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We are committed to supporting the recruitment of more teachers and my predecessor recently set out measures to Parliament making it clear that we will provide £145.5 million in next year's budget to protect increased teacher numbers and support staff.

In addition, in 2022-23 we offered 150 bursaries of £20,000 for career changers wishing to undertake a one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in STEM subjects - Physics, Maths, Technical Education, Computing Science, Home Economics and Chemistry. These are the secondary school subjects with the greatest demand for teachers. Our STEM bursary scheme will continue in this financial year.

With these interventions, STEM teacher numbers are at their highest level since 2011. We are also continuing to work with universities and local authorities to look at innovative and creative ways to encourage more teachers into STEM subjects.

The Scottish Government will of course need to consider the recommendations in the final report before providing a formal response. The Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment, led by Professor Louise Hayward, will report to the Scottish Government by the end of May 2023.

The Scottish Government has not had correspondence with Scottish Water regarding The Baird Family Hospital and The ANCHOR Centre. Scottish Water's engagement on this project is directly with NHS Grampian, who are responsible for delivering the project.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked Douglas Millican, Chief Executive, to respond. His response is as follows:

Since 1 April 2018, Scottish Water has approved 2775 burst allowance applications. The number by year is detailed in the following table.

As part of the tender process contractors have set aside 10% of the contracted tender cost as contingency. We will confirm the tender value in due course.

A range of potential improvements to the trunk road and motorway network, including the A1, were considered and appraised in STPR2. Full dualling was not included in the final 45 recommendations because the transport appraisal concluded that, in line with the sustainable travel and investment hierarchies, the priorities for investment in Scotland’s trunk road network lie elsewhere. These are on improving road safety, reliability and resilience, and adapting the network to deal with challenge of climate change, rather than any large scale interventions on the A1 between Edinburgh and the border.

The Bus Taskforce is due to conclude in June 2023, and whilst there are currently no plans to publish minutes from these meetings, a report of the Taskforce’s work and recommendations will be published in Autumn 2023.

The public consultation on the revised relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) teaching guidance will be published shortly.

We recognise that children’s and young people’s mental health may have been affected during the pandemic and want to ensure that anyone who needs support can get access to appropriate services.

We continue to prioritise support for mental health and wellbeing in schools and the provision of Educational Psychologists, school counselling services and school staff are a key part of the support being offered. The Scottish Government supports our local authority partners with £16 million in funding to ensure that every secondary school has access to counselling services support delivery of the commitment.

In addition, the Mental Health in Schools Working Group developed a mental health professional learning resource for all school staff to assist in responding to and supporting children and young people’s mental health in schools. Education Scotland has also provided tools and guidance for school staff to further strengthen support to children and young people.

Since 2020, the Scottish Government has made available a package of support for the education workforce which is designed to help staff look after their own wellbeing, those of colleagues and those they lead. An evaluation in 2022 found that 93% of participants report an increase in their confidence to manage their own mental health and wellbeing since engaging with this support.

The Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment, led by Professor Louise Hayward, will report to the Scottish Government by the end of May 2023. The Review’s interim report was published on 3 March and includes a model for a new approach to qualifications and assessment which is currently being tested further with stakeholders.

The Scottish Government will need to consider the recommendations in the final report before providing a formal response.