Seòmar agus comataidhean

As stated in my response to S6W-18105 on 5 June 2023, the Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards in Scotland to consider the recommendations in the Scottish Health Technologies Group report, published on 23 March 2023, and take steps to ensure that women who require access to placental growth factor (PlGF) based tests as part of their maternity care can do so.

The Scottish Government wrote to all NHS Boards on 20 July to request an update on progress towards implementation of PlGF testing. Officials have now received returns from all 14 territorial NHS Boards and are currently analysing the responses.

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

For young children, learning to read is foundational to their success across the school curriculum and, importantly, is also linked to a wide range of positive outcomes including those of emotional, social and mental wellbeing.

Through different forms of support and guidance, Education Scotland advises on the most effective research-informed approaches to reading, what they are and how to use them. Education Scotland will publish new guidelines and professional learning resources for teachers (PLRs), focussed on early reading, in early Spring 2024.

These resources are designed to promote teachers’ professional knowledge and understanding of early reading as a complex interplay of skills and background factors. In line with other items of guidance relating to Scotland’s curriculum, the resources are being developed within a broader context which seeks to empower schools to adapt their approach to meet the needs of individual learners. In creating the guidance, Education Scotland officials are working alongside teachers and a range of stakeholders with an interest in early reading in order to use their feedback to inform the development process.

Telecommunications policy is Reserved to the UK Government. Therefore the Scottish Government does not collect or hold this data.

Information about the availability of mobile services in Scotland can be accessed through Ofcom’s mobile coverage checker ( https://checker.ofcom.org.uk/en-gb/mobile-coverage ) which provides a spatial view of their data. Ofcom’s Connected Nations Report, published annually but refreshed on a quarterly basis, is underpinned by coverage data captured at local authority and Parliamentary constituency levels. This underlying data is publicly available at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research/spring-202

Officials are working with social care employers and partners to consider what support the Scottish Government can provide to expand graduate apprenticeship options and career pathways in social care.

I understand that local authorities are keen to get clarity on Phase 3 of the Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP). We wrote to councils to explain that consideration of potential Phase 3 projects was still ongoing.

It is important to recognise that we are trying to make these important investment decisions against a backdrop of market volatility on current projects, which has meant that we have agreed to provide an 11% adjustment to 20 Phase 1 and 2 projects, and this was communicated to local authorities on 3 August. The incidences of RAAC in a small number of our schools is also a factor we are taking into consideration.

These are big decisions, it is important that we get them right, and I have committed to updating the Parliament by the end of October.

LEIP is an important part of our investment in education provision and will build on this government’s proud record in improving our school estate, which has saw the number of schools in Scotland in good or satisfactory condition rise from 61% in 2007 to 90.7% today.

The Reach programme, one of the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) funded Access to High Demand Programmes (ADHP), was initially founded in 2010 to improve progression to higher education (HE) and targeted specific schools with lower rates of progression to HE.

In 2017 the targeting criteria for ADHP were expanded to ensure that certain disadvantaged pupils in all schools could benefit from the programme, not just pupils in schools with lower progression rates. This decision was informed by the Commission on Widening Access’ final report, A Blueprint for Fairness, and SFC-funded research looking at the attainment and socio-economic profiles of pupils in all schools in Scotland.

Targeting criteria for AHDP is set by SFC and AHDP partners. Since 2017, the eligibility criteria are:

• Live in an SIMD decile 1-4 (SIMD 20/40); or

• Are care experienced; or

• Are estranged from family and living without family support; or

• Have caring responsibilities; or

• Are seeking asylum in the UK; or

• Have refugee status.

Reach partners may also consider extenuating circumstances outwith the above at their discretion.

Betting, gaming and lotteries are largely reserved matters and their regulation is primarily the responsibility of the UK Government. The Gambling Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”) sets out how gambling in Great Britain should be regulated.

The Gambling Commission has responsibility for regulating commercial gambling in Great Britain and requires gambling operators to hold a licence to operate. The Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice require operators to comply with the Advertising Codes, administered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The Scottish Government will implement all relevant regulation to improve consumer experience of public charge points for electric vehicles in Scotland.

In June 2023 Transport Scotland published A Network Fit For The Future: Vision for Scotland’s Public Electric Vehicle Charging Network, which sets out the ambition for a world-class public charging network that works for everyone regardless of their needs. It highlights the need for a well-designed, comprehensive and convenient network of public charge points. The Vision can be found at this web link: A Network Fit For The Future: Vision for Scotland’s Public Electric Vehicle Charging Network | Transport Scotland . Government is supporting the delivery of this Vision through the £60 million Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund, which includes funding for Local Authorities to map out public charging needs in their areas through Strategy and Expansion Plans.

In addition, The Zero Emission Truck Taskforce, which includes Transport Scotland, is exploring the energy infrastructure required for HGVs, including consideration of hydrogen refuelling, and will publish an HGV Decarbonisation Pathway next year.

As part of the Scottish Government’s efforts to drive global climate ambition and action ahead of New York Climate Week and COP28, the First Minister and I met with the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, on 24 August. We discussed renewable energy, securing a Just Transition to a net zero and climate resilient future and our shared ambitions for COP28. The US Special Envoy asked about the constitutional position of Scotland, including independence, in the context of Scotland’s climate and net zero objectives. The First Minister set out the Scottish Government’s position on independence and the Scottish Government’s view of how this can be taken forward.

Roads authorities have existing powers to issue legal directions against any work happening on their network, including to curtail works which overrun without an acceptable reason. These are discretionary powers, and it is for each authority to determine whether it is appropriate to use those powers in each situation.

The planned 2024 review of road works Fixed Penalty Notices (Fines) will see the expansion of the number of issues that Roads Authorities can address, and an increase in the value of the penalty itself. This is in addition to the Road Works Commissioner’s penalty, which was increased from £50,000 to £100,000 in 2022. The Commissioner can issue this penalty where a utility firm consistently fails to co-operate with the roads authority.

Outside of the specific example of road works, for example, in building developments, we have no current plans to enhance those powers but recognising the challenging fiscal environment Councils face, we are committed to developing a Fiscal Framework with Local Government in order to ensure the sustainability of local services.