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Targeted testing is in place to support clinical decision making and surveillance. We are working closely with Public Health Scotland, our clinical advisors and the other UK nations to routinely review our position and the clinical advice on COVID-19 in light of new variants. Evidence to date does not support a return to widespread community testing however we will continue to monitor the situation closely.

The Scottish Government is in the process of agreeing a timeline for the development of the Palliative Care Strategy with the Strategy Steering Group for Palliative Care, and will publish this once agreed.

The number of properties liable for the Higher Property Rate (HPR) in 2023-2024 before any reliefs are applied is presented in the following below, broken down in Table 1 by property class, and in Table 2 by local authority. In 2023-2024, HPR is applied to all properties with a rateable value above £100,000. Property class is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property, and does not necessarily accurately reflect the use of a property. The Scottish Government does not hold property-level data on industry sectors.

These tables are based on the valuation roll as at 1 July 2023.

Figures in these tables are rounded to the nearest 10, with values greater than zero but lower than five displayed as ‘[low]’.

Table 1: Number of properties liable for HPR in 2023-2024 by property class

Table 1 presents the expected gross income from the Higher Property Rate (HPR), after the application of the revaluation Transitional Relief (TR), in 2023-2024. In 2023-2024, HPR is applied to all properties with a rateable value above £100,000. The values presented in Table 1 relate to the supplement of 2.6p above the Basic Property Rate only. This is broken down by property class, as the Scottish Government does not hold property-level data on industry sectors. Property class is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property, and does not necessarily accurately reflect the use of a property.

This table is based on the valuation roll as at 1 July 2023. Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000.

Table 1: Estimated gross income from HPR after revaluation transitional relief in 2023-2024 by property class

We are making good progress on this commitment and since 2017 headcount has increased by 291 with a record 5,209 GPs now working in Scotland.

We have increased medical undergraduate intake by 448 places, and created an additional 135 GP training places since 2016. 100% of training places advertised so far this year have filled successfully with a further round of recruitment in February 2024.

We have also established a GP Retention Working Group that will report to me by the end of October with its findings and recommendations.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21155 on‎ 22 September 2023. 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

As part of the work to develop a new Palliative and End of Life Care Strategy, the Strategy Steering Group for Palliative Care will consider the financial implications of delivery.

There are now 2 independent dentists working in the Campbeltown area listed with NHS Highland to provide NHS General Dental Services. In addition, a Public Dental Service (PDS) dentist visits Campbeltown one day per month to provide NHS dental care and advice to patients. NHS Highland is currently recruiting for a replacement PDS Senior Dental Officer/Tutor in the area.

Rail accessibility in Scotland is a reserved matter for the UK Government. In June 2022, the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed, in writing, to Transport Scotland that nominated stations will be assessed primarily against similar criteria to those used in previous Control Periods. This criteria includes:

• Footfall, using figures published by the Office of Rail and Road.
• Stations where there is a particularly high incidence of disability in the area, based on Census data.
• A particular local circumstance such as the proximity of hospitals, a school for disabled children or a military rehabilitation centre for example, or stations with relatively high numbers of interchange passengers.
• The availability of third-party funding.
• Stations that would help to fill “gaps” in accessibility on the network such as in an area where there are no accessible stations.
• Letter of support from the constituency Member of Parliament (MP).

Transport Scotland work closely with Network Rail and ScotRail to agree the Scottish Government nominations, taking account of the criteria against which these will be evaluated by the DfT. The finalised submissions are approved by Scottish Ministers prior to submitting to the Department for Transport.

The CEO of FMPG provides a regular update to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee on the progress and anticipated delivery schedules of both MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa. His next update is due by the end of September 2023.