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Recruitment, training and deployment of firefighters are Operational decisions for the SFRS board and chief officer. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has provided assurance that at no point was there ever no firefighter cover for any area in Scotland. SFRS ensure that at any time a fire appliance is not available the nearest available appliance is mobilised to ensure every emergency is attended to.

In common with all parts of the UK and beyond, there are challenges with recruitment and retention of on-call firefighters in remote and rural areas in Scotland. SFRS has established a National On Call Leadership Forum which is identifying and driving improvements in recruitment.

The Iterative Plan Review Process (IPR) is ongoing and officials have completed an initial review of the assessments conducted for the Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy (SMP-OWE) adopted in 2020. This initial review identified which aspects of the assessments are likely to be affected by the ScotWind and clearing process results. The full review is estimated to take around 12 months and a final programme for the review process will be fixed in the coming weeks, taking into account the findings of the initial review. Officials at Marine Scotland Directorate will hold a series of stakeholder engagement events and statutory consultation as part of the re-assessment process.

The Scottish Government is aware of the environmental impact of single-use disposable vapes. Along with the other UK administrations, we are working on reforms to the extended producer responsibility system for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), including vapes, to make it easier for consumers to dispose of WEEE more responsibly.

We have not carried out any specific assessment of the environmental impact of single-use disposable vapes.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken specific analysis, regarding the impact of disruption to ferry services on investment and employment in the islands, however, recognise the importance of the provision of safe and reliable lifeline ferry services for investment, employment and for our island economies.

Scotland’s ferry network has a wide ranging impact on National Outcomes: from connecting individuals to employment opportunities; supporting business and freight movements; facilitating access to essential public services and transporting tourists to/from the islands. These priorities are developed through evidence-based policy making, through which consideration is applied to relevant statistics and data, research evidence and publications.

A key objective of the National Islands Plan is to “Review the availability, usefulness of, and the wider barriers to, island level data both at an individual island level, groups of islands and consider the creation of a “Scottish Islands” data level in order to better understand the challenges faced by island communities.” Our National Islands Plan Survey has supported this process.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) submitted evidence to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee’s inquiry into a modern and sustainable ferry service for Scotland, evidence of which is published on the Scottish Parliament website . In their response, HIE referenced the impact on businesses of disruption to ferry services. The agency has sought feedback through its Panel Surveys on issues relating to transport. In response to a 2021 survey, a majority (71%) of islands businesses said that they relied on ferries and, for those reliant on ferries, the resilience and reliability of services was seen as particularly important.

We are determined to support, protect and enhance lifeline services for residents, communities and industries that rely on them. Ferry services are key to supporting the economic, social and cultural development of island communities and operators ensure where possible and when safe to do so, that services are provided to maintain service provision.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken specific analysis, regarding the impact of disruption to ferry services, and how this impacts upon island economies. We recognise the important contribution that the Scotch Whisky industry makes to the Scottish economy, and meet with the whisky sector regularly, to discuss current issues and understand their impact.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has not undertaken any specific analysis of the impact of disruption to ferry services on investment in the Scotch whisky industry in the islands.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken specific analysis, regarding the impact of disruption to ferry services on depopulation, however, recognise the importance of the provision of safe and reliable lifeline ferry services for our island populations.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise has not undertaken any specific analysis of the impact of recent disruption to ferry services on depopulation. However, its ‘ My Life in the Highlands and Islands ’ research does explore issues around transport, including views on satisfaction/dissatisfaction with ferry services.

VisitScotland has not carried out any analysis on the impact of cancellations and disruptions to ferry services but recently shared relevant information with the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on 8 November 2022, a transcript of which is published on the Scottish Parliament website .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12387 on 29 November 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

The Scottish Government has decided that these functions are best located in the new qualifications body.

In reaching this conclusion we considered a range of options, including the establishment of a new small non-departmental public body solely responsible for these functions and Professor Muir’s recommendation to locate the functions within the new national agency for Scottish education.

We have sought the views of a range of organisations including nine standard setting organisations, twenty-five Awarding Bodies and a number of other public bodies including the Scottish Funding Council and the SCQF Partnership. Officials also met with other UK regulation and accreditation bodies including Ofqual and Qualifications Wales and discussed options with colleagues across the Learning, Education Reform and Advanced Learning and Science Directorates. We have also drawn on the expertise of the staff who provide those services through discussions with the SQA’s Chief Executive, staff in the Accreditation Team and members of the SQA Accreditation Committee.

On balance, it is clear that there are significant benefits to locating the functions in the new Qualifications Body, as an NDPB, providing a greater degree of independence than within the new national agency. The creation of the new Qualifications Body itself presents an opportunity to make significant changes to the relationship between the awarding and accreditation functions which will further strengthen their independence from one another. We will develop these as part of the Education Reform Bill to be introduced to Parliament next year and as part of the Target Operating Model for the new body.

This decision will ensure the continued provision of a service which is of vital importance across a wide range of sectors of the Scottish economy.

I have no current plans to do so but I wrote to Councillor Archie Dryburgh of Dumfries and Galloway Council on 20 October 2022. In that letter I confirmed that the Scottish Government would honour the commitment I made during my visit on 3 November 2021 to provide financial support to the Council. I set out that the Scottish Government will provide £33,000 of revenue funding and £25,000 of capital support, which represents half of the Council’s additional expenditure, in relation to the recovery and replacement of the two footbridges.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Our response to the pandemic has always been aligned with public health advice whether locally or nationally. We gradually and cautiously lifted regime restrictions that were necessary and proportionate to protect the health and wellbeing of those who live and work in our prisons. We continue to work through a Transition Plan and focus on restoration of regimes as we move out of the pandemic phase.