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Our National Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care supports the remobilisation and recovery of health and social care services and sets out priorities for recruitment, training and retention. We anticipate that the Strategy will be used by workforce, service and financial planners from across Health and Social Care at all levels.

Through this Workforce Strategy, and the NHS Recovery Plan, we are investing in staff so that they have the right skill mix and career progression opportunities.

Actions have been set out as part of the Workforce Strategy to develop, improve and transform workforce data, information and intelligence and to commit to publishing workforce projections. These actions will be delivered through the Workforce Data and Intelligence Programme, including a Data Links and Gaps Project with key workstreams of NHS Workforce Data Quality Improvement (WDQI), Adult Social Care WDQI and Primary Care WDQI.

A baseline review of Healthcare Science Education and Training Provision was carried out in 2022 and published on 20 October. Emerging themes for further investigation were identified from survey feedback, and this has helped ascertain the work required to increase the visibility of the Healthcare Science workforce to improve the pipeline of a future workforce. Examples of specialist training currently available were highlighted, including Neurophysiology at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Work has been done in consultation with NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to investigate and suggest improvements for low uptake in Neurology expansion posts. Discussions are underway with the NES lead Dean for Medicine to consider how to make improvements in the coming year when these posts are re-advertised. Many of these vacancies are in the North and East of Scotland, reflecting the difficulty in recruiting to posts in these areas. NES has been promoting awareness of Neurology training opportunities in these regions, and hope to make progress in 2023 and 2024 recruitment.

Through our National Advisory Committee for Neurological Conditions, we are identifying priorities to strengthen the neurological workforce alongside the National Workforce Strategy, Remobilisation Plans and Rehabilitation Framework. We have scoped neurological workforce priorities and work has commenced to address these with a focus on nursing, allied health professionals (AHPs), neuropsychology and neurophysiology.

The SPCB notes that members of the public can currently request a loved one’s 100th birthday to be recognised by the King and Queen Consort and it does not currently have any plans to facilitate requests for cards to be sent on behalf of the Scottish Parliament.

The SPCB notes that the UK Government currently facilitates a birthday message to be sent from the King and Queen Consort to mark a person’s 100th birthday and currently it does not have any plans to send cards on behalf of the Scottish Parliament. 

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13692 on 23 January 2023. 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 .

I announced on 15 January that fares on the Northern Isles and Clyde & Hebrides ferry networks will be frozen for six months.

The decision on fares allows operators to now release their timetables for booking until the end of September.

The delay was due to the necessary detailed consideration and discussions required at all levels of Government in order to find a way to mitigate the impact on ferry fares of an unprecedented level of CPI of 9.1%.

I announced on 15 January that fares on the Northern Isles and Clyde & Hebrides ferry networks will be frozen for six months.

The decision on fares allows operators to now release their timetables for booking until the end of September.

The delay was due to the necessary detailed consideration and discussions required at all levels of Government in order to find a way to mitigate the impact of an unprecedented level of CPI of 9.1%.

CFL will open up all routes for the whole summer timetable period by Friday 20 January – with the exception of Mallaig-Armadale, Mallaig-Small Isles and Mallaig-Lochboisdale (which will open by 31 January).

For the Mallaig routes, CFL are still working through tidal amendments for the whole summer timetables and that work will not be complete by 20 January. CFL will engage with those communities directly. However, each community are already aware of their core timetables.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) allocate Modern Apprenticeship (MA) starts every financial year in line with Ministerial priorities and industry demand. SDS were asked in their Letter of Guidance to deliver at least 25,000 new apprenticeship starts this financial year as part of our commitment to build back up to 30,000 starts.

SDS made an initial allocation to providers prior to the start of the year. They have kept employer demand under review during the year and in December allocated several hundred additional MA starts to providers who requested them and met eligibility criteria.

It is standard practice for SDS to review changing demand for apprenticeship starts in-year, and adjust the number of starts allocated to respond to demand as appropriate within their budget. SDS will continue to follow this process and keep under review whether any additional starts can be allocated to providers within this financial year.

An ICIA was not carried out on the delay. The delay was not a policy choice but was due to the necessary detailed consideration and discussions required at all levels of Government in order to find a way to mitigate the impact on fares of an unprecedented level of CPI of 9.1%.