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Per person, frontline health spending in Scotland is £111 (3.6%) higher than in England and £146 (4.8%) higher than in Wales.

Proportionately, that’s over £600 million more spending on frontline health services in Scotland compared to England, and almost £800 million more compared to Wales; this would be equivalent to over 14,000 and 18,000 nurses, respectively

In May 2021 we implemented the most generous pay rise anywhere in the UK (and the largest since devolution) for NHS Agenda for Change Staff.

For the year 2021-22, a starting salary for new Nurses in Scotland was £26,104 compared to £25,655 for Nurses in England and Wales – a difference of £449 per year.

The Memorandum of Understanding for additional investment in the Aberdeen City Region allows for up to £10 million of funding to help extend digital infrastructure across the region. To date £5 million of this funding has been spent.

£2 million was invested in the City Network Extension project which connected 57 council sites to full fibre with build completing in 2021. This investment successfully stimulated around £40 million of commercial investment across the region by CityFibre and Vodafone who are utilising this infrastructure to help extend the reach of full fibre broadband across the region. In January 2022 CityFibre announced a further £19 million of investment in Aberdeen.

£3 million was invested in the Full Fibre Infrastructure project which will connect 192 public sector and NHS sites across Aberdeenshire. To date, 190 sites have been connected with one site expected to be completed in the coming months, and the final site – an additional site made possible by cost savings – to be connected once construction is completed in summer 2023.

We continue to work closely with the Aberdeen City Region Deal team as they develop options for the remaining funding.

Scottish Ministers are still considering the wealth of information provided through the recent National Care Service (NCS) public consultation.

In that consultation we sought views on a remit for the NCS to develop and manage a National Commissioning and Procurement Structure of Standards and Processes for ethical commissioning and procuring of social care services and supports. We will develop the approach to national and local level ethical commissioning and procurement with partners, stakeholders and those who delivery care and receive care.

Local authority and other public service social care provision will remain important in delivering social care.

Safeguarding our democracy is of upmost importance to the Scottish Government. This includes being an open, accessible and transparent government. Public officials, including Ministers, MSPs and councillors, are subject to Code of Conducts which provide a clear set of principles and standards for their behaviour, including how to avoid undue interference from external actors. We believe the public should have trust in those they elect.

Scottish Ministers are still considering the wealth of information provided through the recent National Care Service (NCS) public consultation.

In that consultation we sought views on a remit for the NCS to develop and manage a National Commissioning and Procurement Structure of Standards and Processes for ethical commissioning and procuring of social care services and supports. We will develop the approach to national and local level ethical commissioning and procurement with partners, stakeholders and those who deliver and receive care.

The Scottish Government has established a Short Life Working Group (SLWG), co-chaired by Glasgow Disability Alliance, to develop a refresh of the Action Plan, to be published in Autumn 2022 as part of an overarching Fair Work action plan. Membership of the working group includes: disabled people’s organisations (Inclusion Scotland, Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living), national disability organisations (e.g. ENABLE Works, Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities), as well as wider stakeholders with an interest and expertise in disabled people’s employment (e.g. STUC, the Institute of Directors, Public Health Scotland, Skills Development Scotland) and internal Scottish Government policy teams.

Disabled People’s Organisations (DPO’s) are key to representing the voice of lived experience on the working group itself – they have been clear in their view that the Scottish Government should not repeat previous engagement as to what the barriers to employment are for disabled people. Rather, we have agreed that the working group will develop initial proposals for action to address barriers and discrimination, with engagement with disabled people themselves to then be led by the DPOs, with support from Scottish Government and wider partners. This will enable us to sense check proposals and ensure they align with disabled people’s priorities in order to tackle the disability employment gap. In addition, engagement will be undertaken with wider stakeholders, as part of a communications and engagement strategy for the overarching Fair Work action plan.

Transport Scotland look to improve accessibility as part of wider rail enhancement and decarbonisation programme; which is why the 2 new stations on the new Levenmouth Railway, the new Inverness Airport station and the new Hairmyres Station on the East Kilbride line will all have accessibility at the heart of their design. Throughout 2019-2024 this Government will also provide funding for step-free access at Aviemore, Pitlochry, Nairn and Kingussie rail stations.

Rail accessibility is reserved to the UK Government and, while we work closely with the Department for Transport to agree priorities, the final decision rests with the UK Government. We continue to push for full devolution of rail powers to enable us to better deliver for Scotland’s rail users.

The DfT Access for All and Mid-Tier Programmes will deliver step-free access through the rail control period 2019 -2024 at selected Scottish stations can be found in the attached links:. Access for All: 73 stations set to benefit from additional funding - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Rail stations across Great Britain receive £20 million funding boost for accessibility improvements - GOV.UK ( www.gov.uk ) Work has already commenced on site at Croy and Johnstone with the new accessible footbridges and lifts anticipated for completion later this year.

The Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 (STPR2) was recently published and this will inform transport investment in Scotland for the next 20 years (2022-2042) and recommendation 19, Infrastructure to Provide Access for all at Railway Stations, recommends a review of station accessibility across Scotland to identify barriers and improve access . Additional details can be obtained within the Draft Technical Report - January 2022 - STPR2 | Transport Scotland .

As part of the British Sign Language National Plan 2017 – 2023 , we have a commitment to work with partners to deliver and evaluate two training programmes aimed at supporting BSL/English interpreters to work within the Justice sector, with a view to informing a longer-term approach. Queen Margaret University now offers an elective module for BSL interpreting in Justice settings; more details can be found in the Scottish Government’s British Sign Language: Progress Report 2021 . The BSL Justice Advisory Group met again for the first time after the pandemic in October 2021, and another meeting was held in March 2022, where plans to develop workstreams was discussed. This includes looking at improvement in provision of BSL and English interpreters in courts and police stations, and potential solutions to current issues reported by case studies.

The Scottish Government has a commitment in the British Sign Language (BSL) National Plan 2017 – 2023 to work with local authorities, providers, and service users to improve the way that adult social care is delivered for BSL users. Work is underway to explore ways to meet this commitment with the establishment of the National Care Service. There is also a commitment to learn from actions we are taking forward in health to strengthen Scotland’s interpreting profession. Queen Margaret University offers a module in BSL interpreting in healthcare settings; more details can be found in the BSL Progress Report 2021 .

The Scottish Government is committed to the establishment of a National Care Service (NCS), and that work is continuing on schedule, ensuring that the design and delivery of the NCS has human rights embedded throughout. We will continue to engage with the real experts – people with lived experience of the service whether they are people accessing care and support, their families, care workers or providers – to improve future services and make things better for everyone. We have established a Social Covenant steering group, made up of people with lived experience, to ensure the new service is designed around the needs of care users and supports the needs of care workers.