Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government has not made a referral to the Subsidy Advice Unit at the Competition and Markets Authority. Any future proposal for Air Departure Tax or a proposal relating to the Highlands and Islands exemption will be assessed for compliance with the Subsidy Control Act and will be referred to the Subsidy Advice Unit if they meet the mandatory referral requirements of a Subsidy of Particular Interest .

As set out in answer S6W-14642 on 6 March 2023 , funding for local authorities is provided through the annual block grant settlement from the Scottish Government. Local authorities should use funding resources allocated to them in the manner which they believe will best meet local needs and circumstances within their respective areas.

Therefore, decisions on the installation and maintenance of defibrillators in schools is a matter for local authorities to consider at the local level.

A number of organisations provide advice and support for the purchasing and maintenance of defibrillators. This includes:

The British Heart Foundation: https://www.bhf.org.uk/how-you-can-help/how-to-save-a-life/defibrillators/apply-for-a-public-access-defibrillator

St Johns Scotland Public Access Community Defibrillators | St John Scotland .

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 report makes a number of useful contributions, which Scottish Forestry is considering. A number of the recommendations made are already in place, including changes to sustainability standards increasing the required proportion of tree species diversity, tougher measures to protect soils during tree planting, and supporting an increase in woodlands by rivers across Scotland.

Public forestry grants are vital and a well-established means used across the UK to stimulate woodland creation, supporting Scottish sector worth over £1bn annually and 25,000 jobs. The Scottish Government is clear that Scotland needs to plant a mixture of both productive as well as native species if we are to tackle climate change, nature loss and a growing demand for timber.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

Disclosure Scotland is consulting on how disclosure fees could be discounted in future. No decisions have been made on this. The consultation response from stakeholders and the public will help to shape decisions by Scottish Ministers. Since 2011, Disclosure Scotland has fully subsidised qualifying voluntary organisations to get free PVG disclosures for volunteers. Reviewing the policy on fee waivers and discounts helps to ensure the effective use of public finances and the potential impact of any changes, whilst providing an effective public service.

Wider Scottish Government initiatives and guidance, including the Volunteering Action Plan and the Scottish Public Finance Manual, form part of the consideration given to any changes to fees policy at Disclosure Scotland.

All subsidy schemes - including tax exemptions - must clearly demonstrate that the objective of the exemption clearly aligns with a set of seven principles defined in the Subsidy Control Act 2022. The Scottish Government will fully assess how any proposal for a devolved Air Departure Tax aligns with these principles.

All viable options identified by the Scottish Government will be subject to full consultation at the appropriate time. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all options presented will protect Highlands and Islands connectivity, along with the communities and business that rely on this to prosper.

Data on the number of Scottish Domiciled entrants to full-time first degree Allied Health Profession (AHP) courses at Scottish providers is collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Scottish Domiciled full-time first degree entrants to allied health profession (AHP) courses at Scottish universities via SWAP by academic year

This is a matter for NHS Boards. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The early learning and childcare (ELC) census Early learning and childcare statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) is the Scottish Government’s current annual data collection on funded ELC.

The census collects data on the number of registrations for funded ELC by age. It does not collect data on the number of hours each child accesses.

Number of two year old registrations for funded ELC at the time of each census:

As set out in our Hydrogen Action Plan, hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels could play a significant role in the decarbonisation of the maritime industry.

Our long-term goal is to reduce carbon emissions very substantially by 2045 and, ideally, to eliminate them. However, this is dependent on alternative fuels becoming commercially available. This is a challenge facing the whole shipping industry.

Hydrogen may well become one of the future maritime fuels used by the global shipping fleet. However, this technology is not yet fully developed, and the decision of vessel owners to use specific maritime fuels will be determined by a number of factors. One of those factors will be availability of the fuel source, therefore we believe that working to develop a safe and economically viable supply will assist in the development of hydrogen vessels. This will ultimately be a decision for ship owners and port operators, along with the UK Government, which has policy responsibility for shipping regulations in UK waters.