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All Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) have distinct methodology and approaches for the attraction of inward investment, impacting each IPA’s reporting and monitoring of country-level or sub-national inward investment performance and securing of inward investment global market share. Without a full and detailed knowledge of how other IPAs approach this, including the approach adopted by the IDA Ireland, it would be inappropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on comparative inward investment agency performance.

However, the Scottish Government does take an evidence-based approach to inward investment attraction and performance, which we keep under regular review. According to the most recent independent, industry recognised EY Annual Attractiveness Survey 2023, Scotland has been the most attractive foreign direct investment (FDI) location outside of London for the last eight years, providing clear evidence that our Team Scotland approach to attracting good quality inward investment is working.

For ease of reference I’ve included a link to EY’s independent Annual Attractiveness Survey 2023 if you would like to know more Scotland’s foreign investment grows with record results | EY UK

We published the NHS Recovery Plan in August 2021, which sets out our plans for health and social care over the next 5 years. Backed by over £1 billion of funding, the plan will support an increase in inpatient, day case, and outpatient activity to address the backlogs of care, which will be supported by the implementation of sustainable improvements and new models of care.

The first annual progress update was published on 4 October NHS Recovery Plan: annual progress update - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . This update detailed the progress being made against the actions to address the backlog in care and meet ongoing healthcare needs for people across Scotland.

The plan will be reviewed regularly and reported on annually to ensure its actions and outcomes are delivered. We will also remain open to new ideas and initiatives that can help accelerate recovery and shape sustainable ways of working.

Free Personal and Nursing Care, Scotland, 2022-23, is a statistical publication which presents the latest client and expenditure figures for Free Personal and Nursing Care (FPNC). The data collection does not include information which would allow us to identify why those 25% were not in receipt of FNPC payments.

In Scotland, FPNC is available to all adults, regardless of their age, and is provided based on an assessment of need by the Local Authority.

Although Care at Home may include personal and nursing care, it may also take the form of other support services which sit outwith Free Personal Care legislation.

In 2021-22, the Scottish Government made a Programme for Government commitment to “ensure provision of high quality child palliative care, regardless of location, supported by sustainable funding of at least £7m per year through Children’s Hospices Across Scotland”.

In addition, the Scottish Government provides £143,115 annual funding to Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) via the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention (CYPFEI) fund. This funding supports CHAS to deliver their services and offer full family support for babies, children and young people with life-shortening conditions.

Free Personal and Nursing Care, Scotland, 2022-23 is a statistical publication which presents the latest client and expenditure figures for Free Personal and Nursing Care (FPNC). The data collected does not include information which would allow us to explain why there is a greater proportion of older clients in receipt of FPNC payments.

In Scotland, FPNC is available to all adults, regardless of their age, and is provided based on an assessment of need by the Local Authority.

As announced in the Programme for Government, the Scottish Government will work with COSLA in the coming year to prepare schools and infrastructure for the expansion of universal free school meal provision to Primary 6 and Primary 7 pupils. Expansion will take a phased approach, rolling out first to those in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, before expanding to all Primary 6 and Primary 7 pupils in 2026.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20927 on 19 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 .

Scottish Ministers agreed to HSE refusing the 2023 emergency authorisation application for the use of the herbicide Asulox, to control bracken, because of the risks it poses to the environment and human health.

There is no reason to suggest compensation for previous users would be necessary. Asulox has been withdrawn in the UK for over 15 years. For the last 10 years it has been approved annually as part of an emergency authorisation, for limited and controlled use each season. HSE consider each application on a case-by-case basis against the legislative requirements, and this year considered that it did not meet the regulatory requirements for authorisation. There is no obligation to grant an emergency authorisation and it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide all relevant information to justify the need for emergency use.

Support for bracken control through the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) has continued for 2023. Contracts for chemical and mechanical bracken control were issued from the 2022 round of AECS which commenced in 2023. Where contract holders had intended to undertake chemical control, we have offered flexibility to allow mechanical or manual activity.

The Scottish Government recognises the role that Asulox has played in recent years in the control of bracken in Scotland. We recently held a bracken roundtable to work with stakeholders to identify priority actions to allow for the safe control of bracken, where land managers deem it necessary.

The RPW scheme is intended to provide police officers with a timely and proportionate means of dealing with offending which meet the criteria of being lower-level offending in terms of the Lord Advocate’s guidelines.

Those guidelines provide general principles which should be followed when an officer is considering whether to issue an RPW.

Officers have operational discretion to issue an RPW if they consider that appropriate in all the circumstances. An alternative would be for the officer to report the matter to the Procurator Fiscal.

Although the Lord Advocate’s guidelines are confidential, Police Scotland’s published guidance provides additional instruction to officers on when RPWs can be used.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20927 on 19 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 .