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The following table summarises the number of Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) applications received, applying specifically Improving Public Access (IPA), and of those how many were (a) were approved and (b) are awaiting a decision, in each year since 2015. The figures below exclude those applications that were submitted then subsequently withdrawn by the businesses concerned.

Please note that the 2020 round did not include the IPA option and that the 2019 round was not open to new applications, rather a one year’s extension was offered to all Management options that were due to end in 2020. Not all businesses accepted the offer. Improving Public Access is not a Management Option, it is capital only, and as such was not included in the round.

The 2021 round that closed at the beginning of July 2021 was also extended. These applications are still being assessed.

1Excludes those applications that were submitted then subsequently withdrawn by the businesses concerned.

* Application type not included in Round

The following table summarises the number of Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) applications received, applying specifically for Organic Farming options, and of those how many were (a) were approved and (b) are awaiting a decision, in each year since 2015. The figures below exclude those applications that were submitted then subsequently withdrawn by the businesses concerned.

Please note that the 2020 round was not open to new applications, rather a one year’s extension was offered to all Management options that were due to end in 2020. Not all businesses accepted the offer.

The 2021 round that closed at the beginning of July 2021 was also extended. These applications are still being assessed.

1Excludes those applications that were submitted then subsequently withdrawn by the businesses concerned.

I fully understand that those with MS and other long term neurological conditions may need support to cope with potential impacts upon their mental wellbeing.

Over the past 13 months we have invested over £300,000 to projects which specifically aim to improve the health and wellbeing of people with MS in Scotland.

Improving timely access to local care and support for mental health is an existing priority. As of 1 January 2021, through action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy 2017-27 and the Primary Care Improvement Fund, 193 additional Mental Health Worker posts have been created in GP settings.

We have also made a longer term commitment that by 2026, every GP Practice will have access to a mental health and wellbeing service, funding 1,000 additional dedicated staff who can help grow community mental health resilience and offer social prescribing opportunities on a wide range of services such as arts and cultural activities, green space, physical activity and leisure. Later this year, and on the basis of local plans submitted by Integration Authorities, we will start providing funding to begin national implementation of a new model for Mental Health in Primary Care.

The following table summarises the number of Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) applications received, applying specifically for Slurry Storage and of those how many were (a) were approved and (b) are awaiting a decision, in each year since 2015. The figures below exclude those applications that were submitted then subsequently withdrawn by the businesses concerned.

Please note that the 2015 round did not include a Slurry Store option and that the 2020 round was not open to new applications, rather a one year’s extension was offered to all Management options that were due to end in 2020. Not all businesses accepted the offer. Slurry Store is not a Management Option, it is capital only, and as such was not included in the round.

The 2021 round that closed at the beginning of July 2021 was also extended. These applications are still being assessed.

1Excludes those applications that were submitted then subsequently withdrawn by the businesses concerned.

* Application type not included in Round.

The Scottish Government welcomes the publication of the report by the Survivor Reference Group and will consider the findings from this. It is vital that survivors of rape, sexual violence, and abuse are listened to and believed by the police and we are determined to improve the justice system to respond better to the needs of survivors of rape and sexual assault in Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises the key role that advocacy services play in helping victims come forward and engage with the justice process, like those provided by Rape Crisis Scotland, which is why we fully fund the RCS National Advocacy Project.

A single police force has transformed the way rape and other sexual crimes are investigated in Scotland allowing far greater consistency of approach, including the training of police officers and use of specialist officers.

The Private Storage Aid Scheme (Pigmeat)(Scotland) Regulations 2021 were laid in the Parliament on the 5th of November. The scheme went live on the 9th of November and is now open for applicants.

I can confirm that sport scotland received a stage 1 application for investment into the Park of Keir site. This was considered in 2019, with a decision on whether to progress the project to full application stage deferred until further information is available.

As part of delivering the Neurological Care and Support – a National Framework for Action and meeting the National Health and Well-being Outcomes, we are working closely with health and social care services to contribute in reducing health inequalities. We will continue this work over the course of the Framework, ensuring the necessary resource is directed at addressing the underlying causes of health inequalities.

We anticipate that resources such as the Scottish Multiple Sclerosis Register will inform this work, through enhancing our understanding of the MS epidemiology and landscape in Scotland, and helping us to identify where we can focus work to further drive up standards of care.

Across the Scottish Government, and with COSLA and Public Health Scotland, work to drive improvement in health and wellbeing at a community level is being progressed. We will do this by developing a framework to support a coherent place-based approach to tackling health inequalities within communities.

The Scottish Government is commissioning an evaluation of the pilot approach to early learning and childcare (ELC) access for children who defer Primary 1. The evaluation research will include data collection with a sample of parents in pilot local authorities to explore their perceptions and experiences of the entitlement. We anticipate that full evaluation findings covering year 1 and 2 pilots will be published in spring 2023. Interim findings will be shared with the Deferral Working Group and published on the Scottish Government website.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04086 on 16 November 2021. 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