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I confirmed in Parliament on 29 May that, in light of the consultation findings and the reporter’s conclusions, the Scottish Government will not proceed with the designation of a National Park in Galloway and Ayrshire.

In its role as the statutory reporter, NatureScot has made recommendations on ways in which existing structures in the region could be further strengthened. South of Scotland Enterprise has also suggested there could be benefits in exploring an alternative approach.

We are grateful for these suggestions and will now take time to reflect on them and give them deeper consideration.

We are already investing in the South of Scotland to reduce carbon emissions, enhance and restore nature, support our rural industries and deliver growth and jobs that enable the area and its people to flourish.

This includes the £85 million we have committed to the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal to drive sustainable economic growth across the south of Scotland.

Projects supported through the growth deal include the Dairy Nexus located in Dumfries which will use cutting edge technology to boost dairy sector innovation, productivity and sustainability. It also includes the River Tweed Walking and Cycling Route, which will grow the region’s tourism offer, and a range of other measures to improve places, deliver sustainable energy solutions, enable businesses to expand and create jobs and further develop the skills and talent base for current and future employers

Growing our economy is one of this government’s top priorities. Scotland’s regional economies are key to delivering the strong, dynamic and flourishing economy we all want to see.

Our dedicated enterprise agency, South of Scotland Enterprise, continues to deliver real, tangible benefits for businesses and communities in the South.

Last year, the agency invested £13.7m million in business and community enterprises and £5.7 million in 48 strategic projects, including the Chapelcross Energy Transition Zone. It helped to create or safeguard over 1,700 jobs.

In addition, we remain committed to delivering the recommendations laid out in the 2022 regional economic policy review and our 2025/26 Programme for Government further commits us to working with our regional partners to deliver both for the south of Scotland and the country as a whole.

The Scottish Government does not plan to instruct NHS Boards to utilise BE FAST in emergency departments. The use of FAST is supported by both Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland and Stroke Association.

In its role as the statutory reporter on the National Park proposal, NatureScot made recommendations on ways in which existing structures in the South of Scotland could be further strengthened. These include:

• a stronger role and a long-term funding arrangement for the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, with a stronger focus on nature recovery and community wealth-building;
• a more integrated approach to the planning and management of the Galloway Forest Park, with additional funding allocated to nature restoration, recreation and tourism;
• refreshed management strategies by Dumfries and Galloway Council for the coastal National Scenic Areas, and the completion of the coastal path as a key visitor attraction for the area;
• sustained investment in access and visitor management across the area building on the existing community led approaches such as Whithorn and Loch Doon;
• progress with the implementation of the regional land-use strategy for the area; and
• on-going support for the work of the Solway Firth Partnership.

We are grateful for these suggestions and will now take time to reflect on them.

As a starting point, I undertook a visit to Newton Stewart and the Galloway Forest Park in July, where I discussed the recommendations in NatureScot’s report with the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere, Forestry and Land Scotland and South of Scotland Enterprise. We will now take some time to give deeper consideration to the reporter’s recommendations and consider how best existing arrangements in the area could be strengthened.

Earlier this year, Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere received a new funding package from South of Scotland Enterprise to support its important work tackling the climate and biodiversity crises and supporting sustainable development in the region.

The Scottish Government has not received any information regarding the delivery of a BE FAST stroke awareness campaign; therefore, no assessment has been made.

Details on cancelled rail passenger services, for each train operating company for the period until December 2024 are available on the Office for Rail and Road website, and can be found here: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/compendia/toc-key-statistics/. The Member may wish to contact train operating companies directly in order to obtain more recent and more detailed data, related to cancellations of their services.

Compensation that is offered to rail passengers is a matter for individual train operating companies. The Member may wish to contact them directly to obtain this information.

The Scottish Government recognises the crucial role that the Subway plays in Glasgow’s transport system and the importance of the modernisation programme.

We have recently published a sexual harassment guide to supplement the refreshed Gender Based Violence policy for NHSScotland. The guide has been developed to support employees who are currently experiencing or have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. This includes information on how to report incidents.

The Scottish Government is committed to developing the role of nurse sexual offence examiners.

The Scottish Government and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service have together supported a test of change involving Queen Margaret University nurse graduates, so that they can undertake sexual offence examinations and give evidence in court. If approved by the Lord Advocate, this test of change could pave the way for nurses to undertake the role of sexual offence examiner in future.

We continue to fund places on a Post Graduate Certificate (PG Cert) in Advanced Forensic Practice course at Queen Margaret University – the first of its kind in Scotland. This qualification is a pre-requisite for nurses undertaking the role of sexual offence examiner in Scotland.

We also fund a skills lab at Queen Margaret University so that sexual offence examiners and recently qualified nurse sexual offence examiners can maintain and update their skills.

Developing a multi-disciplinary workforce model may also support the sustainability of services in remote, rural and island communities.

There are currently 24 qualified nurses with a further 10 working towards this qualification. Assuming all of the nurses graduate by July 2026, the total number of PG Cert qualified nurses in Scotland will increase to 34.

The Scottish Government welcomes the policy brief produced by the Rowett Institute on the potential use of hemp cake as an animal feed source in Scotland. We recognise the value of academic research in exploring sustainable and innovative approaches that can support Scottish agriculture to reduce emissions, improve resilience, and make greater use of home-grown feed alternatives. The findings of this research will help to build the evidence base that industry can draw upon as it considers opportunities for alternative livestock feeding strategies. I look forward to discussing this work further when I visit the Rowett Institute later this year.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. You should, instead, request this from the Scottish Ambulance Service directly.