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Whilst the Scottish Government sets the strategic direction for workforce development across NHS Scotland, it is important to note that each Health Board is an employer and is responsible for the recruitment of staff.

This is a matter for NHS Boards. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government has not made a referral to the Subsidy Advice Unit at the Competition and Markets Authority. Any future proposal for Air Departure Tax or a proposal relating to the Highlands and Islands exemption will be assessed for compliance with the Subsidy Control Act and will be referred to the Subsidy Advice Unit if they meet the mandatory referral requirements of a Subsidy of Particular Interest .

Scottish Government officials are due to hold further discussions in the coming weeks with the UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to establish their current position with regards to microchip databases, and plans to progress work in this area.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-25980 on 14 March 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

As the national arts development body, Creative Scotland operate at arm’s length from the Scottish Government.

As per the legislation, this means that neither Scottish Government nor Scottish Ministers have a role in funding processes and decisions made by Creative Scotland for individual projects. Creative Scotland are rapidly reviewing their funding allocation to Rein as they have been clear that what has been reported simply does not meet what the funding was applied for.

I look forward to Creative Scotland sharing its conclusions with the Scottish Government.

The next meeting of the Orkney Ferry Replacement Task Force will be held on 18 April 2024.

Building on the success of our Good Practice Principles and our Community and Renewable Energy Scheme, the Onshore Wind Sector Deal represents a significant step forward in ensuring our journey to net zero benefits people across Scotland, and is part of a just transition. We are learning from these successes and will continue to work with industry to explore other avenues within our devolved powers to maximise the benefits flowing into communities.

We are also pressing the UK Government to explore mandating community benefits from onshore renewables as well as electricity transmission network infrastructure. It is critical that the UK Government continues to work with us as these proposals are developed to ensure they deliver the maximum benefits for the people of Scotland, and support our transition to a green economy in which no one is left behind.

On 11 August 2023, Ministers launched the Wild Bird HPAI Response Plan that sets out how the Scottish Government and its partners will respond to any further outbreaks of HPAI in wild birds in Scotland, and this plan remains a live one, with the aim of incorporating evolving science and advice from epidemiologists, virologists and wildlife experts.

Instances of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 amongst captive birds and wild birds have reduced significantly in Scotland. Since the beginning of the current HPAI outbreak season on 1 October 2023, there have two infected premises in Scotland (both in November 2023) and seven positive findings of the virus in wild birds (with only one finding in 2024).

However, we are aware of the virus continuing to circulate in other parts of Great Britain and Europe, and the risk level for the virus associated with wild birds remains at medium across Great Britain, whereas it is low for kept birds. The Scottish Government continues to promote best practice biosecurity measures to all involved in the game industry, through various forms of media, including regular biosecurity and industry stakeholder meetings.

The National Innovation Strategy included an action to publish an annual innovation scorecard. These key metrics will enable us to track our progress towards becoming one of the most innovative small nations over the next decade.

The framework for the scorecard, showing current performance, was published as part of the Strategy document in June 2023. The next iteration of the scorecard will be published later this year, when the full set of latest statistics and indicators become available.