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No decision has yet been taken regarding funding for counsellors in colleges and universities beyond the end of the current Academic Year.

The 2021 Digital Health and Care strategy aims to make the right information available to all appropriate staff, when and where it is needed. It builds on the existing use of electronic patient record systems used by all Health Boards and GP practices. Our recently publish Data Strategy for Health and Social Care augments this ambition.

Improving the creation and retention of digital records allows for greater sharing of information and reduces the need for multiple paper records to exist across multiple locations. The focus is on allowing medical records to be stored, linked, and shared securely according to the information needed. To achieve this most Health Boards, have a Clinical Portal. This system works across organisational, regional, and national boundaries to provide a timely transfer of information. The key developments to improve the sharing of information within Health Boards is the GPIT Programme, the National Digital Platform, TRAK Care and Clinical Portal.

HEPMA ( Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration ) is a system that can also replace paper prescribing and medication administration systems within hospitals. It has already been successfully implemented in six Health boards across Scotland and all remaining Health Boards all expected to roll it out by the end of 2025.

Scottish Government allocates commensurate funding to Health boards for 17J, 17C and 2C practices as part of the wider Primary Medical Services allocation. It is anticipated that Boards will fund 2C practices from this funding.

Vision is routinely assessed following stroke and any pre-existing visual problems would be considered as part of the assessment and rehabilitation process. The criteria for assessment during Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme (SSIP) annual reviews of NHS Boards now includes a dedicated section relating to vision in stroke rehabilitation.

The Scottish Government expects boards to demonstrate that their stroke services have a documented pathway describing services for all those with visual problems following stroke. Boards should be able to evidence the use of comprehensive visual screening, the option to refer to appropriate professionals for assessment of visual problems and the provision of tailored information and access to low vision services if required.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) are the official producer of statistics relating to deaths, including where the cause was related to COVID-19. The information they hold is restricted to that recorded at death registration and therefore they do not hold sufficient detail to identify where a person had in place a do not resuscitate order.

A one off analysis of COVID-19 deaths by disability was made possible by linking information on death registrations to data on long-term health problems and disabilities from Scotland’s Census 2011. This is publicly available on the NRS website: Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland, Week 11: Report (nrscotland.gov.uk)

There is no ongoing or planned work to look further at the level of detail outlined in the question.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

National Records of Scotland (NRS) are the official producer of statistics relating to deaths, including where the cause was related to COVID-19. The information they hold is restricted to that recorded at death registration and therefore they do not hold sufficient detail to identify where a cause of death was related to secondary COVID-19 impacts such as loss of support.

A one off analysis of COVID-19 deaths by disability was made possible by linking information on death registrations to data on long-term health problems and disabilities from Scotland’s Census 2011. This is publicly available on the NRS website: Deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland, Week 11: Report (nrscotland.gov.uk).

There is no ongoing or planned work to look further at the level of detail outlined in the question.

The Scottish Government has provided an additional £793 million to local government in 2023-24, which is a real terms increase of £376 million or 3 per cent, however, it is for locally elected representatives to manage the allocation of resources and the level of services that are delivered to their local communities, taking account of local needs and priorities. The Scottish Government has not made an assessment of any association between local authority budgets and levels of littering across Scotland.

£36 million of public money is spent every year removing litter from the Scottish environment. We are supporting local authorities to prepare for the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme, which will mean that local authorities will have less waste to handle, as well as reducing litter and associated clean-up costs, which is good for residents and council budgets.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to keep land clear of litter and refuse. To fulfil this duty, local authorities should have a robust monitoring regime in place to ensure that land is maintained to an appropriate standard and if this standard is not met, that restoration will be carried out within appropriate response times. In 2018, the Scottish Government published an updated Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse to support local authorities in undertaking their duties under the Environmental Protection Act (1990).

The forthcoming National Litter and Flytipping Strategy will support ongoing work on the Litter Monitoring System, which is designed to facilitate data capture in order to assist local authorities in the planning, delivery and evaluation of litter prevention measures.

Local authorities remain responsible for and are best placed to make decisions regarding the provision of waste and recycling services and measures to address littering on the basis of local needs and priorities.

The Scottish Government has provided an additional £793 million to local government in 2023-24, which is a real terms increase of £376 million or 3 per cent, however, it is for locally elected representatives to manage the allocation of resources and the level of services that are delivered to their local communities.

£36 million of public money is spent every year removing litter from the Scottish environment. We are supporting local authorities to prepare for the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme, which will mean that local authorities will have less waste to handle, as well as reducing litter and associated clean-up costs, which is good for residents and council budgets.

We are also making one of the biggest investments in a generation to modernise recycling in Scotland through the £70 million Recycling Improvement Fund. Over £53 million has now been awarded to 17 local authorities to increase the quantity and quality of recycling across Scotland.

We will be publishing a new National Litter & Flytipping Strategy this year. This will set how we plan to work with partners to develop more effective litter prevention and enforcement measures.