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The Scottish Government continues to support NHS Boards to implement single sign on solutions and technologies to have safe and streamlined access to systems. In addition, the Scottish Government is supporting the federation of the Microsoft 365 platforms to further integrate access to systems and data across the health and care sector.

The Building Digital Skills and Leadership Programme enables the delivery of Priority 4 of the refreshed Digital Health and Care strategy where ‘Digital skills are seen as core skills for the workforce across the health and care sector’. The associated programme priorities are found within the Care in the Digital Age: delivery plan 2022 to 2023.

We are in the preliminary stages of development of our Commercial and Procurement Strategy and have started early engagement with stakeholders.

An update will be provided later this year with the delivery priorities for 2023-24 in the next version of our Delivery Plan.

The SPCB is continuing to review the requirements under the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020 and how they apply to the Garden Level Restaurant/Garden Coffee Bar and shop at the Holyrood site.

The other outlets would not fall under the customer deposit element of the scheme (i.e., the public café, Holyrood Room, QBH Lounge) as they don’t offer any takeaway options.

The Scottish Government consultation on restricting alcohol advertising and promotion is open until 9 March 2023. The Scottish Parliament shop sells Scottish Parliament branded whisky. With regards to the sale, promotion and advertising of alcohol, the SPCB ensures it complies with all current regulations, and will comply with any future regulations agreed by the Parliament.

At present no resources have been utilised in the preparation for the introduction of the scheme, other than a small amount of management time to consider the proposals.  Consideration is being given to how the regulations will be met and one option under consideration is leasing or hiring of a Reverse Vending Machine.

The SPCB is continuing to review the logistics associated with the roll out of the scheme and awaits information on the requirements from the Scottish Government's contractor, which the SPCB will then implement.

The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 provides a clear and cohesive set of criminal offences which are properly aligned with international standards and definitions of trafficking and exploitation which enables the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) to take prosecutorial decision based on the facts and circumstances of each individual case reported to them. This includes the power to commence confiscation proceedings where convictions are achieved in order that perpetrators face a credible risk of being convicted and sentenced proportionally to the seriousness of their crimes.

Scottish prosecutors work with other countries through Joint Investigative Teams to tackle cross border human trafficking cases and, since 2016, COPFS and the prosecution services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have signed a set of commitments with the overarching goal that the prosecuting authorities in the United Kingdom will work closely together and with law enforcement partners to disrupt networks, prosecute traffickers and safeguard victims’ rights.

The Scottish Government has the lead for alcohol policy in Scotland. However, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has responsibility for the policies surrounding general food labelling in Scotland and work closely with policy officials across the four nations on these issues.

FSS launched a four-week consultation on 23 October 2018 to assess the current understanding and use of the descriptive terms ‘low alcohol’, ‘non-alcoholic’, ‘alcohol-free’ and ‘de alcoholised’ but unfortunately this work was paused due to matters relating to EU exit.