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A programme of communications and engagement is planned to promote the launch of the General Practice Armed Forces and Veterans’ Recognition Scheme. This will include working with key stakeholder groups, and through their networks, raising awareness of the scheme and encouraging take up by General Practices.

We recognise the value of this scheme and are working to ensure that awareness of the scheme is optimised among both General Practices and their patients.

General Practises keen to be involved can contact gp-afv@gov.scot for more information.

Young Scot are provided with core funding from the Scottish Government. The funding comes from the Children's Rights team and the Health Inequalities team. They have received £975,000 annually since 2014.

The Scottish Youth Parliament are provided with core funding through the Scottish Government’s Children Young People and Families Early Intervention & Adult Learning and Empowering Communities (CYPFEI & ALEC) Fund. This fund is administered by the CORRA Foundation on behalf of Scottish Ministers. They received £325,000 in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 and received £341,250 in 2022 and 2023.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Individual local authorities may gather this data.

The Scottish Government commissions six-monthly reports from local authorities on school counselling services which asks for number of young people accessing counselling, broken down by gender and year groups. The reports also seek information on outcomes, inward and outward referrals as well as the issues young people are presenting with.

Within the reporting form there is a free text box where authorities are encouraged to share additional information, such as information on waiting times if they have that data available. Although some authorities have reported that services are at capacity, no concerns have been raised about young people’s needs not being met.

We recognise the importance of Glasgow and the Scottish Events Campus as one of the world’s top conference and events venues. It is clear that Glasgow and the SEC make a vital contribution not just to the local economy, but to Scotland’s economy as a whole.

Glasgow City Marketing Bureau restructured, with the Glasgow Convention Bureau intact. The lead for researching, bidding for and securing UK and international conferences to Glasgow sits with the Bureau. This is the same approach for all of Scotland’s cities with a convention bureau. The concept of the city leading its conference business enables events to be established at the behest and preference of each city, rather than it being delegated to cities by VisitScotland.

VisitScotland supports Glasgow in its efforts to secure business events via the provision of Scotland-branded marketing platforms including tradeshows, enabling Glasgow and Scotland to promote itself to global markets.

In the past 7 years, Glasgow and has been exhibited on the VisitScotland stand at IMEX Frankfurt, IMEX America, The Meetings Show London, IBTM World and the Conference Hospitality Show. VisitScotland has also directly supported business events to come to Glasgow through the match funded National Conference Bid Fund. In the life of the fund 68 conferences have been supported through this route.

Glasgow has also been profiled at international industry events solely through, or jointly with VisitScotland in the past 7 years including: PCMA Convening Leaders; PCMA EduCon; MPI; Destinations International; PCMA Convening EMEA; ICCA World Congress; M&I Forums; and VisitScotland Association Receptions in Washington DC and Brussels.

The Teacher Workforce Planning Advisory Group (TWPAG) considerations are based on an annual statistical model which estimates the number of ITE students required to achieve particular pupil teacher ratios. TWPAG includes representatives from local authority employers, as well as university providers of ITE, teacher unions and the General Teaching Council for Scotland.

TWPAG’s considerations are based on annual statistical model which estimates the number of ITE students required to maintain pupil teacher ratios. This model is based on a number of inputs including projections about the number of pupils in the system, churn in teacher numbers (for example recruitment, maternity leave, retirements, returners,) and the retention rates of ITE students.

To ensure effective and evidence-informed longer-term teacher workforce planning, the Scottish Government has commissioned an external analysis and research exercise that will bring together a range of factors including current teacher numbers, pupil teacher ratios and the projected decline in the number of school-aged children. This analysis will inform decisions on education workforce planning for future years.

The number of decisions to refuse applications for onshore wind developments*, with a capacity of less than 50 megawatts, which have been overturned (appeal allowed) by the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division is set out in the table below.

The number of decisions to refuse applications for onshore wind development which have been upheld (appeal dismissed) by the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division are also provided as a point of comparison.

The Scottish Government appreciates the important contribution that rural music festivals such as Lammermuir Festival can make to Scotland’s music sector.

Creative Scotland provides funding for rural music festivals (classed as those not held in cities and with a focus on music) through their Regularly Funded Organisations and Open Funding streams. In 2022-23 they have supported 17 rural music festivals, using both Scottish Government and National Lottery funding to a total of £394,474. This does not include further support that is given to multi-art form festivals that include elements of music in their programming.

In addition the Scottish Government has provided £150,000 to Culture & Business Scotland for their Culture and Business Fund, which promotes collaboration between Scottish businesses and arts and heritage organisations to deliver new arts and heritage projects. Recipients in previous years have included rural music festivals.

The Verity House Agreement sets out our joint vision with COSLA for a more collaborative approach to delivering our shared priorities for the people of Scotland. We have agreed three shared priorities - tackling poverty, just transition to net zero and sustainable public services - and recognise that local flexibility will be required to maximise impact.

The Agreement also highlights the importance of mutual trust and respect and promotes the maxim of "local by default, national by agreement" whilst recognising the benefits that consistent national approaches can bring for people and communities.

Ultimately, it is for locally elected representatives to make local decisions on how best to deliver services to their local communities and how to manage their own budgets within this national framework.

The Scottish Government published its Autumn Budget Revision on 28 September 2023. The Autumn Budget Revision document provides a detailed breakdown of how all additional funding has been allocated, including £265 million of additional funding being provided to Local Government.

In line with normal processes, transfers of budget are communicated to Parliament through the Autumn and Spring Budget Revisions. The Autumn Budget Revision supporting document was published on 28 September 2023. The Spring Budget Revision will provide further details when it is completed in early 2024.

Autumn Budget Revision 2023-24: Supporting document - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)