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As per answer to question S6W-13986 on 31 January 2023 there are a number of developments underway to support online triage. However, we do not hold information on the amount spent specifically on online triage.

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

We are not currently aware of any Health Boards that are not using a form of asynchronous communication as part of their public service offering.

Careful consideration is being given to the call for a public inquiry, and the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs will respond to the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee’s correspondence on this matter in due course.

Traditional skills are promoted in a number of ways by non-departmental public bodies such as Skills Development Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland. These include apprenticeships, which are a key way for employers to invest in their workforce and provide skills that the economy needs now and in the future, as underlined by our commitment to a skilled workforce set out in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

As part of the Scottish Government’s Youth Employment Strategy, Developing the Young Workforce, we have worked with employers and sector bodies to develop a programme called “Build Your Future” that promotes careers in construction and heritage skills, including stonemasonry, to young people through construction skills tasters.

A short life working group is currently being led by Historic Environment Scotland to identify how sustainable models of stonemasonry training can be developed in Scotland. Historic Environment Scotland also directly supports and works with organisations across Scotland to promote skilled heritage jobs through provision of advice, support and mentoring. Through its grants programmes, Historic Environment Scotland also directly supports the employment of skilled craftspeople on third party projects, as well as requiring grant recipients to engage in education, training and outreach to promote skilled heritage jobs.

The Scottish Government publishes survey data on the use of vaping products by under 16s collected through the Growing Up in Scotland (GUS) study and via the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey (SALSUS), which ran between 2002 and 2018.

Vapes and other nicotine products are part of a range of possible cessation tools available to existing smokers to help stop tobacco use. They are not a lifestyle accessory for children or adult non-smokers.

Electricity networks are a reserved matter and the Scottish Government has no role in determining how network infrastructure is delivered.

Scottish Government officials meet with Scottish Power Energy Networks and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues pertaining to the delivery of Scotland’s net zero targets and we encourage networks companies to work collaboratively with all stakeholders including Network Rail.

The Scottish Breast Screening Programme (SBSP) currently operates six breast screening centres, complimented by twenty mobile breast screening units. These service each area of Scotland on a three yearly rotational basis and are intended to address the geographical challenges faced by the breast screening programme in Scotland.

The Scottish Government remains committed to improving the service and providing equality of access to breast screening. This commitment is laid out within the major review of the breast screening programme, which was published on 23 May 2022, and is being taken forward by a dedicated Modernisation Programme Board, which is working to ensure the programme is fit for the future. Further information on the review can be found here: Scottish Breast Screening Programme: major review - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Public Health Scotland have appointed three consultants in Public Health Medicine jointly with local health boards - those shared national and local posts are in NHS Tayside, NHS Highland and NHS Fife. They are currently interviewing for a further two joint consultant roles with NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

The Scottish Government has been working in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Keep Scotland Beautiful to finalise the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy.

The final Strategy, and an accompanying action plan, will be published by the end of March 2023.