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The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of supported accommodation places that are available.

Supported accommodation is provided by a range of providers, including local authorities, the third sector, and the independent sector. The number of places available will be known locally by partnerships or health boards.

The full list of access criteria for NHS IVF Treatment can be found here Access-Criteria-NHS-IVF-Treatment-Scotland.

Work is at an early stage on this Programme for Government commitment and is currently focused on identifying best practice that can be used to inform the pilots. The opportunity to engage in this work will be available to all Local Authorities.

The aim is to build on existing good practice and tailor support to local needs. We are mindful that whilst the majority who leave school before the end of S5 progress to positive destinations, the rates are lower than for older pupils, so we have a particular interest in these groups. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring every young person leaves school with the skills and confidence to succeed in whatever path they choose – regardless of background or location.

The Scottish Government recognises the heightened risk of social isolation in rural areas. To support the delivery of our Social Isolation and Loneliness Delivery Plan, we are providing £3.8m over three years to 53 community projects across Scotland through the Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund that is providing opportunities for people to connect. At end of year one projects reached 11,293 individuals with a focus on priority groups most at risk of social isolation and loneliness. We continue to support the National Rural Mental Health Forum to build the confidence of rural organisations to deliver mental health support to their members and networks. We also provide funding to Befriending Networks, who support befriending services across Scotland, and currently have 118 Scottish members; of which approximately 1 in 4 members are independent community organisations operating in rural areas.

The regulations for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines are reserved to the UK Government and are the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). For a medicine to be routinely prescribed in the UK, it firstly needs to receive a marketing authorisation. This process ensures the safety, quality and efficacy of medicines placed on the market in the UK. It is the responsibility of individual pharmaceutical companies to apply to the MHRA for a marketing authorisation.

The Heat in Buildings Programme was subject of an Audit Scotland review in 2023, with the findings of this review published in February 2024. This publication can be found at https://audit.scot/publications/decarbonising-heat-in-homes.

Additionally, all Scottish Government expenditure is subject to audit through the sampling of annual accounts.

In December 2022, local authorities reported that around 280,000 devices had been distributed to learners. This figure contains the 72,000 Scottish Government funded device from the pandemic alongside those purchased through local investment. We do not hold an updated figure but would expect this to be significantly higher, given the ongoing investment from local authorities since this time.

There is no data available on the use of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans (DEXA) for the diagnosis of obesity in NHS Scotland.

While DEXA scans provide detailed body composition analysis, they are not routinely recommended for obesity diagnosis in clinical practice.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends using BMI as a practical measure of obesity. However, BMI is not a direct measure of central adiposity – the accumulation of fat around the abdominal area. BMI can overestimate and underestimate the presence of excess body fat.

In adults with a BMI below 35, measuring waist-to-height ratio and BMI, gives a better estimate of body fat. These measurements help to assess and predict health risks.

Since 2011, the Scottish Government has provided over £65 million to support the development of public EV charging across Scotland. As a direct result of this funding, and increasing private sector investment, Scotland now has over 6,800 public charge points, a target for 6,000 public Charge points was met in October 2024, two years ahead of schedule. Scotland has one of the most comprehensive public charging networks in the UK, with, on a per head of population basis, more rapid public EV charge points than any other part of the UK except the South East of England.

Through our £30 million EV Infrastructure Fund we are continuing to supporting local authorities to work in partnership with the private sector to expand public EV charging across Scotland, with public funding prioritising those areas of Scotland less likely to benefit from stand-alone private sector investment in public EV charging infrastructure, including rural and island communities.

Through the EV Infrastructure Fund, Glasgow City Region, which includes the Greenock and Inverclyde constituency, has been awarded £3.5 million to support the installation over 3,000 additional charge points across the region. Glasgow City Region are now taking forward public procurement to deliver this project.

The Scottish Government takes the safety of the public very seriously. Sex offender notification requirements apply to an individual, irrespective of what name they use, and Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements documentation includes the recording of any aliases. Sex offenders must inform the police of a name change within three days and failure to notify such a change can result in a prison sentence.

We are aware that the Crime and Policing Bill, recently introduced to the UK Parliament, contains legislative change in this area. A Legislative Consent Memorandum (LCM) was lodged on 16 May 2025 recommending that the Scottish Parliament consents to the legislative provisions around sex offender management contained in the Bill. We await the outcome of the Parliamentary process which will determine whether or not consent is given to the provisions.