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The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many adult social care workers are not currently receiving the adult social care workers minimum pay, broken down by sector.

All planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Our Fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4), adopted 13 February this year, forms part of the statutory development plan alongside the relevant Local Development Plan (LDP).

NPF4 places climate and nature at the centre of our planning system and makes clear our support for all forms of renewable, low-carbon and zero emission technologies, including onshore wind.

NPF4 policy 11 makes clear that potential impacts on communities, nature and other receptors remain important considerations in the decision-making process. Additionally, the policy requires that project design and mitigation will demonstrate how impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including residential amenity, visual impact, noise and shadow flicker will be addressed. All applications are subject to site-specific assessments, including Environmental Impact Assessment where applicable.

NPF4 replaces Scottish Planning Policy (2014) ‘SPP’, including the approach to spatial frameworks for onshore wind previously set out in Table 1 of SPP.

To date, the Scottish Government has allocated £2.132 million in support of the Digital Prescribing and Dispensing Pathways programme. The proposed allocation for this current financial year is £2 million.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19223 on 28 June 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

We recognise that performance in NHS Forth Valley is not satisfactory. We continue to offer tailored support to Boards, including NHS Forth Valley, in the form of advice from the Scottish Government CAMHS Professional Advisor, Quality Improvement Advisor, Data Analyst and policy support. A local improvement plan is in place with the current focus being on clearing longest waits first. We are monitoring progress on this closely.

The Scottish Government does not publish local authority analysis for single years from the Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS), due to insufficient sample sizes.

The Scottish Government does usually publish local authority analysis using a three year pooled data set to ensure sufficient sample sizes. As set out in the most recent Scottish House Condition Survey 2021 Key Findings Report, (available at Scottish House Condition Survey 2021 ) there will be no Local Authority publication relating to the 2019 to 2021 three year period for two reasons.

Firstly, due to the Covid-19 pandemic the SHCS survey was suspended and there is no data for 2020. Secondly, the data from the 2021 external+ SHCS is not directly comparable with that for earlier years, due to methodological differences, and therefore it would not be appropriate to combine it with the data for 2019 (or earlier) to produce a multi-year analysis.

As set out in the news release published on the Scottish Government website on 31 May, we recognise that proposals can take some time to be fully developed, so we have planned for up to £500,000 loan funding per annum to be available for investment in suitable proposals. We would strongly encourage prospective applicants to contact us in the earliest stages of their considerations via activescotland@gov.scot.

As well as the full public consultation, the development of the Bill was a result of extensive engagement with key stakeholders including a number of bodies and organisations representing the legal and the consumer perspective.

This engagement informed the consultation proposals and the measures in the Bill aim to provide for a proportionate approach that balances and delivers the key priorities of stakeholders.

The role of legal services are central to the protection of human rights and freedoms, playing a vital role in upholding the rule of law and providing access to justice.

In this regard, the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill sets out a regulatory objective “to protect and promote the interests of consumers and the wider public interest”. There must be a public interest in ensuring that the basic needs of all citizens are satisfied.

Ministers are clear in their understanding of the need for independence in the legal profession, the Bill sets out a regulatory objective “to promote an independent, strong and diverse legal profession”.

There remains a need for regulation to operate in the public interest as well as that of the legal profession. Therefore, there should be a process to review the performance of a regulator in the light of issues being raised on how and whether regulators are delivering their regulatory objectives and the operation of regulation in relation to the public interest.

The provisions contained in the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill were considered by Cabinet in advance of the Bill being introduced to the Scottish Parliament.

In developing the Bill, the Scottish Government engaged extensively with key stakeholders, including legal stakeholders such as the Scottish judiciary as well as carrying out a full public consultation exercise. This engagement has culminated in careful consideration of a wide range of views by Scottish Ministers.

This has led to the Bill as introduced into the Scottish Parliament which will implement a modern regulatory framework that will best promote competition, innovation, and the public and consumer interest in an efficient, effective, and efficient legal sector, while also improving the transparency and accountability of legal services regulation and the legal complaints system.