Seòmar agus comataidhean

The level of funding invested each year by the Bank since it was established is as follows:

2020-21 (November to March): £23,097,000

2021-22: £130,414,000

2022-23: The Bank’s final outturn is still being finalised and it is too early to provide a provisional figure to Parliament. The Bank will lay its audited Annual Accounts in Parliament before the end of September.

The Bank’s most recent Annual Accounts are published on its website: https://www.thebank.scot/sites/default/files/2022-10/the-bank-annual-report-2022.pdf .

The portfolio page on the Bank’s website also provides details of the deals they have completed: https://www.thebank.scot/portfolio .

We are working with Disabled People’s organisations and their members to develop a new Disability Equality Strategy. Our focus is on listening to what disabled people have told us are the challenges and obstacles they face, and finding solutions that we can deliver.

The steering group has met 5 times to identify priorities for the strategy and specific actions. Work is ongoing and the strategy will be consulted on with wider stakeholders and partners when the actions are defined.

The Scottish Government will provide an update on this scoping work, as outlined in its response to the National Partnership for Culture recommendations, via the Culture Strategy Action Plan refresh (CSAPR).

The CSAPR will outline our ambitions around culture and creativity in learning, including our plans around collaborating with Creative Scotland on the scoping of a youth arts strategy, following Time To Shine , Scotland’s first national youth arts strategy, which covers the period up to 2023.

The review of the expressive arts curricular area is part of the ongoing National Discussion on Education as well as the Hayward review into qualifications and assessment. In the immediate term, Screen Scotland, in partnership with the education community, are piloting, in selected schools, a new Film and Screen curriculum for Scotland as part of the expressive arts curricular area. This pilot programme is being delivered across early years, primary and secondary settings.

The draft Film and Screen curriculum has been created to meet the needs of a shifting economy, employment landscape and learner demographic. A full evaluation of this will be made at the end of the pilot programme.

The Scottish Government will outline our ambitions around culture and creativity in learning via the Culture Strategy Action Plan refresh, which we will publish later this year. This will include our plans for cross-portfolio engagement in order to scope where culture may link in with other policy initiatives, such as the Place Standard Tool, as outlined in the National Partnership for Culture recommendations.

The Scottish Government remains committed to providing a resilient infrastructure solution to address the landslip risk at the Rest and Be Thankful. The preferred option for a medium-term solution was announced on 23 December 2022. A detailed programme for the proposed improvements is now being developed and it is expected that these works will be carried out on a phased basis starting later this year.

At the same time, Transport Scotland continues to take forward the necessary design and assessment work at pace with a view to announcing a preferred route option for the long-term solution this Spring.

I absolutely share the urgency communities and businesses place in maintaining and improving connectivity of this vital route, and remain absolutely committed to ensuring continuity of access to Argyll and Bute so that the region remains open for business.

Urmas Paet MEP and I held a positive meeting in June last year, in which we spoke about Scotland maintaining close relationships with Northern European neighbours on a range of issues such as energy, innovation and cohesion.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions, however Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

The Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the EU and I held a positive meeting in June last year in which we spoke about the Czech Republic's priorities for the Presidency of the European Council, including energy policy.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions, however Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

Fully committing to charging relevant agencies to develop a national plan would contravene the Scottish Government position that Local Authorities and schools have autonomy to take these decisions at a local level.

As set out in our response to the National Partnership for Culture recommendations, we will explore other opportunities to scope whether any of the established initiatives around the Creative Learning Plan could be scaled up.

Vice-President of the European Parliament Katarina Barley MEP and I held a positive meeting in August last year, in which we spoke about Scottish Government's draft hydrogen action plan.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions, however Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.