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In the 2021 academic year we provided a share of £5 million to local authorities based on the number of pupils 5-18 on the school roll in each area. In addition, an allocation of top-up funding of around £3m was provided to those authorities who had budgeted for instrumental music tuition fee income.

The following table provides a breakdown of the funding allocation for the provision of free instrumental music tuition in schools by local authority.

Funding Allocation by Local Authority

The specifics of the Islands Bond policy are still being considered and will take into account the input of respondents to the consultation across all island groups.

During the time of the offer passengers could purchase tickets via a dedicated telephone line as well as the ScotRail website and app, and ScotRail staff were briefed to ensure they could assist passengers wanting to access the offer.

Online offers such as the recent one, enable ScotRail to undertake detailed analysis, which, if successful, can be rolled out on a wider basis. It is right and prudent that such offers not only give passengers discounts, but that as far as possible they offer value for the public sector particularly in the current financial challenges.

Independent Licensing Boards in Scotland can grant general extensions of licensed hours if they consider it appropriate to do so in connection with a special event of local or national significance – as was the case during the Queen’s 60 th Jubilee celebrations in 2012. Whilst these are matters for Licensing Boards in their areas, the Scottish Government is supportive of Licensing Boards having these powers. It is worth emphasising the local decision making powers in this area, the Scottish Ministers do not have a power to grant a general extension of licensed hours, unlike the Home Secretary under the England and Wales licensing regime.

The Scottish Government monitors and considers the available evidence about the housing market and listens to the views of stakeholders on an ongoing basis in order to inform its approach on Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT).

Decisions on rates and bands for LBTT are taken as part of the Scottish Budget process.

The majority of food law which applies in Scotland stems from European Union legislation and after an extensive process to ensure that it remains operational after the UK’s departure from the EU, the detail of the requirements remains in place.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has responsibility for the policies surrounding food labelling in Scotland and are currently working closely with policy officials across GB in the day to day business in this respect.

While there is no timescale at present, in due course, the food labelling legislation will be subject to review, which is likely to be a significant task and will need to be informed by EU developments on food information. During the review process consideration will be given to which areas and policy approaches are appropriate for Scotland and in a GB context this will also include England and Wales. Policy considerations are expected to include mandatory braille labelling and/or how the use of barcoded food information and new technology could help in this area.

There are around 25,000 Civil Servants who are part of the reserved Public Sector in Scotland [1] . The UK Government has not provided details on how their planned Civil Service reduction will affect their staff working in Scotland.

The UK Government’s plans to reduce Civil Service headcount will not have a direct impact on civil servants who serve the Scottish Government, as the responsibility lies with Scottish Ministers and the Permanent Secretary when it comes to determining our workforce size. We continually engage with our trade unions on matters impacting our workforce, in line with our partnership agreement, and remain committed to making the best and most efficient use of our resources.

The UK Government spending review in November 2021 sets out the multi-year funding envelopes for devolved administrations. The Scottish Government is continuing to plan on this basis. The UK Government reviews its spending plans at each fiscal event and amends UK Government department and devolved administration budgets accordingly.

[1] Source: Public Sector Employment In Scotland Statistics For 4th Quarter 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

An evidence review on international approaches to challenging demand is being carried out by Scottish Government’s Justice Analytical Services, and will be published later this year as an official social research report.

This analysis will support the development of a model for Scotland which effectively tackles and challenges men’s demand for prostitution, whilst taking into account Scotland’s unique legal and societal landscape.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-08691 on 7 June 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 .

Crown Estate Scotland have not sold seabed through the ScotWind leasing process. Option Agreements and ultimately leases to use areas of the seabed for offshore wind energy generation have been provided, raising around £700 million in initial fees and potentially many millions more in rent, once these projects are operational. If projects do not proceed to full lease, the option agreements expire. Furthermore, through the Supply Chain Development Statements, ScotWind developers will invest an average of £1.5 billion in Scotland for each project – across the 17 different sites, that could lead to more than £25 billion of investment.

As per S6W-08314 on 7 June 2022, Crown Estate Scotland conducted market testing and evidence gathering to inform option fee levels and this is not information held by Scottish Government. Following the announcement of The Crown Estate’s Round 4 results and a very clear change in the market, Crown Estate Scotland paused and reviewed the ScotWind option fee levels accordingly.

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