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The UK Government abolished EMA in 2011 and therefore there have been no discussions with them regarding EMA in recent years.

In January 2024, EMA officials met with the Welsh Government to provide an overview of the current EMA programme in Scotland. The purpose of this meeting was to support the review of EMA being conducted by the Welsh Government which is due to publish later this year.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-27931 on 14 June 2024. 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’s analysis is ongoing, but the Bills that appear to require legislative consent include, but are not limited to, the following:

· Renters’ Rights Bill

· Planning and Infrastructure Bill

· Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill

· Railways Bill

· GB Energy Bill

· Digital Information and Smart Data Bill

· Tobacco and Vapes Bill

The Scottish Government will consider the content of all Bills in the King’s Speech before making its recommendation to the Parliament on legislative consent. It will then be for the Scottish Parliament to determine whether to give or withhold consent.

The Scottish Government meets with NHS Board Digital leads on a monthly basis to discuss key issues including the integration of systems and new technologies. The Digital Health & Care Strategy and associated delivery plan set out our plans to integrate and build on our existing health and care infrastructure to improve patient outcomes. Care in the Digital Age: delivery plan 2024 to 2025 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-28494 on 19 July 2024. 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 .

NHS Scotland has not registered with the Apple Health platform and has no plan to do so. Our strategic focus is on delivering the Digital Front Door as outlined in our Digital Health & Care Strategy and associated delivery plan. This will support our ambition; to ensure people have greater access to their data and personal information securely online.

Research on the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) programme was carried out in 2007. The aim of the research was to gather evidence of young people's awareness and experience of EMA, to assess the impact on young people's choices and pathways, and to assess if EMA helped to prevent young people from becoming 'Not in Education Employment and Training' (NEET).

The final report and associated research findings can be found here:

https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/20170831082324/http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2007/07/30113243/0

https://webarchive.nrscotland.gov.uk/20170831082335/http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2007/07/30113318/0

Further to our previous response Ministers and officials will engage with a range of stakeholders ahead of Stage 2.

Fairer Deliveries For All: An Action Plan was launched in November 2018, with a focus on tackling unfair parcel delivery practices, and understanding the root causes of over-charging for these services.

The plan identified eight action points to be taken forward by the Scottish Government and its partners:

1. We will develop an interactive data hub to allow users to measure the fairness of delivery pricing to improve transparency and drive behaviour change.

2. We will develop the Scottish Parcel Delivery Map to understand consumer experiences and target interventions.

3. We will celebrate best practice by retailers and parcel delivery companies.

4. We will work with industry to explore how to increase the impact and reach of the Statement of Principles.

5. We will make it easier for consumers to know and exercise their rights.

6. We will improve the accuracy of postcode classification tools.

7. We will establish the Improving Consumer Outcomes Fund to explore new approaches to tackling long-standing consumer issues, including misleading and unfair delivery charges in rural and remote areas of Scotland.

8. We will shape UK Government action to further strengthen consumer protection.

In August 2020, the Scottish Government published a progress update on the eight action points, which can be found here: Fairer deliveries action plan: progress statement - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

At the time of the publication, the Scottish Government launched a consultation on the creation of a new public body to tackle the causes of consumer harm in Scotland. As a result, Consumer Scotland came into existence in April 2022, impacting on the role and remit of the Scottish Government in relation to consumer issues.

Work on the Action Plan concluded in 2022 in response to the establishment of Consumer Scotland and its role considering consumer detriment in Scotland. Post and delivery services are key priorities for the organisation as set out in its work programme, which can be found here: Work Programme 2024-2025 (HTML) | Consumer Scotland . As part of this, Consumer Scotland works with UK Regulators, governments and partner organisations to ensure that the parcel delivery market is meeting the needs of current and future consumers living in Scotland.

Postal services is a reserved policy which places a limit upon actions that the Scottish Government and Consumer Scotland can take.

This information is not collected or held by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have the resources in place to provide the appropriate response to every incident which occurs in Scotland, including fires in abandoned or derelict buildings.