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The Scottish Government took the decision last year to freeze ScotRail fares as part of a suite of measures to tackle the ongoing cost of living crisis. More broadly the Scottish Government has committed to pilot the removal of ScotRail peak fares on all ScotRail routes from October this year.

This initiative will operate over a six-month period, following which the Scottish Government will carefully consider its impact and the long-term sustainability of such a proposition.

The Scottish Government is considering future fare options whilst taking account of the extremely challenging fiscal climate facing both rail passengers and funders and I expect to provide an update on this in due course.

The First Minister will convene an anti-poverty summit on 3 May 2023 to help guide future action to tackle poverty and inequality in Scotland.

Those invited include experts, anti-poverty campaigners, people with lived experience, representatives from the third sector, local government and business, as well as cross-party representatives of the Scottish Parliament.

The names of guests who have accepted an invitation to attend events hosted by Scottish Ministers are routinely published. This information will be made available in due course at: www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/ .

Congressman Steve Cohen and I held a positive meeting in April last year, in which we spoke about Scottish and US relations and Representative Cohen’s membership of the Friends of Scotland Caucus in the US Congress.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions, however Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

The Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and I had a constructive meeting in November last year during which he acknowledged Scottish Ministers’ need to conduct international business. I made it clear that I would continue to represent Scottish Government positions internationally, including on the constitution.

The Minister and I had a constructive meeting last year in Paris during which we discussed the scope for further developing Franco-Scottish relations and discussed the challenges of welcoming refugees following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions. However, Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

As a result of the difficult decisions which had to be taken through the Emergency Budget review, recruitment of the 1,000 additional roles to support community mental health resilience, ensuring every GP Practice has access to a mental health and wellbeing service has not yet commenced. We have already prioritised significant investment to build mental health capacity in primary care through Action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027 and the Primary Care Improvement Fund.

We remain committed to improving mental health service provision in primary care settings. We are therefore working closely with stakeholders, including the Mental Health in Primary Care National Oversight Group, to develop plans to best use the resource available across the system in 2023-24, and in future years to improve support, assessment and treatment in primary care settings.

State Secretary Marko Štucin and I had a constructive meeting last year during which we discussed areas for collaboration including equalities and AI.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions. However, Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

Work to upgrade the ventilation system within ward 16 of University Hospital Monklands is expected to be complete by the end of the calendar year.

Good engagement is essential to good service planning. And there is no doubt that greater participation brings better outcomes for communities all round.

Scotland's national and local governments are committed to involving people and communities in the decision-making that affects them. Nowhere is that more vital than in the development of the health and social care services, which we all rely on.

Listening to the views of people who use services, and involving them throughout the process of planning care delivery, is a key improvement recommendation of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care in Scotland.

As part of our commitment to these aims, a revised version of Planning with People has been published. Planning with People has been updated to take account of recommendations and feedback from people working in and using health and social care services, community and equality groups, and the third sector. We would like to thank everyone who took part in the review for their time and input.

Planning with People promotes real collaboration between NHS Boards, Integration Joint Boards and Local Authorities. It sets out the responsibilities each organisation has to community engagement when services are being planned, or changes to services are being considered, and supports them to involve people meaningfully.

We encourage everyone in Scotland to get involved in shaping the care services they receive. Ultimately, it is their experience that will be the real measure of what impact it is making.

Whilst the Scottish Government have no official plans to mark “Reuseable Nappy Week 2023”, we promote and raise awareness of reusable nappies by including a voucher for 1 waterproof nappy wrap, with 5 stay dry nappy pads inside Scotland’s Baby Box.

As well as helping families to start using reusable nappies free of charge, the voucher also signposts families to the Scottish Government ParentClub website which highlights the benefits of using reusable nappies and provides helpful advice and tips on nappy use.

Recommendation 19 of the Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 (STPR2) recommends a review of station accessibility across Scotland. This will identify and remove barriers to travel and improve access for all to the rail network, prioritising those stations that have particular accessibility related issues. The anticipated timeline for completion of the review remains Spring 2024.

Transport Scotland is currently waiting for release of the Department for Transport (DfT) accessibility audit review findings in order to inform the STPR2 work.

Rail accessibility remains reserved to the UK Government, which is not an appropriate arrangement for Scotland’s Railway. Nonetheless Transport Scotland officials work closely with the DfT in identifying priorities for the allocation of UK Access for All funding in Scotland.

Transport Scotland officials regularly meet with the Mobility and Access Committee Scotland (MACS) to ensure that Ministers are provided with relevant and accurate advice and information on accessibility needs in Scotland. Transport Scotland also works with ScotRail and Network Rail to ensure that accessibility forms a key part of any Scottish Government funded investment projects and operational policy.