Seòmar agus comataidhean

I last met trade unions representing bus drivers on 5 October 2021 when these issues were raised and discussed. The Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work, who holds regular roundtable discussions with the STUC and affiliate unions, including those which represent bus drivers, last met with STUC on 7 October and is due to meet them again on 25 November. Ministers value an open and constructive dialogue with our trade union partners and will continue to engage on these issues.

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) published a stakeholder consultation , including a list of provisional recommendations regarding the addition, retention, regrading or removal of each species on 8 November 2021. Those proposed recommendations do not include the removal of schedule 5 legal protection for pine martens, adders or basking sharks.

We will carefully consider the findings of the JNCC seventh Quinquennial review prior to implementing any recommendations. Before making any changes regarding species removal from schedule 5 we would have to be satisfied that there would be no detrimental impact to the individual species or to the wider biodiversity and environmental landscape in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has committed to Keeping The Promise by 2030 and will continue to work with The Promise Scotland, and partners to do so.

The consultation on the creation of a National Care Service closed on 2 November 2021 after receiving over 100 written responses, over 3000 people reached through engagement events. The consultation paper set out questions, which go further than the recommendations, made in the Independent Review of Adult Social Care, and propose that social work and social care services for children and young people should be considered as potentially beneficial for inclusion within the scope of the NCS.

Scottish Government need to consider how best to ensure the consistent delivery of services to all families, with a focus on those children and families in vulnerable situations. This is frequently related to the need for provision of joined-up support to families, and wellbeing needs arising where a parent/carer requires services for adults.

All views on the National Care Services and the inclusion of Children’s Services are welcomed and will be carefully considered in planning for the future design and delivery of the NCS. We are working with children’s participation groups to ensure that meaningful engagement can take place with children and young people.

The First Minister travels for a range of reasons including ensuring that the people of Scotland are effectively represented and ensuring that Scotland’s voice is heard on important issues.

Before arranging to travel on official business, Scottish Government employees and Ministers are first required to consider if their journey is really necessary. If they conclude that they are unable to conduct their business by other means, such as video or teleconferencing, they are then required to travel in the most cost–effective and time-efficient method available.

Travel is an essential part of official government business we take our responsibility to travel sustainably very seriously and aim to use more sustainable forms of transport wherever possible.

Any business flights taken by Ministers and Scottish Government employees are subject to a carbon levy payment. Pre-Covid the levy collected approximately £40,000 per year, and is used to compensate for carbon emissions generated. For example, in August 2019 the levy was used to partially fund solar panels on the roof of St Andrews House in Edinburgh. The panels have so far saved 15 tonnes of CO2 equivalent to planting 696 trees.

(a) Mental Health Workers

The main Mental Health professional groups that the Scottish Government holds data for are Psychiatrists, Mental Health Nurses and Psychologists, including other psychological clinical staff and therapists. The Scottish Government also holds workforce figures for CAMHS, which are multidisciplinary teams that include, in addition to the professions mentioned above, AHPs, counsellors and social workers.

(a).1 Consultant Psychiatrists

A breakdown of the number of Consultant Psychiatrists recruited in each NHS Board for each of the last five years can be found on the NES Medical and Dental Turas Dashboard at the following link: Medical and Dental | Turas Data Intelligence (nhs.scot)

(a).2 Mental Health Nurses

A breakdown of the number of Mental Health Nurses recruited in each NHS Board for each of the last five years can be found on the NES Nursing and Midwifery Turas Dashboard at the following link: Nursing and Midwifery | Turas Data Intelligence (nhs.scot)

(a).3 Psychology Services Workforce

A breakdown of the staff recruited to the Psychology Services in each NHS Board for each of the last five years can be found on the NES Psychology Turas Dashboard at the following link: Psychology | Turas Data Intelligence (nhs.scot)

(a).4 CAMHS Workforce

A breakdown of the staff recruited to CAMHS in each NHS Board for each of the last five years can be found on the NES CAMHS Turas Dashboard at the following link: CAMHS | Turas Data Intelligence (nhs.scot)

(a).5 Action 15

In addition to the data listed above, the Scottish Government also collects and publishes figures for mental health workers recruited under Action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy, representing our commitment to recruit an additional 800 mental health workers between 2018-19 and 2021-22, to key settings such as A&E departments, GP practices, police station custody suites and prisons.

The latest recruitment figures as at 1 July 2021 can be accessed at Mental health workers: quarterly performance reports - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Since 2018/19, almost £68 million has been allocated to Integration Authorities (IAs) based on the NHSScotland Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) formula. While the Scottish Government provides funding for recruitment under Action 15, workforce and service planning is conducted by IAs according to the needs of their populations.

Since 2018/19 654.3 WTE posts have been recruited, representing nearly 82% of the overall target of 800 WTE. As at 1 July 2021, the recruitment rate per IA ranges between 54% and 101%, with some IAs having exceeded their allocation in advance of the March 2022 deadline.

(b) Community Link Workers

The Scottish Government only holds data on additional Community Link Workers (CLWs) recruited as part of the 2016 manifesto commitment to recruit at least 250 CLWs by the end of 2021-22. Any data prior to the 2016 manifesto, or of similar held specialist posts employed outwith this programme, would be held by Health and Social Care Partnerships.

Since March 2018, 218 headcount (HC) posts have been recruited, representing nearly 87% of the target of 250 CLWs in post. There has been some scaling back on previous projected workforce numbers due to Covid related reasons of limited opportunities to provide support remotely; staff being redeployed elsewhere; contractual delays, but figures remain on track to recover by March 2022.

The Scottish Government published information on the number of CLWs employed by NHSScotland broken down by region on 12 October 2021 in response to a Freedom of Information Request submitted to the Scottish Government on 1 September 2021 (reference FOI/202100235471). The information can be accessed at: Information regarding community link workers: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Renewable energy is a crucial element of our transition to deliver a net-zero economy and We are determined to maximise the economic opportunity for the Scottish supply chain from both our onshore and offshore wind potential. We remain fully committed to using every lever within our devolved competence to support and grow the wind supply chain here in Scotland.

In offshore wind, the first cycle of ScotWind leasing is currently underway, which will provide a pipeline of new projects from the late 2020s onwards. As part of the ScotWind bidding round, applicants have submitted a Supply Chain Development Statement (SCDS) to Crown Estate Scotland, outlining the supply chain activity they commit to undertaking within Scotland, the UK and overseas.

There is considerable additional and ongoing work to support the growth of our domestic supply chain and capitalise on the economic opportunity resulting from offshore wind including the Strategic Infrastructure Assessment (SIA), which was referenced as a 100 Days’ Commitment of this government. Published on 20 August the SIA is now being taken forward by Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC), with the group developing an action plan to take forward the SIA’s recommendations. This assessment highlights the need for urgent investment in port infrastructure to support the growth of the sector. We look forward to SOWEC taking forward next steps on the recommendations set out in the report.

For onshore wind, our consultation on the draft Onshore Wind Policy Statement was launched on 28 October 2021 and will run until January 2022. This considers and seeks views on a variety of issues related to onshore wind including supply chain issues, and specifically seeks views on minimum local content, similar to the sector deal for offshore wind.

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

The SPS does not hold the requested data. Since 2013, SPS has asked all persons on admission to custody to self-declare any known disability. The response is recorded on SPS’ internal system as either: yes, no or prefer not to disclose. However, the type of disability it is not specifically recorded.

Every individual in SPS custody is interviewed by a Healthcare Professional on admission in order to assess their healthcare needs. Where there is an identified need for additional support or reasonable adjustments whilst in custody, SPS, NHS and our education service partners will work in partnership to facilitate this.

The Woods In and Around Towns (WIAT) programme provides support to expand and sustainably manage Scotland’s urban woodlands while encouraging people to use and enjoy them. The programme supports activities in socially deprived communities and contributes to improving people’s health and well-being, sequestering carbon and helping our urban communities adapt to a changing climate.

The programme facilitates collaboration between local authorities, the private and the community sector to deliver initiatives ranging from the Central Scotland Green Network, Clyde Climate Forest and recent Lost Woods Project that provided the opportunity for children from all of Glasgow’s primary schools to take part in a mass tree planting scheme.

Under the current Forestry Grant Scheme the average annual funding available for the improvement and management of existing urban woodland is £750,000-£900,000 and for the creation of new woodland in areas covered by the Central Scotland Green Network, which is a focus area for the programme, is £8 million.

The total value of approved projects under these grants is:

Scottish Ministers received updates on Defra’s public consultation on changes to the regulation of genetic technologies in England at the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on 28 June 2021 and 13 September 2021. You may view the minutes for these meetings at https://www.gov.scot/collections/inter-ministerial-group-for-environment-food-and-rural-affairs-communiques/ .

Officials from the four UK administrations also meet on a regular basis to share information on topics of mutual interest, including the area of GMO regulation. These conversations have included updates on Defra’s public consultation and planned changes to the regulation of genetic technologies in England in relation to gene editing.

The following table incudes how much the UK Government has provided to the Scottish Government for capital expenditure in real terms each year since 2007-08, excluding Financial Transactions.