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The resource budget for SFRS is set each year in the Budget Act and the SFRS Board has responsibility for taking decisions on how that budget should be spent. There are no savings targets set out in the annual budget process and the SFRS Accountable Officer is responsible for ensuring that SFRS delivers a balanced budget and does not overspend. SFRS has achieved that each year since it was established in 2013.

We welcome NatureScot’s Avian Influenza Report on the H5N1 outbreak in wild birds and agree that our priority both now and in the future should be on continued disease surveillance, demographic monitoring and research to inform the long-term management of our wild bird populations in light of HPAI and other pressures.

The Scottish Government will continue working with the Scottish Avian Influenza Task Force to monitor and respond to HPAI in wild birds.

The Scottish Government, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) published the Shared Outcomes Framework (SOF) in March 2022, which set out our intent to develop a skilled workforce for Scotland. It includes a series of projects, including on apprenticeships and wider skills planning to help meet that intent.

The Shared Outcomes Assurance Group meets eight weekly during the Parliamentary year to review progress. Minutes of these meetings can be viewed at this weblink .

My predecessor in role, Mr Hepburn, wrote to the Public Audit Committee on 1 February 2023 to provide a progress update . Since that time, project implementation has continued and projects remain on track as set out in the published SOAG minutes.

In March 2022, the Scottish Government also published our National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET ). The work on the SOF aligns with the Skilled Workforce programme in the NSET.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of good governance, and takes this issue seriously. We undertake regular reviews of our corporate governance system and will consider the matter of a Good Governance Champion as part of this work.

The Scottish Government has no plans at this time to ban the breeding of the Scottish Fold cat. The breeding of this particular breed is however restricted under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (the 2021 regulations).

The 2021 Regulations include a licence condition (section 8(4), schedule 2) which states that "no cat may be kept for breeding if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype, conformation, behaviour or state of health, that breeding from it could have a detrimental effect on its health or welfare or the health or welfare of its offspring". Given the well documented conformational health issues with this breed, the licensing authority is likely to refuse any application for a licence or a request to vary a licence where the intention is to breed the Scottish Fold. Comprehensive guidance produced for local authorities and cat breeders also makes it clear that persons seeking to breed the Scottish Fold are unlikely to be granted a licence to do so.

The following table illustrating the number of staff trained to become qualified in delivering support for Mental Health First Aid and the year this was completed.

The Scottish Government has worked with the Forces Families Federations to advertise our vacancies through the Forces Families Jobs website. The website is also promoted through our Welcome to Scotland guide as a route to employment for Service families.

I was recently appointed as Minister for Veterans and will meet with the Scottish Veterans Commissioner as part of my programme of introductory meetings. Scottish Government officials have regular meetings with the Commissioner and her team.

The Scottish Government has no plans to build or install a Scottish independence readiness thermometer at any location.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of political integrity and transparency, and takes these issues seriously. We review and update guidance when necessary. Since 2016 Scotland has been a member of the Open Government Partnership, a global partnership with civil society that works to make governments more inclusive, responsive, and accountable. As part of this work, we will consider the options for a review of political integrity and transparency in Scotland.