Seòmar agus comataidhean

As set out within our NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan, we are committed to improving patient flow throughout the system, reducing delays for admission to and discharge from acute settings and bring down length of stay for patients. This is being done through, for example, optimising alternatives to hospital admission, ensuring discharge planning takes place from the point of admission, reducing delays to inpatient investigations and developing remote investigation services. The development and expansion of Hospital at Home and front door frailty services are playing a central role in supporting this shift in the balance of care and reduce hospital occupancy.

This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise (SE) and as such I have asked Adrian Gillespie, Chief Executive of SE to write to you with a full response.

Decisions on Budget are made in the context of the prevailing economic conditions and government priorities. We have had to consider how best to target support within limited finances but also acknowledge that it is no longer possible to directly compare tax rates between Scotland, England and Wales due to differences in the tone dates used to derive Rateable Values. The move to three yearly revaluations and a one-year tone date was also a recommendation of the Barclay Review and was warmly welcomed by the business community and all parties in the Scottish Parliament.

The implication of that recommendation is that the tone date in England and Wales of 1 April 2022 will less accurately reflect up-to-date market and business conditions than the 1 April 2023 tone date adopted in Scotland. Different tone dates and by extension different impacts on Rateable Value growth, merit different decisions on tax rates and do not necessarily translate to higher liabilities.

By way of example, shops are expected to see an increase in total rateable value of 6% in Scotland and 10% in England. Hotels’ total rateable value is expected to rise by 28% in Scotland but 79% in England, while for pubs this is 15% in Scotland but 30% in England. For restaurants the overall increase is expected to be 8% in Scotland while the total rateable value increase of restaurants and cafes in England is expected to be 15%. The policies set out in the Scottish Budget reflect the impact of the revaluation in Scotland, not the revaluation in England.

Table 1 presents the estimated net cost of setting the Higher Property Rate at:

?43.0p for properties in the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors with rateable values of £500,000 and lower,

?48.0p for other properties with rateable values of £500,000 and lower,

?50.8p for all properties with rateable values over £500,000,

compared to the Higher Property rate of 54.8p as proposed in the Budget.

These are estimates of the net revenue impact, after all reliefs including the Revaluation Transitional Relief are applied.

This is broken down by property class, as the Scottish Government does not hold property-level data on industry sectors. Property class is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property, and does not necessarily accurately reflect the use of a property.

Table 1: Cost of setting the Higher Property Rate to the same rates as England, by property class

The Parole Board for Scotland are responsible for directing the release of an individual subject to an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR) and for setting licence conditions. They will only direct release when they are satisfied that imprisonment is no longer necessary for public protection. An individual subject to an OLR in the community will have a Risk Management Plan approved by the Risk Management Authority for the rest of their life.

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO4) is a UK Government scheme based upon Westminster regulations and administered by Ofgem, the independent regulator. The obligation requires energy suppliers to achieve energy bill savings by funding the installation of energy efficiency improvements in domestic properties. The design of the scheme and any requirements to undertake remediation are reserved to the UK Government.

a) i) The Scottish Government has responded to UK Government consultations on artificial intelligence and has engaged at both official and ministerial level on AI policy and regulation, including correspondence from the Deputy First Minister and the Minister for Business to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on Scotland’s potential role in AI Growth Zones.

ii) The Scottish Government has engaged with other administrations such as Enterprise Agencies, Academia and Business to share learning on the opportunities, risks and responsible use of AI in public services.

b) i) The Scottish Government is continuing engagement with the UK Government, including the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, on anticipated AI legislation and the implications for public service delivery in Scotland. The Scottish Government are creating a new AI Strategy which will seek to explore how Scotland can harness the economic opportunities of AI.

ii) The Scottish Government continues to engage with our Enterprise Agencies and other bodies on AI governance, ethics and public trust.

There is a commitment to a process of inquiry into the circumstances of the malicious prosecutions. Details of the process of inquiry will be progressed once all related investigations and proceedings are concluded. COPFS advise Shelagh McCall KC has been instructed to independently consider reports of criminal conduct relating to the Rangers prosecutions and this is to ensure that any allegations are considered fairly and objectively. It would not be appropriate to comment further while this process continues.

The Scottish Government remains focused on reducing waiting times across Scotland. This year, we have allocated more than £137 million to Health Boards to help tackle the longest waits for appointments and procedures.

Funding has been directed to specialties where it can have the greatest impact against the longest waits, including over £500,000 for Cardiology and £500,000 for Neurology – the specialities most likely to support people with PoTS.

Decisions on the organisation of diagnostic, treatment and follow-up services rest with individual NHS Boards. The information requested is not held centrally.

This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.