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Spend for traditional marketing of the Near Me video consulting service was predominantly undertaken through local Health Boards responsible for ensuring the service is appropriately advertised. Wider communication and promotion of the service has been taken forward through programme costs as part of a collaborative approach to implementation.

However, the Scottish Government have invested in communications for Near Me including online resources, online content and website development, though again this was all managed by core programme staff costs and cross-sector collaboration. The programme utilised existing mechanisms such as tv interviews, press releases and First Minister daily briefings.

The Near Me website ( https://www.nearme.scot/ ) was developed in-house and is hosted by NHS National Services Scotland. £10,000 was spent to develop and update Near Me’s animated videos. These help promote the service and are used as a training resource for both staff and callers. Further spend of £700 was used for the translation of key support and guidance for the public into different languages. Cost was minimised as the work was undertaken in collaboration with the NHS in Wales. The development of an equalities impact assessment (eqia) and public engagement exercise which reached in excess of 5,000 people and 500 organisations were undertaken through core staff costs.

The programme has been working alongside key staff such as receptionists to support increased promotion of Near Me as a choice in how people can access an appointment.

The ScotRail peak fares pilot will apply to all ScotRail services.

Work on the precise methodology, design and evaluation for the peak rail fares pilot is currently underway. Transport Scotland officials are working closely with Scottish Rail Holdings and ScotRail Trains Ltd to derive maximum benefit for this scheme.

Further details on the peak rail fares pilot including timescales during the next financial year will be confirmed as soon as practically possible.

The Scottish Government expects local authorities to exercise their statutory responsibilities and deliver a safe environment for all school users.

Generally, local authorities in Scotland will offer schools basic litter picking equipment such as litter pickers and safety gloves. We are also aware that some schools may hold their own litter picking equipment that may have been provided by a variety of sources, for example from a local business or other donor.

Schools can also access litter picking equipment through charity initiatives such as Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Community Clean Up Hubs, which are located across Scotland. Guidance on organising and undertaking a safe litter pick can be found on the organisation’s website.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government has not provided funding to local authorities in the last six months to provide free bus passes or rail cards to people seeking asylum and does not hold information on whether local authorities have received funding from elsewhere.

However, Refugee Survival Trust and partners have been provided with funding from the Paths for All Smarter Choices Smarter Places Open Fund. This has enabled them to begin a pilot scheme to provide free bus travel to people seeking asylum living in Glasgow through the provision of three month bus passes, along with information and digital support to access and use the pass.

The Pilot will run until summer 2023 and will help inform options on how to deliver our Programme for Government commitment to consider how best to provide free bus travel to people seeking asylum across Scotland.

This is a matter for Police Scotland. The information requested is not held centrally .

The Scottish Government published the Changing Places Toilets: Planning Guide and an accompanying easy read in November 2022. This guide details practical considerations when considering installing a Changing Places Toilet in both existing and new buildings.

The Scottish Government works closely with Promoting a More Inclusive Society (PAMIS) who are co-chairs and co-founders of the Changing Places Consortium and offer expert advice on Changing Places Toilets to a range of organisations in Scotland. From this work, and drawing on the lived experience that PAMIS brings, we know that there is significant demand for increased provision of Changing Places Toilets across the country.

The consultation on the eligibility criteria for the mobility component of Adult Disability Payment opened on 31 January 2023 and will close on 25 April 2023.

The consultation can be accessed via https://consult.gov.scot/social-security/adult-disability-payment-review .

People can also engage with the consultation through a series of consultation events during February and March 2023.

Registration for consultation events can be accessed via https://www.tickettailor.com/events/adpreviewevents .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09365 on 7 July 2022. Information on the number of complaints regarding the use of restraint in schools and care settings is not collected at a national level by the Scottish Government. Under existing guidance, any use of physical intervention in schools, including restraint, must be recorded and monitored by local authorities. This is in addition to the inspection roles of carried out by Education Scotland.

The Scottish Government encourages all concerns or disagreements in relation to service provision to be resolved at as local a level as possible, where that is appropriate. Complaints can also be submitted in line with the service’s complaints handling procedure, with referrals made to the local authority and public services ombudsman, where appropriate. Where there are concerns about the professional conduct of a teacher registered with the GTCS, these can be referred to the GTCS for further examination. All children and young people, and their families, should be informed of all the routes available to them to make a complaint.

In all settings, police or social work should be informed without delay if there are concerns that a child or young person has suffered harm as a result of restraint. A child protection referral can run in parallel to local complaints handling and disciplinary procedures. Child protection procedures will be initiated when police, social work or health determine that a child may have been significantly harmed or may be at risk of significant harm.

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

Work on the precise methodology, design and evaluation for the peak rail fares pilot is currently underway. Transport Scotland officials are working closely with Scottish Rail Holdings and ScotRail Trains Ltd to derive maximum benefit for this scheme.

Further details on the peak rail fares pilot including timescales during the next financial year will be confirmed as soon as practically possible.