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NHS Board’s baseline revenue allocations are set out annually in the Scottish Budget, as published on the Scottish Government’s website. In addition, resource and capital spending limits are reported in Board’s annual accounts, which are published on their websites.

Since 2018-19, funding for frontline boards has increased by 17.4%.

The Scottish Government allocates funding to territorial NHS Boards based on the NRAC formula. The NRAC formula takes into account factors in addition to population levels, including relative deprivation and need for healthcare in different NHS Board areas.

Since 2012-13, almost £2.6 billion additional funding has been committed to those NHS Boards below their NRAC parity levels, bringing all boards to within 0.8% of parity.

More information on the NRAC formula is available at: Resource Allocation Formula in Scotland - Finance - Data & intelligence from PHS (isdscotland.org)

I know that the energy price increases we have seen recently will be concerning to many Scottish consumers, not least of all those in vulnerable circumstances.

I also know that consumers using prepayment meters pay a higher tariff for their energy. Unfortunately, regulation in the gas and electricity supply markets remains reserved to the UK Government meaning the Scottish Government’s potential actions are limited.

We are doing what we can within our reserved powers. We have extended our Fuel Insecurity Fund through 2022-23 and made available a further £10m to support those facing fuel insecurity. The Fuel Insecurity Fund includes support for the Fuel Bank Foundation to expand their existing Fuel Bank network in Scotland, to provide same-day support to prepayment meter users at risk of imminent self-disconnection We will seek to ensure that those receiving help are not just provided with financial support but that they are also connected with wider advice and support on energy efficiency, income maximisation and how to reduce energy bills.

The Investing in Scotland’s Future: Resource Spending Review confirmed that the Scottish Government will work closely with COSLA to agree a New Deal for Local Government, in advance of the next financial year. This will be based on the twin pillars of a new Fiscal Framework and an accompanying partnership agreement with Local Government. The New Deal will also build on the Local Governance Review, and help to bring a sharpened focus on ensuring the review arrives at a set of findings which can transform local democracy in Scotland.

The underspend against HM Treasury Scottish budgets for each financial year since 1999 is provided in the following table:

The Scotland Reserve was established following the 2016 Scotland Act and was effective from 1 April 2017. Amounts allocated annually to the Scotland Reserve since 1 April 2017 are included on the table below as well as details of all other movements within the Scotland Reserve during the relevant financial years.

In line with the requirements of the Scotland Act 1998, Boundaries Scotland must report its recommendations to Scottish Ministers by 1 May 2025. The timing of the review is otherwise a matter for Boundaries Scotland but it is likely that it will start the review this autumn with initial consultation taking place in the first half of 2023.

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) scheme allows EU citizens visiting Scotland, including volunteers, to access immediately necessary NHS healthcare at no charge, other than for certain dental and ophthalmic treatments in common with the general population. The EHIC scheme also makes provision for the treatment of long term conditions, such as kidney dialysis or oxygen therapy, which can be arranged with NHS Boards in advance of travelling to Scotland.

Information on the number of complaints regarding the use of restraint in schools and care settings is not collected at a national level by the Scottish Government. Under existing guidance, any use of physical intervention in schools, including restraint, must be recorded and monitored by local authorities. The Care Inspectorate also gathers information on all incidents of restraint in care settings and reviews selected cases to ensure best practice is followed. This is in addition to the inspection roles of carried out by the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland.

The Scottish Government encourages all concerns or disagreements in relation to service provision to be resolved at as local a level as possible, where that is appropriate. Complaints can also be submitted in line with the service’s complaints handling procedure, with referrals made to the local authority, public services ombudsman and the Care Inspectorate, where appropriate. Where there are concerns about the professional conduct of a teacher registered with the GTCS, these can be referred to the GTCS for further examination. All children and young people, and their families, should be informed of all the routes available to them to make a complaint.

In all settings, police or social work should be informed without delay if there are concerns that a child or young person has suffered harm as a result of restraint. A child protection referral can run in parallel to local complaints handling and disciplinary procedures. Child protection procedures will be initiated when police, social work or health determine that a child may have been significantly harmed or may be at risk of significant harm.

On 22 June I wrote to the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee, confirming that I now intend to lay a revised NPF4 in the Scottish Parliament in the autumn. This is in order to ensure there is sufficient time to give full consideration to the detailed responses submitted during the consultation period and to ensure that the finalised version is robust for the important role NPF4 will have in the planning system. Once we have assessed the scale of changes to be made following the public consultation and Scottish Parliament scrutiny of the draft NPF4, I will be in a position to decide whether further consultation is necessary.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09259 on 4 July 2022. 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