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The audit will provide enhanced information on where empty properties are located to help determine the prospects of bringing them back into use and enable better targeting and design of future interventions. The scoping exercise is currently underway and we anticipate that the audit will complete in early 2023.

We published our NHS Recovery Plan on 25 August 2021, which sets out our ambition of increasing NHS capacity by at least 10% as quickly as possible in order to address the backlog of care and meet the ongoing healthcare needs for people across Scotland.

Backed by over £1 billion of funding, the Plan will support an increase in inpatient, daycase, and outpatient activity to address the backlog of care, which will be supported by the implementation of sustainable improvements through new models of care.

Health Boards’ elective activity is being actively monitored through daily and weekly returns to the Scottish Government and support provided where required.

Following the statement by the Minister for Business , Trade, Tourism and Enterprise in February, I can confirm that the Green Freeports Prospectus for Scotland has now been published and the programme is open for applications. The Prospectus can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-freeports-in-scotland-bidding-prospectus .

Applicants must detail how they will meet the Green Freeports four key policy objectives: promoting regeneration and high quality job creation, including how fair work will be embedded across the Green Freeport; promoting decarbonisation and a just transition to a net zero economy; establishing global hubs for trade and investment; and fostering an innovative environment.

I look forward to receiving ambitious applications from across Scotland in advance of the 20 June deadline. Applications will be assessed jointly by the Scottish and UK Governments and winning bids will be selected jointly by Scottish and UK ministers with winners announced over the summer.

These matters are at an early stage and we understand that the UK Government is currently considering next steps. We are aware, however, that MG ALBA is making preparations for a possible media bill and will be meeting the Minister for State at DCMS to discuss these matters soon. We are also aware of what MG ALBA would hope to see included in a bill and the Scottish Government will support MG ALBA with its requests to ensure greater equity between minority indigenous languages across the UK and to defend and strengthen public service broadcasting in Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07353 on 25 March 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 .

In February 2021 the Scottish Government proposed combining the Warm Home Discount (WHD) and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) together as a single, flexible fuel poverty scheme in Scotland. This was among our formal asks of the UK Government when we consulted about our Heat in Buildings Strategy.

In May the UK Government wrote to Scottish Ministers noting our proposal for a single scheme and their intention to use their reserved powers, as their planned reforms in England and Wales would require a separate scheme for Scotland. The UK Government proposed apportionment of funding for a separate Scottish WHD scheme based upon national shares of electricity and gas meter points.

Scottish Ministers replied in June highlighting our concerns about this approach and formally proposing a new single scheme. In July the UK Government requested further details from us and officials provided information about the legislative, administrative and targeting options being considered by Scottish Ministers.

In October, we asked for a response based upon this information and noting that a continuation of the current scheme could only be approved by the Secretary of State. Scottish Ministers wrote again in December seeking a decision or confirmation that the UK Government would extend the current scheme. In January 2022 UK Ministers gave their preferred option as being a continued GB scheme for ECO. They did not provide an indication as to whether any of our proposals would be agreed or not.

Despite having been asked three times, the UK Government has been unable or unwilling to provide a straight answer to our proposal of a single scheme.

Scottish Ministers cannot exercise relevant powers without the agreement of the Secretary of State. Therefore on 8 February we requested urgent confirmation that the UK Government would extend the current WHD scheme in Scotland to provide certainty for vulnerable households and energy suppliers.

Despite having asked how the current WHD scheme will be extended in Scotland on three occasions, we have still not received a response from the UK Government.

I refer the member to my answer to question S6W-07097 on 23 March 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 .

Microfibre shedding from synthetic textiles is a complex problem which adds to microplastic pollution in our environment. Fibres are shed at every stage of the product’s lifespan, from manufacture, through use, laundering and end of life.

Considerable research is being undertaken by industry to better understand this problem. Filters on washing machines will not necessarily reduce this form of pollution as it requires users to clean the filters. As a result the collected material ends up in landfill or washed down sinks, as evidenced through people emptying tumble dryer filters.

We will take an evidence-based approach on this issue, and are taking action on other forms of microplastic pollution, with a ban on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, and significant ongoing work with the plastics industry to tackle plastic pellet pollution. We are able to take action on matters relating to environmental protection, and while trade and industry are reserved to the UK Government we continue to work for progress in these areas.

The information for parliamentary questions S6W-07334, S6W-07336 and S6W-07337 on 25 March 2022 is not held centrally. Please visit the National Care Framework for Huntington’s Disease website to obtain further information on the services and support available to people with Huntington’s Disease through NHS Scotland, by health board area.

The Scottish Huntington’s Association also maintains a list of HD Clinical Leads by health board on its website: HD Clinical Leads • Scottish Huntington's Association (hdscotland.org) .

Presymptomatic genetic testing is available for those with a family history of Huntington disease and tests whether the person has inherited the faulty gene associated with the condition. This is delivered by our genetic laboratory services and data on the number of people tested is not held by the Scottish Government.

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 .

This data is not centrally available; aggregated data for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Waiting Times is sent to Public Health Scotland (PHS) from each NHS Board. It does not contain explicit information on the number of young people who have learning disabilities. It reports on the number of referrals for young people to services; numbers waiting to start treatment and total waiting; not accepted for treatment from referral and Did Not Attend status numbers for 1st contact appointments; and the time between referral and first treatment.

PHS are developing a patient level dataset, Child, Adolescent and Psychological Therapies National Dataset (CAPTND) and the Scottish Government has commissioned Directors of eHealth in NHS Boards, working with others, including PHS , to work to improve the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) digital infrastructure. This will enable the recording and extraction of the full CAMHS and Psychological Therapies (PT) National Dataset (CAPTND), which will allow improved reporting on patient characteristics.