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Further to my answer on 31 January which laid out in detail the First Minister’s plans for NHS Scotland renewal, I can confirm this will be further expanded with the publication of our operational improvement plan in March.

This plan will build on the work that has been conducted with Health Boards over the past year to improve hospital flow and reduce delays. It will set out whole system improvement action to ensure people receive the right care in the place, recognising that acute hospitals are not always the best place for patients or their families.

As part of this plan Hospital at Home will be expanded to at least 2,000 beds, by December or sooner, and will expand and coverage of treatment people can expect to receive at home and will reduce the number of people needing to be admitted to hospital.

By summer 2025 there will be direct access to a front door frailty service in every hospital with a core emergency department, to ensure people living with frailty get access to the right, specialist care for their healthcare need which will reduce the chance of a prolonged hospital stay and lower the chances of a care home admission.

A vast amount of work has already been undertaken in 2024 to date through the Collaborative Response and Assurance Group, including work with Health and Social Care Partnerships with high levels of delay to understand the challenges they are facing and support them to deliver the changes, a national media campaign highlighting the positives of Home First, and promotion and maximising of good practice such as the Discharge without Delay programme.

I am confident that with all the new measures we have laid out we will continue to see an improving picture on the level of delays across the country and that people will have access to high quality care, in the setting that is right for them.

Following the cross party summit on violence among young people held on 13 January, Scottish Government officials are preparing a report on key issues raised. This will be published and shared across Scottish Government to help inform policy development on areas that contribute to violence prevention and harm reduction.

Preparations are currently being made for a further meeting involving those cross-party MSPs who attended the summit.

Category 1 defects are defined within the term maintenance contract as those that present, or could present, an immediate hazard to trunk road users. They are typically detected during the twice weekly driven safety related inspections. Category 2 defects are defined as those which do not present an immediate hazard to road users and are typically identified during walked annual inspections.

The following table contains the number of signs on the routes requested along with the number of signs with open defects of all types as at 12 February 2025.

The Scottish Government is investing £60 million to renew play parks in Scotland, so children have access to free, high-quality outdoor play in their own communities. We have already committed £35 million since May 2021. The funding is distributed to local authority partners to manage play park renewals based on local needs and priorities.

The allocation per year for South Lanarkshire is:

The following table provides the detail of Local Authority enforcement actions that have resulted in business closure. The data relates to the use of Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notices, Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Orders and Voluntary Closures.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested centrally.

We remain committed to the provision of a community hearing service, however, there is no community hearing service at this time; a rephasing of funding has meant that not all the challenges we are facing will be addressed in a single budget. A new model of care suitable for the Scottish context, would address pressing issues faced by all health boards.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34203 on 27 February 2025. 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 recognises the difficulties facing the audiology sector, as highlighted by the Independent Review of Audiology services, which reported in August 2023. Audiology is now being considered as a clinical priority area, and improvement work is being progressed through the National Planning and Delivery Board led by the Chief Operating Officer – NHS Scotland. This has necessitated re-phasing of our commitment on community hearing. We will continue to work with the NHS, Third Sector, private providers and those with lived experience to identify and inform an appropriate model of community care for any future service.

The adjustments to ticket offices opening hours have been consulted upon with ScotRail staff and aim to increase the staff presence to enhance passenger travel experience and passenger safety, not least by allowing staff redeployment onto Travel Safe teams.

ScotRail Travel Safe Team has expanded to 28 members in the West and soon will add 9 team members in the East. Since its introduction, there has been a 43% reduction in reporting of low level anti-social behaviour, 10 suicide interventions and 1 lifesaving CPR intervention; youth related incidents decreased by 52% and a 70% reduction in anti-social behaviour related events in hot spot locations.

Importantly, it remains the specification of the Scottish Government that all ScotRail trains should have a member of staff on board to assist passengers, which is different to many UK operators.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34203 on 27 February 2025. 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