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Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland are best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland.

I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to respond directly to the member with a reply to his question in writing.

2023-2024:

The Access to Music Making and Strengthening Youth Music Funds had a combined budget of £1.5 million in 2023-2024, broken down as follows:

• Access to Music Making: £1,463,199
• Strengthening Youth Music: £37,600

2024-2025:

The Scottish Government budget for 2024/25 was published on 19 December. Detail on the funding for the Youth Music Initiative will follow in due course.

Historic Environment Scotland’s inspection programme will conclude at the end of March 2024. Once completed, Historic Environment Scotland will have a clearer indication on extent of the challenge and the resources required to carry out conservation works. There is now full or partial access at 53 of the 70 sites that had access restricted due to High Level Masonry issues. I am pleased that Historic Environment Scotland continues to put the health and safety of individuals first, reopening sites when safe to do so and I will continue to engage regularly with Historic Environment Scotland on this matter.

Details of the inspection programme and site reopenings are published on the Historic Environment Scotland website.

The information requested is not centrally held. The latest Youth Music Initiative evaluation can be found on Creative Scotland's website: YMI Downloads | Creative Scotland

Scotland now has the highest number of designated Bathing Water sites ever, with the vast majority classified as good or excellent and 98% overall achieving the bathing water quality standards.

Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) published its Designation of Bathing Water Sites in Scotland Summary Report on 4 December. This the summary report and will be followed by the publication of a full report providing additional details on the background, information reviewed, ESS assessments, and the outcomes achieved.

ESS concluded in the report that that the Scottish Government’s approach to interpreting a large number of bathers in designating new bathing water sites had not affected Scotland’s performance, in comparison with other parts of the UK. They also made a small number of recommendations on minor improvements to the application form and guidance. Action to address these recommendations is underway.

Special advisors are regularly in attendance at Ministerial and government meetings, including weekly Cabinet meetings. They were also in attendance at the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Climate Emergency on 6 December 2022, 31 January 2023, 14 March 2023 and on 20 June 2023; the cross-party and stakeholder Climate Change Plan Advisory Group on 23 February 2023, 23 March 2023, 18 May 2023, 29 June 2023, 31 August 2023 and 5 October 2023. They were also in attendance at the liaison meetings between the Deputy First Minister and the Scottish Green Party Parliamentary Group on 2 February 2023, 19 July 2023, 28 September 2023 and 23 November 2023.

Scottish Ministers are accountable to the Scottish Parliament for the activities of the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and its use of resources at a strategic level. The Scottish Government is responsible for developing the policy and regulatory framework for the protection and improvement of Scotland's water environment which SEPA have a duty to regulate and enforce.

The Scottish Government hold regular liaison meetings with SEPA to provide policy support and facilitate effective strategic engagement. These are supplemented by other regular dialogue and communications in relation to SEPA’s duties, responsibilities and performance. SEPA determine the amount of resources allocated to meeting their statutory obligations through their Annual Operating Plan in each year in agreement with the Scottish Government.

Both the Scottish Government and SEPA take all necessary steps to ensure that their relationship is developed and supported in line with the jointly agreed principles set out in the statement on ‘Strategic Engagement between the Scottish Government and Scotland’s NDPBs’ and in accordance with the ‘Scottish regulators’ strategic code of practice’.

NHS Grampian and Aberdeen City HSCP are responsible for the delivery of primary medical services in Aberdeen and the publication of any plans concerning those services.

Fair Work is at the core of the Retail Strategy, benefitting retail business by making them more attractive to workers, and more resilient, productive and profitable. Any decision on New Year’s Day trading will balance our Fair Work ambition with prevailing economic conditions which remain difficult for the retail sector.

The Retail Industry Leadership Group (ILG) was established to drive and support delivery of the actions set out in the Retail Strategy, in particular on improving fair work across the sector. Its purpose is to represent the views of the industry and we value its independent analysis. The views and recommendations of the ILG is just one of the matters that Ministers take into account when determining how to proceed on any given policy issue.

The Minister previously stated that the Retail Strategy, specifically the action on fair work, was the route by which the Scottish Government wished to promote fair work practices across the whole retail sector. An approach to fair work is a priority action for the Retail Industry Leadership Group and this will pursue better conditions for all retail workers.

Therefore, New Year's Day trading can be discussed in relation to the approach on fair work if raised by members, and we welcome the continuing, constructive collaboration of the trade unions and other stakeholders in developing a fair work strategy through the Retail Industry Leadership Group and Fair Work Working Group to best realise our mutual ambition to deliver fair and rewarding jobs for retail workers.