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We have no plans at this time to consult on introducing an independent regulator for Scottish football. However, I am hosting a round table meeting on the subject of Enhancing Scottish Football on 8th May and I look forward to on interesting discussion on a range of topics.

The Scottish Government has not allocated any funding specifically to promote public awareness to improve the understanding of and or reduce the stigma associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, however the Scottish Government is working to ensure that all neurodivergent people, including those with ADHD, have access the support they need.

The Scottish Government and the National Autism Implementation Team launched a Neuro-affirming Community of Practice Community of Practice in October 2023. This Community of Practice is being developed to ensure that healthcare professionals are better equipped to understand the wants and needs of neurodivergent people, including people with ADHD. There has been positive engagement across health boards.

Education Scotland supports the implementation of inclusive practice for all children and young people, including those who may experience the characteristics of ADHD. A formal diagnosis of ADHD is not required for a child or young people to be provided with appropriate support through the staged level of intervention approach.

Additionally, last year, resources on ADHD were published on Education Scotland’s website, covering the common features, positive traits and challenges of ADHD. This was accompanied by a webinar, attended by over 300 individuals.

The Strategic Board for Education (SBTE) is considering issues around the recruitment and retention of teachers in Scotland in detail, including tackling geographical and subject-specific challenges. SBTE is also working to improve the promotion of teaching as a valued career.

The Headteacher Recruitment and Retention Working group (HTRRWG) are currently in the process of developing a new workplan. As this group is a sub-group of SBTE, members have agreed that the HTRRWG workplan should align with and complement the overarching aim and outcomes of the SBTE workplan. This work is ongoing and will be discussed further at future meetings of the HTRRWG, minutes of which will be published on the Scottish Government website in due course.

Up to 1,000 new applicants will be offered awards in 2024-25. The actual number of applications received will be monitored by ILF Scotland and Scottish Government.

As of March 2024, 1,897 people in Scotland, and 344 people in Northern Ireland were in receipt of an Independent Living Fund award. These figures do not include Transition Fund awards.

In order to maximise defibrillator availability, they are usually best mounted on the outside of buildings and placed in unlocked cabinets.

We accept that it is likely that locking defibrillator cabinets introduces an additional delay for bystanders attempting to retrieve a defibrillator and lowers the likelihood of successful application prior to arrival of emergency services.

It is the decision of the defibrillator guardian whether to place their device in a locked or unlocked cabinet. There is limited evidence as to whether using locked cabinets will affect the likelihood of vandalism, however, we understand that communities who fundraise to purchase and place a defibrillator wish to safeguard this important investment. The British Heart Foundation has helpful information online your-guide-to-being-a-defib-guardian.pdf (bhf.org.uk) about being a defibrillator guardian and steps individuals can take to look after their device.

If guardians do purchase a locked cabinet, it is vital to ensure that the local ambulance service knows the access code, and this can be supported by registering the defibrillator on The Circuit - the national defibrillator network .

The Save a Life for Scotland (SALFS) Partnership support defibrillator awareness inclusion in CPR training sessions. More information on CPR training provided in Scotland can be found here: Learn CPR - Save a Life for Scotland .

The Scottish Government published Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: guide to public access defibrillators - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) in March 2018. The guide provides practical advice to those considering a purchase and installation of a defibrillator including information on safety and maintenance checks (page 3).

The Scottish Government funding for active travel projects is not allocated based on STPR2 recommendation delivered. We fund a range of projects throughout Scotland that deliver on recommendation 3 of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) to connect villages to towns by active travel. This includes funding for the National Cycle Network programme, investment in active travel infrastructure on the trunk road network, and funding provided to local authorities via the Sustrans Places for Everyone programme and the new Active Travel Infrastructure fund, and directly through the Cycling Walking Safer Routes (CWSR) grant.

The strategic case for investment in Recommendation 2 (see recommendation-2-active-freeways-and-cycle-parking-hubs.pdf (transport.gov.scot) has already been met through the STPR2 appraisal process.

Work is ongoing under this recommendation, but it remains the responsibility of local authorities to deliver active travel lanes on local authority owned roads.

As with any transport investment, schemes will follow the standard business case and design processes. After which, Local authorities can submit to the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund for delivery costs.

The Scottish Government funds a range of projects throughout Scotland that deliver on recommendation 1 of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) to create connected neighbourhoods. This includes funding provided to local authorities via the Sustrans Places for Everyone programme, the new Active Travel Infrastructure fund, and directly through the Cycling Walking Safer Routes (CWSR) grant.

All active travel grants are assessed and awarded against the criteria set in the Active Travel Framework | Transport Scotland . Programmes delivered by partners are monitored and evaluated against the framework using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods to evidence the impact and confirm delivery of Active Travel outcomes. This includes monitoring the growth in active travel within the study area.