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The Scottish Government is committed to supporting ideas that may reduce barriers to voting. Following the Electoral Reform public consultation, which took place in 2018, workshops with people with sight loss have taken place to explore how accessibility to elections can be improved. A number of ideas have emerged that are currently under active consideration.

Large print ballot papers are an option which could be taken forward. They do have the disadvantage of potentially jeopardising the secrecy of the vote but this would need to be more fully explored.

Under existing election rules, Returning Officers must equip polling stations with at least one enlarged sample copy of the ballot paper for display at the station and at least one enlarged hand-held sample copy of the ballot paper for the assistance of voters who are partially sighted. Returning Officers are also required to provide a device, the “tactile voting instrument”, which is designed to enable voters who are blind or partially-sighted to vote without any need for assistance from the presiding officer or any companion.

The Scottish Government will share plans for innovation to improve access to voting for those with sight loss once further engagement with stakeholders has taken place.

The Scottish Government conducts an annual People Survey to obtain views from staff on the experience of working in the Scottish Government. It contains questions about wellbeing and mental health, and questions that align to the Health and Safety Executive's stress management tool. Monthly conversations are an important part of the overall performance management process and line managers should cover wellbeing and resilience, both within and outwith the workplace, during these discussions. Internally Scottish Government staff can access mental health support through the Counselling and Wellbeing service, the HR Professional Advice and Wellbeing Team, the Occupational Health and Safety Team, and the Trade Unions. Flexible working and special leave policies are part of the wider support offer for staff along with access to a Mental Health staff network. External support is available via the Employee Assistance Programme, and the Charity for Civil Servants. We consider evidence from these internal surveys alongside external evidence and research.

The Scottish Government does not provide support to professional bodies seeking to carry out sector-wide staff surveys regarding mental health. However, we welcome the conducting of such surveys and note their conclusions in developing our own policy and activity.

The Professional and Career Development Loan (PCDL) Scheme was managed and operated by the UK Government in partnership with the Co-Operative Bank. The decision not to re-procure for new PCDL contracts was a decision solely for the UK Government.

The Scottish Government however responded to the closure of the scheme by extending the eligibility criteria of the current postgraduate support package to include Research Masters courses from academic year 2019-20. Students on Research Masters courses are eligible to apply for a tuition fee loan of up to £5,500 and a living cost loan of up to £4,500 (for full-time students) across the duration of their study.

The LLB is an undergraduate degree that sits at either Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Level 9 for an Ordinary degree, or SCQF Level 10 for an Honours degree. When postgraduate programmes are developed they are required to meet the level descriptors at SCQF 11 or above. Applicants to the accelerated LLB programme are required to hold a first degree to ensure they can demonstrate their ability to cope with the demands of an undergraduate degree condensed into two years.

There are no plans to develop a national database that identifies support for people who have been affected by suicide. However, Action 4 of the Suicide Prevention Action Plan, every life matters refers. This states: with the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group (NSPLG), the Scottish Government will ensure that timely and effective support for those affected by suicide is available across Scotland by working to develop a Scottish Crisis Care Agreement.

The latest update on this action from the July NSPLG shows that research has been done to identify an effective programme of support for those bereaved by suicide. A formal proposal is expected at the October meeting.

The Independent Review of Complaints Handling, Investigations and Misconduct Issues in Relation to Policing, commissioned by the Lord Advocate and previous Cabinet Secretary, and led by Dame Elish Angiolini, is ongoing.

Dame Elish published a detailed preliminary report containing 30 recommendations on 21 June and we are working closely with key partners and stakeholders to fully consider her findings.

Dame Elish will be continuing her engagement during the second phase of the Review with a view to producing a final report and further recommendations later in 2020.

When taking statements, officers follow the guidelines set out within Police Scotland’s Case Reporting Standard Operating Procedure and their Reports and Statement Writing Guide. Police Scotland have advised that these documents are publicly available on their website.

Police Scotland have also advised that if someone wants to provide an update to officers, having previously given a statement, they should contact the police, who will take an additional statement referencing the previous one.

Our policy is that the current immigration detention system is inhumane and needs to be overhauled.

Scottish Government Ministers have offered to explore the feasibility of undertaking a pilot on alternatives to immigration detention in Scotland on a number of occasions. To date, the Scottish Government has not received a response from the Home Office on the possibility of Scotland being a location for implementing alternatives to immigration detention or taken up our offer to discuss further.

I wrote to the former Minister of State for Immigration about immigration detention issues, including the need for a time limit and community-based alternatives, on 1 April 2019. Following changes in Ministerial responsibilities, it is not yet clear who leads on this for the UK Government, so I wrote again on this issue to the new Home Secretary this month.