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Since publishing the Peer Support Action Plan in March 2021, the Scottish Government has established annual peer support in perinatal mental health events which bring together hundreds of practitioners from across Scotland to showcase good practice. These events highlight the role of peer support in supporting and complementing clinical work.

We have also worked with the Scottish Recovery Network to develop a Perinatal Peer Support Resource, called Let’s do Peer Support: Bump, Birth and Beyond. This is a practical guide/toolkit to support people who are planning and delivering perinatal peer support activities. The resource was launched on 20 April 2023 and can be found at the following link - Let's do Peer Support: Bump, Birth & Beyond - Scottish Recovery Network.

We also recognise the importance of peer support within statutory services. Scottish Government has provided funding to support the inclusion of peer support workers in both Mother and Baby Units within Scotland. A core part of statutory service peer support roles is close working with, and learning from, third sector organisations which have been successfully supporting communities through peer support for many years.

Scottish Government officials have been assured by NHS Greater Glasgow and Cycle (NHS GGC) that they have the necessary controls, protocols and support in place to protect staff. We will continue to work closely with NHS GGC to monitor the safety and wellbeing of all their staff.

No-one should be the victim of abuse or violence while at work and assaults on NHS staff are completely unacceptable. The courts have extensive powers to deal robustly with those who attack emergency workers and we strongly encourage staff to report all instances of violent and aggressive behaviour through their local reporting systems. If it is a serious incident, then all efforts must be made to escalate to the Police as quickly as possible.

NHSScotland has joined the multi-agency Your Safety Matters (YSM) initiative, led by Police Scotland. YSM aims to minimise incidents of violence and aggression in workplaces, through campaigns, sharing resources and good practice.

This information is not held centrally. NHS Health Boards hold that information for NHS facilities as they are the responsible body for managing their estate. Local authorities are required to keep an up-to-date record of the location of asbestos in their school buildings.

The management of asbestos in buildings is a reserved matter for the UK Government and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has UK wide responsibility for enforcement of the legislation and regulations. The HSE is carrying out a statutory, five yearly, review of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Part of the work includes estimates about the number of premises containing asbestos. HSE has also given a commitment that future research will include obtaining better information on the number of business premises containing asbestos.

Social Security Scotland does not keep statistics on the total number of BASRiS [Benefits Assessment under Special Rules in Scotland] forms issued or the number received but does publish statistics regularly on the caseload of clients who were eligible for disability benefits via Special Rules for Terminal Illness: Social Security Scotland - Social Security Scotland statistics: publications

The DS1500 is a form produced and issued by the UK Department for Work and Pensions and serves the same purpose as BASRIS. Though it is never issued by Social Security Scotland it is accepted without the need to additionally complete a BASRIS form.

Scottish Government officials have been assured by NHS Ayrshire and Arran (NHS A&A) that they have the necessary controls, protocols and support in place to protect staff. We will continue to work closely with NHS A&A to monitor the safety and wellbeing of all their staff.

No-one should be the victim of abuse or violence while at work and assaults on NHS staff are completely unacceptable. The courts have extensive powers to deal robustly with those who attack emergency workers and we strongly encourage staff to report all instances of violent and aggressive behaviour through their local reporting systems. If it is a serious incident, then all efforts must be made to escalate to the Police as quickly as possible.

NHSScotland has joined the multi-agency Your Safety Matters (YSM) initiative, led by Police Scotland. YSM aims to minimise incidents of violence and aggression in workplaces, through campaigns, sharing resources and good practice.

The Scottish Land Commission was asked to run two initial workshops for the project partners in order to inform partners about the policy context, expectations and guidance for community engagement and benefit and consider how these are built into the way the partners will operate. No decisions on community benefit, engagement and ownership have yet been taken as the design phase for each project will engage with relevant local community groups, including those involved locally in ownership of land, to design an approach to community benefit which works for the communities local to each project. This will explore community benefit, community engagement and options for community ownership, where an opportunity for transfer of ownership, or shared ownership, exists. Notes from the workshops can be made available on request.

Scottish Government officials are not involved in the detail of the individual pilot projects, nor engagement with land managers. In both pilot projects the project team includes local delivery partners such as the Tweed Forum, who will be making introductions to land owners and land managers, not NatureScot.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17686 on 19 May 2023 which sets out the delivery timetable for Pension Age Disability Payment.

The Scottish Government continues to make progress in the development of Pension Age Disability Payment. Officials are currently drafting regulations to enable the delivery of Pension Age Disability Payment, whilst also engaging with stakeholders and those with lived experience of the current social security system to develop a benefit that delivers with dignity, fairness and respect.

The Scottish Government is also working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure a safe and secure transfer to Pension Age Disability Payment for individuals in Scotland who are currently in receipt of Attendance Allowance.

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 set out in our refreshed social security programme business case, published on 7 February 2023, the Scottish Government plans to introduce Pension Age Disability Payment with a pilot and phased approach in Autumn 2024 and national launch in early 2025.

The £2 billion figure represents the current, combined investment appetite from the private partners. It is an indicative sum, subject to detailed negotiation of investment in specific projects. Detailed financial modelling and risk assessment will be undertaken for each investment before the investors make a firm financial commitment to each project. It is not a cap on investment through this partnership, nor an assessment of the total financing requirements of specific projects, rather it represents the current budget available.