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The Scottish Government has not made any specific representations to the UK Government around such a compensation scheme. We have, however, liaised with Ofcom on their strategic review of digital communications and encouraged them to maintain their focus on empowering and protecting consumers. We welcome Ofcom’s initial conclusions in this area, which recognise the importance of regulation in protecting consumers when telecoms providers fail to meet their obligations.

The Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) Act (Scotland) 2007 places a number of duties on local education authorities including ensuring that schools are health promoting. This includes promoting physical, social, mental and emotional wellbeing by supporting pupils to make positive lifestyle choices in relation to their health and wellbeing.

All adults who work in schools have a responsibility to support and develop mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing. It is for the local authority and schools to decide how to develop their own approaches to implement Curriculum for Excellence, based on local needs and circumstances.

The experiences and outcomes describe the expectations for learning and progression in all areas of the curriculum. Under the experience and outcome (HWB 06a), teachers must ensure that children and young people understand the importance of mental wellbeing and that this can be fostered and strengthened through personal coping skills and positive relationships. Children and young people should have an understanding that there is support available to them if they need it.

A mental health link person is available to every school and this has been achieved in a variety of ways using various models working to meet local needs. The link worker may be a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) clinician or another speciality such as a primary care worker. However the named link person will be able to contact specialist CAMHS services for advice if they have any concerns about a pupil.

Further to my response on to the answer to question S4W-29739 on 24 February 2016, we (Scottish Government officials) have begun early modelling work as a precursor to the policy development to be undertaken by the group. The group will meet once this is completed and a draft timetable will be developed and agreed by members as part of the terms of reference.

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.

The Scottish Government provided the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC) with funding of £66,000 for a three year period which was always intended to end in March 2016, with no organisations guaranteed funding beyond this point. The application from SAYFC for the new Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Funds unfortunately did not meet the criteria and was unsuccessful. Opportunities relating to guidance and advice on how to prepare applications for funding were provided to all potential applicants including beneficiaries of the previous funding. This included nineteen webinars which were held between 21 July and 19 August 2015, inclusive.

Given the role SAYFC plays in our rural communities, not least in supporting this government’s aim of attracting and maintaining young people in the agricultural sector, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment was able to provide SAYFC with funding of £30,000 in recognition of the role it plays in his portfolio interests.

The Scottish Government provided the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC) with funding of £66,000 for a three year period which was always intended to end in March 2016, with no organisations guaranteed funding beyond this point. The application from SAYFC for the new Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Funds unfortunately did not meet the criteria and was unsuccessful. We have funded and encouraged all applicants to avail themselves of the expertise and advice that Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland can provide, particularly on signposting to alternative potential funding opportunities.

Given the role SAYFC plays in our rural communities, not least in supporting this government’s aim of attracting and maintaining young people in the agricultural sector, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment was able to provide SAYFC with funding of £30,000 in recognition of the role it plays in his portfolio interests.

The Scottish Government welcomes Ofcom’s initial conclusions to the Strategic Review of Digital Communications. We believe they represent a positive step in improving digital communications in Scotland and are pleased that Ofcom intends to act upon a number of key issues on which we made direct representation. Ofcom’s conclusions did not specifically address the call we made for more extensive regional market analysis. I have asked Ofcom to consider this aspect as part of its work plan for the coming year, and we intend to follow up on this specific point with them in the coming weeks.

COSLA’s position on deposit return is a matter for COSLA.

As I set out in my previous response, there have been no formal discussions with COSLA specifically concerning deposit return systems. The potential impact on local authorities from deposit return is one of the issues I identified for further exploration in my announcement on 30 December 2015.

The responses to the Consultation on Provisions for a Future Islands Bill were published on 25 February 2016. The responses are currently being independently analysed. Once this is complete, the findings will help inform the development of a draft Bill.

Decisions on the introduction of a future Bill will be for the next Scottish Government to determine following the Scottish parliamentary elections in May 2016.

In 2012-13, the original maximum budget available to meet the Resource Accounting and Budget charge for providing student loans (excluding the Spring Budget Revision in readiness for the sale of the mortgage style student loan book) was £88.4 million.