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Statistics on gross value added (GVA) by industry are published in the Quarterly National Accounts for Scotland, covering periods from 1998 onwards. The latest estimates of current price GVA for the accommodation and food services sector can be found in Table D of the other national accounts summary tables at https://www.gov.scot/publications/gdp-quarterly-national-accounts-2024-q1/.

The Scottish Government monitors pay in the hospitality sector using data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (table 5.6a) published by the Office for National Statistics. This data is available at https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/regionbyindustry2digitsicashetable5.

The latest available data shows that median gross hourly pay (excluding overtime) for all employees in the Accommodation and Food Services sector was estimated to be £10.89 in 2023. This was the lowest median hourly pay across all industrial sectors in Scotland for which data are published by ONS. The median gross hourly pay in the Accommodation and Food Service sector for the last 10 years is shown in the following table.

Table 1: Median gross hourly pay (excluding overtime) in the accommodation and food services sector, 2014-2023

We are committed to continuing to consult and engage with landlords. There are no current plans to create a nationally representative landlord panel.

The Scottish Government remains absolutely committed to doing all it can to reduce harm and deaths caused by drugs through our National Mission and addressing the twin public health challenges on alcohol and drugs.

Long-term thinking has been embedded into the National Mission, as we are investing in a comprehensive range of services, from prevention and early intervention to treatment and long-term recovery support. For example, implementing the Medicated Assisted Treatment (MAT) standards across Scotland, ensures high-quality treatment options for those affected by addiction will be met for years to come.

In addition, capital investment in residential rehabilitation has increased the number of spaces for people, both now and in the future, and our work on tackling stigma aims to fundamentally break down barriers for those seeking support.

The Scottish Government is also developing a National Service Specification alongside guidance, which provide clarity on the types of treatment and recovery services available for drugs and alcohol and in the long term, improve joint working between public and third sector partners. We plan full public consultation on a draft specification with an aim to publish in 2025.

Within the National Mission strategy we are also adapting to new trends such as the change in global markets with the increased prevalence of new synthetic substances, such as the synthetic opioids nitazenes, which is of real concern.

To ensure that our future strategic plans are evidence-based, they will be informed by the National Mission evaluation, with the final publication expected in 2026. In accordance with democratic processes, any future strategic plans will also take into account the outcomes of the 2026 Scottish election.

Many people find a home in the private rented sector and we recognise the contribution that it makes to housing supply in Scotland.

Our New Deal for Tenants consultation set out our vision for a rented sector where all tenants, whether living in private or social rented homes, can access secure, stable, tenancies, with affordable choices - whilst also benefiting from good quality of homes and professional levels of service and rights.

We will continue to work with stakeholders – including the investment sector – to make sure that we build a system where investment in private rented property is viable and welcomed.

The remit of the Regulatory Review Group is to provide the Scottish Government with advice on all aspects of Better Regulation from a business and regulatory perspective. It does not propose removal of regulations but works to identify implementation challenges and practical mitigations during policy development.

To answer this question both sets of data refer to the full time equivalents (FTE) at March 24 as the end point of FY2023-24.

Data is provided from both the Scottish Government core workforce information and the devolved Scottish Civil Service employment information.

This information is published quarterly as part of the Scottish Government statistics on workforce information and the Public Sector Employment in Scotland Statistics.

The links are attached and FTE refers to March 24 published statistics.

Scottish Government workforce information - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Public sector employment in Scotland: web tables - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

In relation to 2023-24, at end March 2024, the Scottish Government core employed 8,843 FTE directly employed staff including permanent and fixed term staff.

In relation to 2023-24, at end March 2024, the Scottish Government devolved civil service employed 26,800 FTE.

The One Year Job Guarantee (OYJG) scheme was previously facilitated by NHS Education for Scotland. The scheme was closed due to low application numbers.

Scottish government officials have been engaging with health boards on their current position in relation to supply of midwives. It is our understanding that they remain committed to maximising opportunities for newly qualified midwives and officials are exploring all options to support graduates into employment.

The Housing (Scotland) Bill includes a package of reforms to the private rented sector which are in the interests of both tenants and responsible landlords. Should Parliament pass the legislation, it is intended that a full review will be undertaken of the support required by local authorities to ensure robust enforcement in the PRS. This will include an assessment of the enforcement provisions and the resource required to adequately support this.

The average time taken to determine applications for major housing applications for Q1 and Q2 of 2023-24 for each local authority can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/planning-applications-statistics-2023-24-quarterly-april-2023-september-2023/documents/.

The planning application statistics for Q3 and Q4 and the annual statistics 2023-24 are due to be published on 1 October 2024. The statistics will be available on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/collections/planning-statistics/.