Seòmar agus comataidhean

In accordance with the requirements of the Railways Act 1993 and the Scottish Ministers’ Franchising Policy Statement, consideration is being given to the successor arrangement for the continued provision of Caledonian Sleeper services.

We recognise that rises in the cost of living are putting a huge strain on some families and they are facing unforeseen challenges. We are working with our partners in local authorities to fully understand the issue of school meal debt.

Councils have the power to make discretionary offers of free school meals to families, where they are experiencing financial hardship due to exceptional circumstances, who do not meet the regular eligibility criteria. We would urge local authorities to continue to do all they can to resolve any payment issues without withdrawing meals from pupils.

All food and drink served in all education authority and grant aided schools must meet the standards set out in the 'Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2020'. The Regulations are based on scientific evidence and dietary advice and are designed to ensure children and young people are provided with an appropriate amount of energy and key nutrients to support their healthy growth and development.

The Scottish Government keeps the income eligibility thresholds for free school meals under review and we will consider the current thresholds ahead of the start of the 2023-24 academic year. The income eligibility thresholds were most recently reviewed and updated and amended ahead of the current academic term in August 2022. Further information on eligibility criteria is available through the following web link: School meals - mygov.scot .

This information is not held centrally.

We made an additional £40 million available to improve Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) last year, with £4.25 million of that specifically dedicated to clearing waiting list backlogs by March 2023.

We are also targeting tailored support towards those Boards with the longest waits, providing access to professional advice, to ensure that they have robust improvement plans in place and are monitoring progress closely.

We have taken positive steps to increase and maximise the available Mental Health Workforce, at all levels across Scotland. We will continue to work with the Royal College of Psychiatrists to explore further potential recruitment and retention opportunities.

The Scottish Government is currently developing the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Plan which we will publish in 2023.

Ministerial engagements, overseas travel, car journeys, domestic travel and gifts received are published on the Scottish Government website in line with the terms of the Scottish Ministerial Code. The next publication is planned for the end of December 2022.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-11902 on 24 November 2022. 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 .

In line with the principle of industry responsibility for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), it is for retailers (in consultation with the scheme administrator, Circularity Scotland Ltd) to decide how to comply with the obligation to provide a takeback service for scheme articles sold online. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has published guidance to support retailers in complying with their obligations:

https://www.sepa.org.uk/regulations/waste/deposit-return-scheme/retailers/online-retailers/

However, as set out in the answer to S6W-12236 on 1 December 2022, we are considering measures to reduce the burden this obligation places on industry, and are working closely with SEPA to ensure that the guidance is updated if necessary as a result of this work.

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 .

The offshore wind developments included in the estimate of 40GW of potential offshore wind developments in the pipeline, subject to planning and consenting decisions, and finding a route to market, included:

3.8 gigawatts of projects currently under construction or awaiting construction [1]

• Seagreen
• Inch Cape
• Moray West
• Neart na Gaoithe

4.2 gigawatts of projects with lease options [2]

• Berwick Bank
• Pentland Floating Offshore Wind Farm
  
  
• 5.7 gigawatts of estimated capacity for targeted oil and gas decarbonisation projects under the INTOG leasing round [3]
  
  
• 0.5 gigawatts of estimated capacity for Innovation projects under the INTOG leasing round [4]
  
• 27.6 gigawatts from 20 ScotWind projects [5]

[1] Scottish Energy Statistics Hub - Pipeline renewable capacity by planning stage

Scotland, 2022 Q2
‎ Scottish Energy Statistics Hub (shinyapps.io)

[2] Marine Scotland – Marine Projects

Marine Projects | Marine Scotland Information

[3] Scottish Government, Sectoral marine plan – offshore wind for innovation and targeted oil and gas decarbonisation: initial plan framework

Supporting documents - Sectoral marine plan - offshore wind for innovation and targeted oil and gas decarbonisation: initial plan framework - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

[4] Scottish Government, Sectoral marine plan – offshore wind for innovation and targeted oil and gas decarbonisation: initial plan framework

Supporting documents - Sectoral marine plan - offshore wind for innovation and targeted oil and gas decarbonisation: initial plan framework - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

[5] Crown Estate Scotland, “ScotWind Awards with Project Partners November 2022” https://www.crownestatescotland.com/resources/documents/scotwind-awards-with-project-partners-november-2022