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The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that individuals impacted by Huntington’s disease, including those in the NHS Highland area, can access the mental health support they need.

This includes access to community mental health teams and psychiatry by referral through their GP or a Huntington’s specialist. Clinical leads and Huntington’s disease specialists, supported by the Scottish Huntington’s Association network, coordinate physical and mental health care and provide clear pathways to mental health services, including psychiatry.

We have published Core Mental Health Quality Standards which aim to ensure equitable access to mental health services, through clear referral processes, reduced barriers, and prioritisation of those most in need, which could include those with Huntington’s.

• Highlands and Islands includes the following local authorities: Highland, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Western Isles (aka Outer Hebrides / Eilean Siar).
• There is a break in the time series in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID19 pandemic so there is no data available for these years.
• The source for domestic overnight figures is the Great Britain Tourism Survey.
• The source for international figures is the International Passenger Survey.

VisitScotland’s system does not allow point in time reporting required to share location-specific information for staff for each December since 2018.

VisitScotland’s staff numbers at the end of each financial year are reported in its annual accounts as follows:

We recognise the challenges in maintaining Scotland’s road network and the vital importance of ensuring roads are safe and well-maintained.

Under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, local authorities are responsible for the improvement, maintenance, and repair of local roads. The Scottish Government is providing over £15 billion in the 2025-26 Local Government Settlement, increasing the resources available to Local Government by £1 billion, a real terms increase of 4.7%. It is the responsibility of each local authority to manage their own budget and to allocate the financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities.

Transport Scotland, on behalf of Scottish Ministers, is responsible for the management and maintenance of the trunk road network through the Operating Company contracts. Our Operating Companies conduct inspections every 7 days, and will address any defects which present immediate safety risks, by carrying out temporary repairs by 6 am the following day and permanent repairs within 28 days.

The 2025-26 draft Budget allocates a record £714 million for trunk road maintenance, supporting the continued safety and operation of the trunk road network.

• Highlands and Islands includes the following local authorities: Highland, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Western Isles (aka Outer Hebrides / Eilean Siar).
• Average spend figures are shown in pounds. These figures are nominal and have not been adjusted for inflation.
• There is a break in the time series in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID19 pandemic so there is no data available for these years.
• The source for domestic overnight figures is the Great Britain Tourism Survey.
• The source for international figures is the International Passenger Survey.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Scottish Government clinical guidance was clear that a thorough risk assessment should always be undertaken prior to discharge to ensure that the care home would be able to provide the care required. Individual risk assessments prior to discharge were the responsibility of relevant Health Boards, Local Authorities, and Integration Authorities.

The Scottish Government See Hear Strategy, published in 2014 and endorsed by COSLA, sets out a framework where everyone with a sensory impairment, including older adults, should expect seamless provision of assessment, care and support. The recommendations contained within the See Hear Strategy are being implemented via local partnerships, including statutory and third sector partners, to ensure alignment with local priorities and approaches. Funding is made available to each local authority area to support implementation of the strategy. For the last five years, Aberdeenshire has received £15,340 per annum for this purpose, with Aberdeen City receiving a further £13,281 per annum.

Details of how this funding has been spent, including to support older adults, is a matter for the relevant local authority. Information on provision of optometry and audiology services to older adults with sensory impairments is a matter for the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership. This information is not held centrally.

Scottish Government also funds two projects through the Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund which support people in Aberdeenshire experiencing social isolation and loneliness due to sensory impairment.

- Grampian Society for the Blind, operating as North East Sensory Services (NESS) and based in Aberdeen (Moray), offers social groups and activities for people with a visual impairment. Over the period 2023-2026 they will receive £55,083.

- The British Deaf Association (based in Glasgow but covering Aberdeen) provides information and support to the deaf community, online and in person. Over the period 2023-2026 they will receive £71,794.

These projects support people of any age experiencing social isolation and loneliness due to a sensory impairment. However, the likelihood is that older people will be benefitting from these services.

The purpose of having bees at the Parliament is not to produce honey but to partially demonstrate our compliance with the biodiversity duty under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 which places a statutory duty on all public sector bodies in Scotland to further the conservation of biodiversity. The honey is a by-product from having bees and is sold at a profit minus any costs for bottling and labelling.

Our current bee keeping supplier uses the wax from their hives, including the Scottish Parliament, to supply the beeswax used for the Great Seal of Scotland.  We do not receive or make any payment in relation to this.

The current contract runs until March 2025. The usual tendering process is being run for the bee keeping services.