Seòmar agus comataidhean

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS is using learning from the pandemic to reshape its delivery model for purposeful activity as part of our 5-year Corporate Plan which is due to be published in Summer 2023.

Although purposeful activity hours have increased since the pandemic, focus will now shift to qualitative improvements rather than quantitative improvements. SPS recognise the importance of an individual's rehabilitation and reintegration and will structure pathways to support progress towards release.

The Scottish Government is committed to investing in Changing Places Toilets during this parliamentary term, in order to increase the number of these facilities across the country and to support mobile Changing Places Toilets to allow people easier access to events and outdoor venues.

Further information will be available over the course of this parliamentary term.

I welcome the innovative approach that Glasgow City Council have chosen to take on school meal debt.

Councils have the power to make discretionary offers of free school meals to families, where they are experiencing financial hardship due to exceptional circumstances, who do not meet the regular eligibility criteria.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with COSLA on a range of issues, which has included school meal debt.

As set out in the answer to parliamentary question S6W-16999 on 2 May 2023, within the broad general education phase there is the opportunity to teach the topic of the British Empire within the people, past event and societies section of social studies, and in the senior phase, there is an opportunity to teach the topic of the British Empire within the History qualifications, for example through the ‘Migration and Empire’ and ‘Atlantic Slave Trade’ topics.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

There are no plans to review the definition of long-term vacant with regard to the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP).

Each application received will be assessed by the Independent Investment Panel. Projects concerning sites that have been vacant and derelict for fewer than 15 years are not ineligible.

15 years registered does provide a marker for a significant length of time that indicates market forces alone will not be likely to bring the site back into use. However where a site has potential to become long term vacant and derelict, a project proposal may be able to justify bringing forward investment to unblock its reuse.

This information is not available centrally as expenditure is not classified by the Scottish Government in the manner requested and financial support for third sector and charitable organisations is provided by various sources.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16884 on 25 April 2023 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 .

Dumfries and Galloway Council were one of 165 organisations which responded to the consultation on the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) draft report, undertaken between January and April 2022. The Council’s responses covered a range of topics, including potential improvements to the A75. All responses were considered in production of the suite of final reports and statutory impact assessments, published on 8 December 2022.

The funding proposal is in the final stages of completion and will be sent to the UK Government for consideration during week commencing 1 May 2023.