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The Scottish Government began supporting efforts to implement online testing in 2020. Since then, we have provided over £0.5m for the development of a “once for Scotland” approach to STI home testing. This was rolled out in NHS Lothian in December, and work is underway to explore further roll-out. This service allows people to request a test online and perform home self-sampling, while providing clinicians with comprehensive, real-time data. We are aware that in addition to the work supported by the Scottish Government that a number of NHS Boards have also progressed work in this area. The Scottish Government does not directly collect data on the numbers of people who have directly accessed such services.

Since 2021, we have also provided funding to pilot the provision of at home HIV self-testing kits. Two methods of testing for HIV have been offered, encompassing HIV self-testing (in which the individual tests their own blood sample and interprets the results) and HIV self-sampling (in which a laboratory tests and processes the blood sample). The most current data from HIV Scotland shows that over 10,000 kits have been requested through this Scottish Government-funded project. This further breaks down to 8,545 self-testing kits and 1,752 self-sampling kits.

Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will ensure a higher percentage of glass sent for recycling. Analysis from Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) shows that presently only around 59% of mixed glass is recycled. DRS is expected to capture 80% of glass bottles in the first year of DRS, increasing to 90% thereafter, this will therefore increase the amount of overall glass sent for recycling.

ZWS supports local authorities to assess their recycling collection options to help align services with the Household Recycling Charter Code of Practice, as well as future proofing those services by understanding the impact of other measures such as DRS and Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility.

Our second Benefit Take-up Strategy, published in October 2022, sets out how we are working to ensure people can access the support they are entitled to, including older people. We are working closely with stakeholders to break down the barriers which limit the take-up of benefits, including digital exclusion, in several ways.

Social Security Scotland’s Local Delivery teams are undertaking extensive engagement across the country – including providing drop in advice in venues where older people may meet. Working on the ground, within communities, and bringing services to people is key to reaching more seldom heard groups, including older people.

Through our Stakeholder Reference Group, we will continue to engage with organisations such as Age Scotland in order to ensure that the experience and needs of older people inform policy decisions going forward.

Scottish Government communications have supported individuals with no access to the internet through a number of offline channels.

300,000 copies of the cost of living support leaflet ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/cost-of-living-support-leaflet/ ) were distributed via libraries, GP surgeries, Health Boards and other community channels. This has also been translated in a number of languages and formats such as British Sign Language and Easy read to enhance accessibility. Local and national press features as part of the national marketing campaign have allowed for an offline extension of the campaign across different areas of Scotland.

In addition, key partnerships were secured with Asda and Scotmid across 238 stores, translating to leaflets, posters and radio ads and creative assets were offered to over 600 partners, including local authorities.

Low income families who are struggling to pay for their digital connectivity can find a link to social tariff information on our Cost of Living website.

Social Security Scotland routinely releases information on workforce as part of the Workforce Information quarterly publications.

As published in the latest release, Social Security Scotland - Social Security Scotland – workforce information: September 2022 , Social Security Scotland had a headcount of 81 temporary workers who were directly employed in September 2022.

In September 2022, Social Security Scotland had a total of 313 contingent workers, of which 208 were Temporary Agency Workers and 105 were other contingent workers.

We do not have the information requested as we are still in the testing and policy development phase of the free bikes programme. In this government’s first 100 days, we established six pilot schemes with a further four running by the end of 2021. The pilot programme will run until the end of March 2023, testing different approaches and delivery models, including eligibility, to help inform a national rollout.

We do not record data on bike numbers at local authority level. However, considering bikes issued and associated training and promotion sessions, free bikes activities have taken place in 20 of 32 local authority areas. The pilots are running across a range of locations including in urban, rural and island communities.

We do not have the information requested as we are still in the testing and policy development phase of the free bikes programme. In this government’s first 100 days, we established six pilot schemes with a further four running by the end of 2021. Nine of these pilots will run until the end of March 2023, testing different approaches and delivery models, including eligibility, to help inform a national rollout.

We do not record data on these projects at local authority level. However, considering bikes issued and associated training and promotion sessions, free bikes activities have taken place in 20 of 32 local authority areas. The 9 pilots are running across a range of locations including in urban, rural and island communities.

In October 2019, we reached our final policy position of no support for the development of unconventional oil and gas in Scotland. This means no support for development connected to the onshore exploration, appraisal or production of coal bed methane or shale oil or shale gas using unconventional oil and gas extraction techniques, including hydraulic fracturing and dewatering for coal bed methane.

Following the devolution of onshore oil and gas licensing in February 2018, Scottish Ministers are now the licensing authority for onshore oil and gas development in Scotland. These devolved powers extend to the granting, regulation and administration of onshore licensing. It is wholly within the scope of our powers to decide whether or not to invite new applications for licences for the purposes of exploring and developing unconventional oil and gas (which includes fracking and de-watering for coalbed methane extraction). Given our policy of no support, it is not anticipated that we will offer any new licensing rounds for unconventional oil and gas development in Scotland.

There are currently 2 Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences held in Scotland. We do not consider that new legislation is necessary, at this time, to control unconventional oil and gas development under these existing licences in Scotland. We believe a strong policy position enacted through planning and onshore oil and gas licensing is sufficient (however, that option remains open if there is evidence that further action is required). The finalised policy of no support for unconventional oil and gas development enables us to set a framework for the exercise of planning functions and our functions in respect of onshore oil and gas licensing.

We recognise that applications for planning and other necessary consents may be made by those holding these licences. Any such application will require to be determined by the relevant authorities, or decision-makers, according to the law and policy in force at the relevant time. As a matter of law, all planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Planning decisions must be determined on their individual merits but our final policy of no support for unconventional oil and gas development will be a material consideration for decision makers in the consideration of planning applications and appeals. Should a planning authority receive a planning application for unconventional oil and gas development, and should the authority subsequently propose to grant planning permission, the authority is required to notify Scottish Ministers, and we can consider whether to call the application in for our own determination.

The final policy of no support for unconventional oil and gas is reinforced in the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), which was approved by the Scottish Parliament on 11 January 2023. The next steps are set out in a Chief Planner letter issued on 16 January, which confirms our intention of adopting and publishing NPF4 on 13 February. Once adopted, NPF4 will form part of the statutory development plan, meaning its policies will be highly influential in day-to-day planning decision making.

The deposit will be fully returnable and retailers will be required to display information clearly about returns. Under the Deposit Return Scheme it is expected that most people will use returned deposits to cover future deposits on drinks containers.

Further work is currently underway to ensure that the interactions between Minimum Unit Price and the Deposit Return Scheme continue to be understood as the scheme evolves and kept under review, including once DRS launches on 16 August this year.

There were significant capacity constraints across the medicines homecare market in 2022. A key challenge has been recruitment of staff in a challenging labour market, with some providers more adversely affected than others. The situation is improving but continues to be closely monitored.

Certain homecare providers have highlighted issues with nursing capacity in recent months. Where this has been raised as an issue, there has been close working with providers to ensure that available staffing resource is used in a way that helps minimise disruption to service performance.

Homecare providers have not reported any recent issues with staffing within their pharmacy departments.

Several homecare providers have experienced staffing shortages within customer services departments, and this has been a major contributing factor to the capacity constraints experienced.

There have been a small number of instances where there have been delays to the delivery of medicines to patients, which has the potential to impact on patient safety. Medicines homecare providers and Health boards have processes in place to support managing and learning from any patient safety incidents that arise during service delivery.