal Osteoporosis Society that the funding we are able to offer may be up to £150,000 for the first year, but the exact level of funding and the timescale of reporting are expected to be finalised soon.

Fully funded undergraduate programmes have increased in size for 10 consecutive years. Now we will ensure stability in our universities and aid workforce planning by maintaining our intake target for nursing places for 3 years at this all-time high figure of 4536.

We know that there were fewer applications into nursing at the January 2023 UCAS update, however we continue to expect applications to rise over the summer period. Student Awards Agency Scotland and our Higher Education Institutions continue to work hard to promote programmes by visiting schools, attending careers fairs and promoting the range of opportunities via social media channels.

We know that not everyone will begin their career by participating in an undergraduate programme and undergraduate programmes are not the sole solution to filling vacancies. That is why we are already considering alternative progressive career pathways that can attract new candidates and encourage existing staff to join supported education programmes that enable them to reach registration with the relevant professional bodies.

In collaboration with NHS Education Scotland, Higher Education Institutions, practice partners and other key stakeholders we are actively exploring models to increase the pathways into these careers via potential apprenticeships and ‘earn as you learn’ routes. We are also encouraging individuals to return to the NHS following career breaks via our refreshed commissioned Return to Practice programme which commenced in 2020. Since 2020 a total of 152 practitioners - 140 nurses & 12 midwives - have successfully registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. This year, 82 have commenced the programme (75 nurses and 7 midwives) with 32 so far completing. These routes will be discussed in more detail at the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce which next meets in June 2023.

The Deposit Return Scheme regulations apply to all types of drinks sold in Scotland that are packaged in single-use containers made from PET plastic, glass, steel or aluminium, sized between 100ml and 3 litres. This includes online retailers selling products into the Scottish market.

The DRS Regulations give SEPA the power to investigate suspected non-compliance and take enforcement action where necessary.

As set out in my answer to question S6W-16202 the Contracts for Difference Scheme is a UK Government mechanism. Matters relating to policy decisions around it are therefore for the UK Government.

Critical minerals are becoming increasingly important for emerging technologies. However, the Scottish Government is not aware of any existing research on public support for critical minerals for communication to stakeholders.

I would encourage all business sectors in Scotland that rely on critical minerals to ensure that supply chains are resilient to current and future impacts of climate change, and that critical minerals are obtained from sustainable sources.

Where new development proposals come forward, our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4) supports the sustainable management of resources, whilst minimising the impacts of the extraction of minerals on communities and the environment.