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My officials in Transport Scotland have advised that neither they, or the south west unit Operating Company, Amey, are aware of any reported major concerns from the community regarding the impact of planned maintenance closures on the A76 trunk road near Upper Nithsdale.

Homelessness data, which includes information about temporary accommodation placements, is available for all local authorities from 2017-18. The following table shows the lower (a) and upper (b) quartile of total time in days spent in temporary accommodation for households with homelessness applications that closed in each year from 2017-18 by household type. The figures are based on homelessness applications with at least one associated temporary accommodation placement.

Lower (LQ) and upper (UQ) quartile of total time (days) spent in temporary accommodation, by household type: 2017-18 to 2021-22

The Scottish Government is actively engaging with Transform Scotland, and other key stakeholders, as we progress our Fair Fares Review, which is being undertaken to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to public transport fares. I thank Transform Scotland for their interest in this work and contribution via their report. Transport Scotland will consider its findings and recommendations as part of the Fair Fares Review.

In the meantime, we have announced as part of the Fair Fares Review, a pathfinder pilot project to remove peak fares from Scotrail services for a trial period. This is in addition to a range of actions already being taken to widen access and maintain the affordability of public transport.

• Up to 2.3 million people in Scotland are now able to access free bus travel through the scheme for older and disabled people and for those aged under 22.
• We are supporting the growth of smart and integrated ticketing and payment in Scotland, including funding the growth of contactless payments on buses, enhancing journey planning information, including on fares, and progressing measures in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 to improve consistency and integration.
• We have frozen rail fares until at least March 2023 and, likewise, we have intervened to hold fares in the northern isles ferry network at current levels until the end of March 2023.

In Autumn 2022 Transport Scotland launched a national marketing campaign across TV, radio, digital and social media and outdoor advertising channels. This has significantly increased awareness and understanding of the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme, and has encouraged even more young people to apply.

Additionally, since January 2022, Transport Scotland has undertaken extensive stakeholder communications to encourage uptake. This includes providing informational and promotional materials and advice to over 300 private, public and third sector organisations who work with children, young people, families, those in poverty, disability and carers groups, and others who may benefit from the scheme.

In October and November 2022, communications materials were also issued directly from Transport Scotland to all 2,500 Primary and Secondary schools across Scotland, providing access to bespoke resources and advice to communicate about the scheme with their pupils and families.

Information and resources for stakeholders are available on the freebus.scot website , which have already been widely used.

Transport Scotland continues to reach out to existing and new stakeholders to promote the scheme and encourage more young people to benefit.

I have been clear that we will make full use of all of the powers available to us, including legislation if necessary, to find solutions for homeowners living in buildings with potentially unsafe cladding. This includes encouraging cooperation from developers. Specific proposals would be brought forward through a formal consultation process.

Alcohol duty is a reserved tax which is set and administered by the UK Government. We are not aware of the UK Government having made any assessment of the impact of the extended six-month freeze on alcohol duty on Devolved Administrations, nor did they consult with us on this decision.

We believe the UK Government must provide long-term clarity for the alcohol sector beyond the six-month rates freeze. Businesses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, as well as the uncertainty surrounding the freeze which was announced, cancelled, then re-announced, all in a three-month period.

When setting alcohol duty rates following the freeze, the Scottish Government would strongly recommend that the UK Government considers public health as part of this. We remain committed to reducing alcohol related harms, in line with the World Health Organization’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

The Scottish Government recognises that outcomes are not uniform across all communities, and effective interventions need to take specific experiences into account. This understanding must be evidence based and we are clear that a “one size fits all” singular approach will fail to deliver.

In its approach to developing and embedding race equality and anti-racism, the Scottish Government is clear that significant inequalities remain in many areas of life for people from minority ethnic communities. We regard the causes of these inequalities as systemic and deep-rooted, and that reversing them will take time and effort, as well as a Scottish Government commitment that is maintained going into the future.

We acknowledge the existence of formal and informal structural, institutional and cultural processes that disadvantage minority ethnic and migrant groups within Scotland. Our approach aligns with the equality legislation that is in place in Scotland, and takes a human rights and rights-based perspective that is committed to involving people with expertise and lived experience of issues in the design and development of policy. Scottish Government policy draws from, and is informed by, a range of different theories and frameworks, including critical race theory, to take action that is effective in advancing race equality.

Each Scottish Government international office submits a monitoring and evaluation report every financial year. Offices use a range of both qualitative and quantitative indicators to measure their performance; monitor their effectiveness; ensure they are achieving their strategic objectives and that they are providing value for money.

We are committed to ensuring our international work is measurable, transparent and available to the public. From this year onwards, we will publish an annual report explaining how our international offices work to promote our values, objectives and priorities across the globe.

(a)The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of Pharmacy places available at universities in each of the last five years. With the exception of controlled subjects, the Scottish Government does not direct individual universities on the allocation of funded places for eligible Scottish students, and it is for each university to decide how to distribute its funded places between faculties and courses. This approach also applies to Pharmacy courses, which are not controlled subjects.

The following tables show the number of full-time entrants to undergraduate and postgraduate pharmacy courses at Scottish universities.

Data has been provided in two tables due to a change in the subject classification coding used by universities in 2019-20.

Full-time Entrants to Pharmacy Courses at Scottish Providers, by level of study

Transport Scotland, through its Operating Companies, consider local communities and affected businesses during the works planning and consultation process. For planned closures, consultation with the community and business groups is undertaken as part of the planning process, to consider the specific concerns and needs of those parties. Where possible, works are scheduled to avoid busier periods and times. This helps to minimise impacts on road users, businesses and local communities, with operating company contracts including specific times on certain routes where planned works are to be avoided.