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Currently there are 1,014 active Scottish beekeepers with 8,769 colonies registered on BeeBase. All beekeepers in Scotland are encouraged to sign-up to this database to enable effective communications throughout the country.

The Scottish Government is also aware of the difficulties facing beekeepers at this time and is consulting with their stakeholders on the way forward.

The Scottish Government continues to keep the use of industrial trans fatty acids in Scotland under review, using the latest evidence to inform policy.

The most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows that consumption of total trans fatty acids is considerably below the maximum level of 2.0% of food energy recommended by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition for all age groups and is currently estimated to be, on average, 0.8%.

With low income consumers in mind, the Food Standards Agency in Scotland (FSAS) is currently investigating whether takeaway foods, purchased in the most deprived areas of Glasgow, contain high levels of trans fatty acids. The survey report is currently under peer review and will be published later this Spring.

<>The most recent update of the University of Sheffield alcohol pricing model was published in January 2012 and can be accessed at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.156503!/file/scotlandjan.pdf. This estimated that a total ban on off-trade discounting would result in a decrease in overall consumption of 3%. A total ban is assumed to prohibit all forms of price-based promotion, including straight discounting from list price in addition to quantity discounts.

The ban implemented in the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010 relates to a quantity discount ban only. Due to unavailability of data, it is not possible for the University of Sheffield to estimate the impact on consumption of the quantity discount ban alone.

The question does not state the source for the 1% figure quoted, however it is possible that this is taken from A Preliminary descriptive analysis of the impact of the quantity discount ban on off-trade alcohol sales in Scotland, published by NHS Health Scotland in June 2012: http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/5923.aspx. In this report 1% is the difference in the fall in sales between Scotland and England & Wales in the 33 weeks following the implementation of the ban. However, the report does not attribute the 1% to be the overall impact of the ban. The authors conclude that a longer time series of data and more detailed analyses are required to provide a robust evaluation of the quantity discount ban’s specific impact on alcohol sales in Scotland.

NHS Health Scotland is due to publish this detailed analysis in the coming months. It should be noted however, that as the Sheffield model estimates the impact of a total discount ban while Health Scotland look at the impact of the discount ban, direct comparisons between estimates remain invalid.

The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008 set strict food and nutrient standards for the provision of school food that, as far as possible, mitigates against the presence of industrially produced trans fatty acids in school meals and food served throughout the school day.

The regulations specify strict criteria and limits in relation to the inclusion of processed foods, including products that are deep fried in the manufacturing process.

The regulations specify that only oils and fat spreads high in polyunsaturated and/or monounsaturated fats can be used in food preparation. Such oils and fats are low in trans fatty acids.

The Scottish Government continues to keep the use of industrial trans fatty acids in Scotland under review, using the latest evidence to inform policy decisions. The member may wish to refer to the answer to question S4W-13972 on 18 April 2013 for further information on this issue.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Local authorities have a statutory duty under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to provide voluntary throughcare which consists of advice guidance and assistance to people who request such a service within 12 months of their release from custody, including those released following an appeal against conviction and/or sentence.

Further to this, the Miscarriage of Justice Organisation for Scotland, (MOJOS), has received Scottish Government funding under Section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 since 1 April 2005. The funding for 2013-14 is £62,700.

The grant funds MOJOS to provide a one-stop service to assist clients and their families to gain access to benefits, housing, health services, and to provide access to counselling, reintegration and financial advice. Priority is given to supporting individuals who have had their case referred to the High Court by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission; individuals released by the High Court following such a referral; and individuals coming from other UK jurisdictions in similar circumstances who intend to settle in Scotland.

The Military Scholarships applies to all bereaved children across the UK (of personnel who have died in service) to enable them to complete further and higher education studies.

Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland’s Alcohol Strategy: Second Annual Report, published by NHS Health Scotland in December 2012, includes detailed information on the average price and price distribution of alcohol sold in Scotland. The report is available at:

http://www.healthscotland.com/uploads/documents/20107-MESASCombinedReportNov2012.pdf.

A bulletin presenting statistics on crimes and offences, including offences associated with alcohol use, recorded in Scotland from 2002-3 to 2011-12 can be accessed at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/06/1698.

Alcohol-related hospital discharge statistics are published annually by Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS National Services Scotland. The latest figures can be found at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Drugs-and-Alcohol-Misuse/Publications/2012-05-29/2012-05-29-AlcoholHospitalStats2012-Report.pdf and include data covering the last five years (data covering earlier years is also available on the ISD website). It should be noted that ISD do not hold separate admission and discharge datasets. As further diagnostic information may become available during the course of a hospital stay, the use of discharge data provides a more complete and accurate picture of a patient’s condition.

Information on the number of gun licences withdrawn on review is not available. Information on the number of firearm and shotgun certificates both refused and revoked is available from the Firearm Certificates Statistics, Scotland statistical bulletin series, which can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubFirearmCertificates.

<>The most recent update of the University of Sheffield alcohol pricing model was published in January 2012 and can be accessed at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.156503!/file/scotlandjan.pdf. This estimated that a total ban on off-trade discounting would result in a decrease in overall consumption of 3%. A total ban is assumed to prohibit all forms of price-based promotion, including straight discounting from list price in addition to quantity discounts.

The ban implemented in the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010, which came into force in October 2011, relates to a quantity discount ban only (for example, buy 3 for the price of 2, 3 bottles of wine for £10 etc.). Due to unavailability of data, it is not possible for the University of Sheffield to estimate the impact on consumption of the quantity discount ban alone.

NHS Health Scotland is due to publish a detailed analysis of the impact of the quantity discount ban on consumption in Scotland in the coming months.

Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 local authorities have a duty to provide adequate and efficient provision of school education for all children residing in their local area. It is for local authorities to determine how they accommodate a request for a school place for a child of a Service family.