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Christmas tree decorations are stored and delivered onsite by our service provider, with PAT testing costs covered by the contractor.

No cost for maintenance of flags has been incurred in the past 15 years. If a flag is damaged it is replaced with a new one. 

We are investing over £190 million annually in the implementation of primary care multidisciplinary teams through the Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF) as well as additional funding for annual pay uplifts. The utilisation of PCIF funding held in reserve from the previous year to support in-year PCIF objectives is an approach we have now taken for a number of years. It is prudent to reinvest these public funds given the challenging financial context.

The following table summarises the value of hospitality costs on the Scottish Government’s financial reporting system for each of the last 5 full financial years.

As had been made clear, there remains challenge and uncertainty in the capital funding position.

All due consideration will be given as to which projects are affordable and deliverable and can be included within our revised infrastructure investment plan pipeline, following the outcome of the UK Government’s spending review and clarity on our longer-term capital funding position.

To this end, we are working with all health boards to develop a whole-system NHS infrastructure plan which will reflect needs across Scotland and support continued safe operation of existing facilities, as well as determination of longer term investment priorities.

The Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery (PNM) student financial support review is currently ongoing. The review aims to ensure that all PNM students are adequately supported to complete their studies, this includes students from remote and rural locations. A key aspect of the work associated with the review is to hear directly from PNM students about their experiences and opinions on financial support during their studies.

The Scottish Government’s Draft Budget proposes a significant allocation for Natural Resources which includes funding for Atlantic Rainforest restoration, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to this important priority. Budget allocation at the project/programme level is still to be finalised and will be considered following passage of the Budget Bill through Parliament.

Given the significant challenges facing public finances at that time, utilising reserves that had been built up over time from underspend of previous allocations to reinvest in support of multidisciplinary team implementation was a prudent use of public funds. At the same time, the Scottish Government increased the recurring funding available for these teams through the Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF) to £170 million in 2022-23 to support Integration Authorities to continue to work with local partners to increase and enhance capacity in primary care services. We are now investing over £190 million annually in the implementation of primary care multidisciplinary teams through the PCIF as well as additional funding for annual pay uplifts.

This report adds to understanding about what can happen early in the process of natural colonisation, when trees established in this way grow relatively slowly. The efficacy of tree planting for carbon capture must also consider their contribution to removing CO₂ from the atmosphere and then storing carbon in the longer term.

The UK Forestry Standard applies requirements to minimise soil carbon losses when creating new woodlands. No planting is supported in Scotland on soils with peat exceeding 50 cm depth. In addition recently revised guidance for soil cultivation effectively limits ploughing of organic soils of less than 10 cm depth.