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Scotland already has the most generous childcare offer anywhere in the UK. We offer 1140 hours of high quality funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) to all 3 and 4-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds, regardless of the working status of their parents.

New Leadership: A Fresh Start ( Supporting documents - Equality, opportunity, community: New leadership - A fresh start - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ) sets out our ambition to go further by building a system of school age childcare and developing a funded early learning and childcare offer for 1 and 2 year olds, focusing on those who need it most.

I will soon set out further detail of my plans for further expansion of our childcare offer. We are already developing our plans for younger children, starting in this Parliament, by building the evidence base for funded early learning and childcare for 1- and 2-year-olds. Ministers are considering carefully the financial implications of the UK Budget for Scotland, but we need to be clear that the total additional funding made available falls far short of the costs of delivering a significant expansion to our funded childcare offers.

The Scottish Government recognises the hazard of asbestos and the risks to health that it poses. However, asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed and advice from the Health and Safety Executive is that asbestos should remain in-situ providing it is in “Good” condition and even where damage is minor it should still be encapsulated rather than removed. The Scottish Government does not provide support to public authorities to remove asbestos from their buildings as it is their statutory duty under UK Government legislation to manage issues relating to asbestos affecting their estate.

Grants and loans accessed through Home Energy Scotland offer a range of funding options to support households install energy efficiency and heating measures such as insulation or heat pumps. The removal of asbestos is not a measure eligible for grant or loan funding.

We recommend that householders seek quotes for energy efficiency improvements from an accredited installer registered with TrustMark. Accredited installers are expected to establish whether asbestos is or may be present before installing energy efficiency improvements (PAS2030:2019).

Installers must be accredited and deliver work to the PAS2030:2019 standard as part of the fuel poverty programmes funded by the Scottish Government. Fuel poor households may therefore receive help with part or all of the costs of asbestos removal where required through our Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS) Scheme and Area Based Schemes (ABS).

A key principle at the heart of our second Benefit Take-Up Strategy, published in October 2021, is communicating and engaging effectively. Evidence-based communication and engagement strategies are developed for each of our benefits and paid-for tailored marketing campaigns for different payments are targeted at eligible audiences at relevant times throughout the year to make sure we are reaching the right people at the right time.

Social Security Scotland is currently running a national marketing campaign to encourage disabled people and people with long-term health conditions to check if they’re eligible for Child or Adult Disability Payments. Other recent Social Security Scotland marketing campaigns have focused on Scottish Child Payment’s extension to under 16 year olds, Young Carer Grant and Funeral Support Payment.

The management of asbestos in buildings is a reserved matter for the UK Government and the Health and Safety Executive. Scottish Government has no plans to establish a central register of buildings containing asbestos in Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17711 on 19 May 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 indicated in the islands communities impact assessment , published in 2020, the introduction of Deposit Return Scheme will not increase the amount of waste that will either arise in island communities or be transported off islands. This is because most waste is currently transported off the islands already. Circularity Scotland and Biffa are developing a solution for the collection of scheme articles on islands which makes use of local supply chains where possible. We expect this solution to be subject to review as more local data becomes available about active return points and exempted return points.

Scottish Government contractors use a range of methods to recruit participants for social and market research projects, which may include Facebook in specific instances. We do not hold this information as standard on a project basis.

Research on Chronic Pain, commissioned by The Scottish Government from The Lines Between in 2022, included participants recruited via Facebook. Checks were made on participant eligibility via a detailed recruitment screener, including question on impact of pain and treatment pathways.

The Scottish Government is considering the issues that the hospice sector raised at its meeting in March with the then Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and the then Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport, including immediate and longer-term funding issues.

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 is an operational matter for NatureScot. I have asked their Chief Executive to write with the relevant information.