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The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The antenatal booking appointment is usually the first contact point between the primary or named midwife and pregnant women. We expect all women to have an initial assessment of their health, obstetric and social needs completed, and be offered appropriate screening referrals and other care options by the 12th full week of pregnancy.

The Scottish Government Local Delivery Plan standard for early access to antenatal care states that at least 80% of pregnant women in each Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile will have booked for antenatal care by the 12th week of gestation. This standard has been met or exceeded consistently since 2013-14. Public Health Scotland published its latest annual statistical report on antenatal booking, Antenatal Booking in Scotland , in March 2023, which shows that 92.8% of pregnancies were booked by 12 weeks in the year ending 31 December 2022.

We are aware of the pressures in temporary accommodation that many local authorities, including Fife Council, are facing and are working with them on what support is needed to reduce their use of temporary accommodation. The Minister for Housing is due to meet again with Cllr Hamilton, Fife’s Housing Convenor, on 7 November.

We have committed to reducing the use of temporary accommodation by 2026 and are acting on the recommendations of the expert Temporary Accommodation Task and Finish Group. We will invest at least £60 million for local authorities and social landlords to acquire properties for use as affordable homes, as part of our wider £752 million Affordable Housing Supply Programme investment this year. We are also asking social landlords to increase allocations to homeless households and to bring empty homes and void properties back into use, and are supporting councils to develop targeted plans, supported by an additional £2 million in 2023-24.

The Scottish Government is continuing to meet with the local authorities most under pressure to discuss what is required to help reduce their use of temporary accommodation. The Scottish Government has established a Short Term Housing Supply Group to consider how to address the barriers to increasing housing supply in the short term. We are working with COSLA, ALACHO, the Scottish Housing Regulator, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and the Glasgow West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations to consider what we need to do differently in the next two to three years to reduce the use of temporary accommodation.

Anti-social behaviour is clearly unacceptable on Scotland's public transport, and in wider society, and we are committed to tackling it. The police, local authorities and other agencies are responsible for tackling anti-social behaviour at the local level. These agencies, empowered by the Scottish Government, work in a concerted and co-ordinated way with local people to co-ordinate activities to tackle the problem of anti-social behaviour in communities.

Formal Warnings, Fixed Penalty Notices and Anti-social Behaviour Orders, alongside positive diversionary and early intervention activities can be used. Police Scotland and Local Authority Anti-Social Behaviour teams support bus operators to enforce their conditions of carriage and British Transport Police is responsible for law enforcement on Scotland’s rail network.

To tackle the issue of Anti-Social behaviour, BTP formed a Safer Transport Strategic Group bringing together partners from the wider transport network with the aim to create a safe space on all modes of transport through partnership working.

In regards to monitoring data and recorded incidents of anti-social behaviour on Scotland’s railway the British Transport Police holds this and can be contacted at external.affairs@btp.co.uk.

Families told us, as part of the Best Start engagement process, that they wanted the best care possible for their babies. Evidence tells us that the very smallest and sickest babies will get the best outcomes if they care cared for in high volume units.

This change will affect families in many different parts of Scotland, and the Chief Executive of Bliss sits on the Best Start Programme Board and was a participant in the options appraisal process, representing the views of neonatal families.

Scottish Government will be consulting with families in the affected areas on implementation of the new model, so that we can take account of their concerns when the pathways and processes for the new model of care are designed. This will affect a very small number of families, however, it is important that we hear the voices of those families to input into design of service delivery.

Neonatal units will also continue to seek parent feedback locally to ensure opportunities to improve experiences of care for families are identified.

Funding allocated to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) is for both alcohol and drug treatment services. In 2022-23, £106.8 million was made available to ADPs, increasing to £112.9 million in 2023-24. This funding is used to ensure that local services meet the needs of people who experience alcohol and drugs harms.

On 7 September 2023 I supported a Member’s Debate Motion calling for investment in alcohol services - outlining the Government’s plan to reduce harm from alcohol misuse. The plan includes measures to improve access to treatment and support, including through stabilisation and crisis management, expansion in local assertive outreach services and increasing the availability of residential rehabilitation placements. The plan also includes working with partners and stakeholders to implement alcohol treatment standards – building on the forthcoming UK-wide Clinical Alcohol Treatment Guidelines which are currently out for public consultation until 8 December 2023.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22317 on 7 November 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.

The location of the 42 automatic fish counters that are known to Scottish Government are provided in the following table. The vast majority of these are not owned or operated by Scottish Government, and it is not possible to confirm their current operational status.

The Scottish Government operates one fish counter in the North Esk Salmon Fishery District and is a joint operator, of a fish counter in the Helmsdale district with the District Salmon Fishery Board. We recently supported the installation of three new fish counters in the Ayr, Deveron and Laxford districts. These are in the process of being validated and are not yet producing data.

Network Rail is a wholly owned subsidiary company of the UK Government. The responsibility for determining and monitoring its operation, maintenance and renewal expenditure rests with the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

Transport Scotland funds Network Rail in accordance with the ORR’s determination. Therefore, Scottish Government does not hold the full investment information broken down by local authority within Scotland.

Therefore, I recommend that the member contacts Network Rail or the ORR for the detailed information requested for how much has been spent on rail infrastructure in each local authority area in each of the last ten years.