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The Scottish Government are not aware of any regulations which prevent public sector bodies from using recycled aggregates in construction projects.

SEPA encourages the use of recycled aggregates and has issued guidance on their manufacture from inert waste production-of-recycled-aggregates.pdf (sepa.org.uk) . This aims to ensure recycled aggregates have the same technical and environmental performance as virgin aggregates, providing confidence to users. Recycled aggregates must also comply with the relevant performance specifications.

Transport Scotland encourages the use of recycled aggregates where appropriate and, in order to encourage and facilitate this, recently issued a guidance note on road recycling https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/51380/ts-ia-52-road-recycling.pdf .

Scottish Government guidance Client Guide to Construction Projects includes a chapter on Sustainability in Construction that endorses a circular economy approach to conserve and value all resource.

More widely, the Scottish Government has introduced an Aggregates Tax and Devolved Taxes Administration (Scotland) Bill, which will encourage the use of recycled materials in construction, by taxing the sale or use of aggregates consisting of freshly extracted rock, gravel or sand.

The Scottish Aggregates Tax, scheduled for introduction in April 2026, is intended to encourage the minimum necessary exploitation of primary aggregate, maximise the use of secondary and recycled aggregates and incentivise innovation and the development of alternative materials.

While it is the responsibility of Police Scotland to meet its obligations for data has a wide range of obligations to meet in discharging its statutory and regulatory responsibilities regarding the processing of data.

These obligations include Data Protection legislation, Public Records (Scotland) legislation, Biometrics and Communications legislation and security requirements overseen by the Home Office, Cabinet Office and National Police Chiefs Council.

Police Scotland has designed and implemented a suite of technical, procedural, physical and behavioural controls which are overseen by the Deputy Chief Constable for Professionalism.

An essential security control for data is a policy that police databases are not accessible from personal or private devices. This is carefully managed and monitored with technical capabilities to ensure compliance. Officers and staff that require access to police databases are provided with appropriate equipment and devices that enables that functionality and which have commensurate security applied. Civilian Scottish Government employees are not able to access this information.

Police Scotland in common with all Data Controllers, is also subject to oversight from regulators including the Information Commissioner and the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner who from time to time make recommendations or provide advice on measures that will enhance security of the data Police Scotland processes. Additional safeguards for the management of data is also ensured with further scrutiny by Internal Auditors.

The Scottish Government welcomes the work of organisations like Coeliac UK who are already undertaking communications work to increase awareness and knowledge of coeliac disease and highlight the importance of knowing the symptoms and risk factors. We supported their messaging on Coeliac Awareness Month in May 2024 by sharing their twitter campaign highlighting awareness of coeliac disease and how the condition can be different for everyone.

NHSinform.scot provides clear and accessible information on coeliac disease, including symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment.

Following the launch of a new national evidence-based pathway for coeliac disease in 2018, we expect all Health Boards to fully implement the Coeliac Disease Pathway in Scotland to improve under diagnosis, time to diagnosis and to ensure dietetic person-centred support for people living with this condition so that they can take control and manage its impact on their health and quality of life.

Our £70 million Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan is increasing capacity and supporting workforce training. This also includes a commitment to promote and implement guidelines for non-biopsy diagnosis for coeliac disease, which is expected to reduce waiting times for diagnosis for this condition.

In 2018, a new national evidence-based pathway for coeliac disease was launched across four health boards (NHS Lothian, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Tayside). It was funded by Scottish Government’s Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP) and co-produced in partnership with key stakeholders including Coeliac UK, and people living with coeliac disease and clinicians.

In March 2023, Maree Todd MSP, the then Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health & Sport attended ‘Coeliac Disease: The Challenge of Underdiagnosis’ in the Scottish Parliament. The event was supported by Coeliac UK and included a presentation from a patient representative.

A review, and if necessary, update of the Coeliac Disease Pathway is planned in 2024 through engagement and co-production with patient representatives and third sector organisations including Coeliac UK.

Costs associated with Police Scotland’s data management are a matter for the Chief Constable.

The location of critical policing facilities is an operational decision for the Chief Constable. Police Scotland is currently in discussions with a number of partners around possible co-location options, to ensure it can continue to provide a policing service that continues to meet the needs of communities across Edinburgh, in the event that functions move away from Fettes. Police Scotland will undertake a public consultation in advance of any decisions being reached.

The location and deployment of police officers is an operational decision for the Chief Constable. However, under its estate plans for Edinburgh and the Lothians, Police Scotland intends that front-line operational officers will be relocated within the same geographical policing area, meaning there will be no loss to community-based policing.

Police Scotland is currently considering options, and is in discussion with a number of partners around possible locations, to ensure it continues to provide a local policing service that meets the needs of communities across Edinburgh and the Lothians, and has committed to undertake a public consultation in advance of any decisions being reached.

This is an operational matter for Police Scotland.

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) uses a live, operational database to manage the processing of reports submitted to Procurators Fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies throughout Scotland. It is designed to meet business needs in the processing of criminal cases, rather than for statistical purposes and the information within it is structured accordingly. Information provided is at date of extract and may therefore be subject to change as data and systems are updated for operational reasons.

From 1 April to 14 May 2024, 123 hate crime charges and 422 charges with one or more hate crime aggravations have been reported to COPFS. The combined total number of charges is 545.

As at 14 May 2024, 343 charges have been marked for court proceedings and a further 60 charges have been marked as “not separately actioned”. Where a charge is marked as “not separately actioned”, no action was taken against the charge, but action (prosecution in court) was taken against the accused and some of the libel in the charge may have been incorporated into a charge that was actioned.

COPFS is not the holder of conviction data but, according to our case management system, 26 charges have so far resolved after court proceedings, a conviction is recorded in 17 of these charges.