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No information is held centrally on the number of NHS staff recruited from overseas from 2018 to October 2021.

In October 2021 the then Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care announced £4.5 million for Health Boards to recruit up to 200 nurses from overseas. Figures released in August 2022 show that this target was met and 200 registered nurses were recruited, taking up posts in hospitals across NHS Scotland.

On 4 October 2022, further funding of £8 million was announced to support Boards in recruiting up to 750 registered nurses, midwives and allied health professions from overseas by end of March 2023. Early indications are that boards have achieved the target with many staff already in post or have signed offers of employment to arrive as soon as practicably possible. The data is currently being reviewed and will be published shortly.

The Belgian Minister of Climate, Environment, Sustainable Development and the Green Deal and I held a positive meeting in May last year, in which we spoke about the circular economy, wellbeing economy and climate governance policy matters.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions, however Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

The then Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government wrote to the Convener of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee on 27 March 2023 stating that we had not, as yet, reached an agreement with Homes for Scotland and developers on the Scottish Safer Buildings Accord.

Discussions have been positive, and significantly, developers have accepted the principle of developer responsibility. However, developers want to apply a single approach to Building Standards across the UK even when remediating buildings in Scotland. We remain committed to seeking to secure an agreement and thereafter agreeing the legally binding contract to help safeguard residents and I would urge developers to reconsider their position. Developers must adhere to Scots law when operating in Scotland. This is not an issue on which we can compromise.

Data from Scottish Colleges covering Successful Completions and Destinations are collected and published as National and Official Statistics by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

• College Performance Indicators (CPI) – – College Performance Indicators 2020-21 (sfc.ac.uk)
• College Leaver Destinations – College Leaver Destinations 2020-21 (sfc.ac.uk)

Under the Code of Practice for Statistics, publications undergo systematic and periodic reviews on the strengths and limitations of the data.

As an example of the continuing work in this area, SFC has initiated collection of students’ reasons for withdrawal (RfW) from colleges. The first year of collection of the data in 2021-22 was during the Covid-19 pandemic and is therefore considered experimental data. SFC will be working with Colleges Scotland and College Development Network (CDN) to improve the capture of student withdrawal data in future years to enable publication.

Over the coming months SFC will also be undertaking a review of the definitions of college student outcomes metrics, to ensure that they provide the most appropriate measures of success for students.

The annual Scottish Budget document sets out the detail of the health, including Scottish Government funding for NHS boards. Budget documents are available from the Scottish Government’s website: Scottish Budget - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The Scottish Government continues to prioritise investment in frontline NHS services, with funding increasing by over £1.4 billion since 2021-22 – well ahead of our trajectory to increase funding by 20% over the life of the Parliament.

The Scottish Government recognises the benefits magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) could provide to eligible patients with essential tremor.

The Scottish Government has not carried out an assessment of MRgFUS for the treatment of essential tremor.

We understand the University of Dundee and Ninewells hospital continue to run a MRgFUS service for essential tremor on a trial basis. It is imperative that before any new procedure is adopted into the NHS, it is first subject to rigorous clinical assessment to establish patient safety and efficacy. The trial in Dundee will help contribute to the building evidence base for the treatment.

No decision has yet been taken regarding funding for counsellors in colleges and universities beyond the end of the current Academic Year.

The 2021 Digital Health and Care strategy aims to make the right information available to all appropriate staff, when and where it is needed. It builds on the existing use of electronic patient record systems used by all Health Boards and GP practices. Our recently publish Data Strategy for Health and Social Care augments this ambition.

Improving the creation and retention of digital records allows for greater sharing of information and reduces the need for multiple paper records to exist across multiple locations. The focus is on allowing medical records to be stored, linked, and shared securely according to the information needed. To achieve this most Health Boards, have a Clinical Portal. This system works across organisational, regional, and national boundaries to provide a timely transfer of information. The key developments to improve the sharing of information within Health Boards is the GPIT Programme, the National Digital Platform, TRAK Care and Clinical Portal.

HEPMA ( Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration ) is a system that can also replace paper prescribing and medication administration systems within hospitals. It has already been successfully implemented in six Health boards across Scotland and all remaining Health Boards all expected to roll it out by the end of 2025.

Scottish Government allocates commensurate funding to Health boards for 17J, 17C and 2C practices as part of the wider Primary Medical Services allocation. It is anticipated that Boards will fund 2C practices from this funding.

Vision is routinely assessed following stroke and any pre-existing visual problems would be considered as part of the assessment and rehabilitation process. The criteria for assessment during Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme (SSIP) annual reviews of NHS Boards now includes a dedicated section relating to vision in stroke rehabilitation.

The Scottish Government expects boards to demonstrate that their stroke services have a documented pathway describing services for all those with visual problems following stroke. Boards should be able to evidence the use of comprehensive visual screening, the option to refer to appropriate professionals for assessment of visual problems and the provision of tailored information and access to low vision services if required.