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In response to the UK Climate Change Committee’s recommendation, by the end of 2024 we will publish an Implementation Plan identifying the key actions to be taken to deliver our Vision for public EV charging.

In introducing dental payment reform from 1 November, we have rightly sought to place greater focus on preventive treatment, including detailed clinical advice on the importance of self-care for good oral health.

During routine check-ups, and where a dentist deems it clinically appropriate, an individual may receive enhanced preventative advice as part of a treatment plan. This must include a physical demonstration of toothbrushing techniques and has been introduced to better support individuals in maintaining their own oral health between appointments. This activity attracts a claimable fee for dentists – to cover the costs of their time and any equipment used to teach patients – and therefore there is a related charge for those patients who are not eligible for free NHS dental care.

Depending on the facts and circumstances of the particular case, there are a range of offences that may be used to prosecute cases where someone publishes, sells or distributes sexually explicit images of a person without their consent.

In particular, the offence of disclosing or threatening to disclose an intimate photograph or film at section 2 of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 can be used to prosecute such behaviour where the disclosure, or threat to disclose the image, would be likely to cause a person featured in the image to suffer fear, alarm or distress, and the accused either intended to cause such an effect or else was reckless as to whether their behaviour would be likely to have such an effect on the victim.

The offence provides that a person is in an 'intimate situation' if the person is engaging or participating in or present during an act which a reasonable person would consider to be a sexual act which is not of a kind ordinarily done in public, or the person's genitals, buttocks or breasts are exposed or covered only in underwear. Specifically, the offence provides that a photograph or film includes any material originally captured by photography or by making a recording of a moving image, whether or not it has been altered in any way. As such, the offence applies in respect of images that have been digitally manipulated so as to appear to depict a person as being in an intimate situation even if the original photograph does not do so.

Other offences which may be relevant include the offence of threatening or abusive behaviour at section 38 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 and, where the images are published or shared via the internet, the offence of abuse of a public electronic communications network at section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.

As the legislation does not explicitly distinguish between manipulated and unmanipulated photographs or films, it is not possible to separately identify cases relating to the disclosure of so-called 'deepfake' images.

It is an independent operational matter for Police Scotland to enforce criminal law and it is an independent operational matter for Crown Office to make decisions in respect of prosecutions.

Disclosing or threatening to disclose sexually explicit 'deepfake' images, including by publishing them on the internet, is covered by the offence of 'disclosing or threatening to disclose an intimate image' at section 2 of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016.

The Scottish Government is aware that the UK Government has announced that it will amend the Criminal Justice Bill to criminalise the making of sexually explicit 'deepfake' images without consent. We will carefully consider the amendment.

There are no plans for Transport Scotland to replace the Energy Savings Trust e-bike loan scheme. Through the Active Travel Transformation Project (ATTF), support for grass-roots community groups and charity-led projects is being decentralised, with acknowledgement from everyone involved in active travel that decisions about how to support grass roots behaviour change work needed to be taken closer to communities, and in a way that’s more joined up with local and regional transport strategies.

It is a matter for Local Authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships to make decisions on which projects are supported through their funding under the new active travel delivery model.

Figures in the following table show the gross General Dental Services budget and respective spend for the previous four financial years.

• Information on 2023-24 spend is not available at this time and will be published as part of the overall Scottish Government consolidated accounts to be laid in Parliament later this year.

Legislation criminalising the disclosure of intimate images includes photographs or films that have been digitally enhanced or manipulated. As such, the law covers 'deepfake' images that have been digitally manipulated so as to appear to depict the person to be in an intimate situation. It is an operational matter for Police Scotland to enforce relevant laws.

The Scottish Government has provided funding of £138,527.50 to the South West Grid for Learning over two and a half years to support the delivery of practical support for people affected by intimate image abuse via the Revenge Porn Helpline. This includes support to remove images from online platforms and signposting for emotional support. The funded activity includes work to raise awareness and understanding of intimate image abuse and the support available through the helpline in Scotland.

In response to the UK Climate Change Committee’s recommendation, by the end of 2024 we will publish an Implementation Plan identifying the key actions to be taken to deliver our Vision for public EV charging. The key findings of the study will be published as part of the Implementation Plan.

The Scottish Government has followed the publication of the National Audit of Metastatic Breast Cancer for England and Wales with interest. We are working with Public Health Scotland to determine our options for future data collection on metastatic breast cancer and its publication.

Every call received by Police Scotland is individually assessed using the THRIVE model – Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigative opportunity, Vulnerability and Engagement. Every crime report is different and it is simply not the case that certain specific crimes will no longer be investigated as part of the Proportionate Response to Crime pilot in the North East.

As part of their evaluation of the pilot that was undertaken in the North East, Police Scotland published a number of real life examples that highlighted the diversity in the range of calls received and how they were assessed and responded to. I would particularly draw the member’s attention to the examples where, while the crime appeared to be relatively minor, there were investigative opportunities, meaning that the incident was passed to local policing.

It is important to remember that the pilot’s evaluation shows that only 5% of crime reports were recorded and filed for no further enquiry. The evaluation states that this freed up 2,657 police officer hours which were therefore used to investigate crimes where there are lines of inquiry.

On the basis that Police Scotland are clearly not going to disclose details of their operational tactics, I am fully supportive of their approach.