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Our aim is to at least halve the disability employment gap (DEG) by 2038. The number of disabled people (16-64 years) in full-time employment in Scotland is estimated to have increased from 180,000 in Jan-Dec 2016 to 217,600 in Jan-Dec 2020; with the number of disabled people in part-time employment increasing from 96,500 in Jan-Dec 2016 to 117,600 in Jan-Dec 2020.

A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Employment Action Plan outlined the initial actions we would take to help meet the ambition to at least halve the DEG. The action plan includes commitments that relate to direct delivery of employability support and where data is currently available regarding the number of disabled people supported to achieve employment, this is provided below:

• Fair Start Scotland (FSS) latest statistics (published 23 Feb 22) show that 44% (18,352) of participants reported having a disability and 63% (26,316) reported having a long-term health condition. 31% of disabled people on FSS has so far started a job (4,065);

• No one Left Behind, including the Parental Employment Support fund (PESF) has supported 2,160 parents. 13% of parents reported having a disability (280) (experimental statistics).

The plan also includes a range of other cross cutting measures tackling the structural barriers that prevent many disabled people from entering and/or sustaining fair work, such as:

• supporting young disabled people and transitions delivered through the Young Person’s Guarantee;

• improving and increasing accessibility of public transport delivered through the Accessible Travel Framework;

• supporting employers to improve their recruitment and retention practices for example through the Public Social Partnership Apt; and

• seeking to maximise opportunities to support disabled people’s employment through available regulatory tools and mechanisms, such as the sustainable procurement duty.

When considering the population level disability employment gap clear progress has been made since we set out our ambition. The narrative updates are provided of the impact of these actions in our Year one and two progress reports .

As reported on 21 January 2022, Historic Environment Scotland introduced new measures to manage the impact of climate change on Scotland's national heritage sites. Whilst I can confirm that inspections and analysis of some affected sites continue, let me assure you that no properties are being left without care. Historic Environment Scotland is considering all options available to best protect the 336 nationally significant properties in care, and is continuing the vital conservation and protection work which it is internationally recognised for, especially as we seek to build resilience into the heritage sector’s recovery from the pandemic.

It is important however that we recognise that climate change effects have been accelerating, and the increased rainfall and variations in temperature have continuing impacts on both Scotland's natural and built heritage. I will continue discussing future potential approaches with Historic Environment Scotland as we continue our work to make our heritage safe, and accessible to all, so we can better understand our past, to best inform our future.

Since its beginning, the aim of the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 Vaccination Programme has been to reduce the number of severe COVID-19 infections, hospitalisations and deaths. From its outset it has been guided by the expert advice provided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). We have no plans to provide booster vaccines beyond those which have already been announced. The provision of any further booster doses will therefore continue to be based on any future advice the JCVI should wish to provide.

We cannot provide advice on the rules for other countries. Before travelling you should check the up to date entry requirements for the destination country.

As ever, we encourage all those who are eligible to take up the existing offer of vaccination, if they have not yet done so.

This information requested is not held centrally.

Information on multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion of patients whose first diagnosis of breast cancer was at a metastatic stage was collected until 2018 and has been archived since then because the 95% target was being consistently met across all Health Boards. Information on MDT discussion of patients whose existing breast cancer was not initially metastatic but has subsequently progressed to metastatic stage has never been available to Public Health Scotland. NHS boards may hold this data locally.

The Scottish Cancer Registry does not hold the kind of tracking information required to be able to report on secondary breast cancer. Therefore, Public Health Scotland cannot answer this question.

The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 provides local authorities with a discretionary power to set up workplace parking licensing (WPL) schemes.

Under a WPL scheme, a local authority can require a licence to be obtained by employers for each workplace parking place provided. A charge may be levied for such a licence on the basis of the number of parking places specified in the licence. Non-domestic rates (business rates) is a charge for the occupation and use of non-domestic property.

The provisions in the Act were subject to legal and policy scrutiny when the Transport Bill went through the Scottish Parliament in 2019 and I do not consider there to be an issue as regards the imposition of this charge alongside any other charge or tax to which businesses may be subject.

This is a discretionary power already available to local authorities in England and Wales under the Transport Act 2000.

We recognise that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events in Scotland are likely to continue to increase due to climate change. As a nation we need to prepare for the associated impacts, including through the resilience of our buildings.

Draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) is clear that new, and alterations to existing buildings, infrastructure and spaces should be designed to be adaptable to future impacts of climate change. The draft acknowledges risks from climate change including those from extreme weather.

The draft NPF4 is currently subject to Scottish Parliamentary scrutiny, alongside a public consultation, prior to a finalised version being presented for Scottish Parliament approval. We are working towards laying a final version of NPF4 in the Parliament for approval this summer, following which it will be adopted by the Scottish Ministers.

Building regulations address a range of topics on the resilience of buildings including structural performance, resistance to wind and rain and flood resilience. These regulations apply to new buildings and new building work and are not applied retrospectively to existing buildings. The standards are periodically reviewed, to give assurance that they remain fit for purpose and consider, where practicable, predicted future climate in Scotland. Review is also underway at present to provide greater assurance that compliance with these standards is achieved.

Scottish Government officials were last in contact with Harland & Wolff, who lease the former BiFab yards of Methil and Arnish in January 2022.

Information on the number of brain tumour specialist nurses is not held centrally.

As part of the National Cancer Plan, we are providing up to £2.5 million to NHS boards to support 12 pilot programmes across Scotland to deliver a single point of contact for cancer patients. These points of contact will support patients throughout their journey to discuss questions or anxieties related to their clinical care from the point of diagnosis.