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I have written an introductory letter to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury which was copied to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I will meet with the Chief Secretary on 2 May to discuss matters such as the cost of living crisis, NHS funding and the Scottish Government’s priorities.

I would welcome a meeting with the Chancellor to discuss the key issues facing Scotland, including how the UK Government might use its reserved powers to provide more support for our people, businesses and public sector through these difficult times.

All reports of food crime received by Food Standards Scotland are investigated and appropriate action is taken. For matters out with Food Standards Scotland's remit they will be disseminated to partner agencies for their consideration.

Information prior to 2017-18 is unavailable as it was deleted in accordance with our standard records management practice, before the date of your request.

Funding at the local level is distributed through alcohol and drug partnerships and many of the projects and organisations we support at the national level also work in both alcohol and drugs, therefore it is not possible to disaggregate funding allocated specifically for drug services rather than drug and alcohol services.

Alcohol and Drug Partnerships commission services from both statutory and third sector providers. Data on how this funding is broken down is not held centrally. Financial accounts are published annually by Health Boards and Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships (ADPs) and accessible via each areas website.

Scottish Government funding for drug and alcohol services is allocated to various organisations these are grouped below as:

• Core Funded Organisations (CFOs)
• Other third sector organisations
• Distributed via the Corra Foundation to third sector and grass roots organisations

Details of how funding was allocated by the Corra Foundation can be found in their published annual grants released from 2017 to 2021 at Publications - Corra

Table 1: funding for drug and alcohol services to third sector organisations. 2017-18 to 2022-23

Information about Ministerial engagements is proactively released on the Scottish Government website . The spreadsheets include a wide range of information including details of the organisation/individuals Ministers met along with the subject discussed.

Scottish Government officials work closely with the Scottish Women's Rights Centre (SWRC) to help progress Equally Safe (Scotland’s strategy to eradicate and prevent violence against women and girls), and through the grant monitoring process for the Victim Centred Approach Fund, for which SWRC are a beneficiary.

The SFC’s Fiscal Sustainability Report is an important contribution to the debate on fiscal sustainability and highlights potential impacts of demographic change on the Scottish public finances over the next fifty years. These challenges are not unique to Scotland, and are prevalent in many high-income countries. However, Scotland lacks a full range of levers to deal with these in the way that other countries can, particularly over migration.

Within the powers at its disposal, the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring the public finances are on a sustainable trajectory. This will mean growing our economy and by extension our tax base, and embedding delivery and value for money at the heart of our public services. Central to this will be overseeing public service reform, focused on delivering more efficient, person-centred public services. The Fiscal Framework review will also be vital and must ensure the Scottish Government and Parliament has the necessary powers to manage the risks we face within our devolved responsibilities, and to support economic recovery. The Scottish Government’s approach to managing the public finances over the medium-term is set out in the Medium Term Financial Strategy, due to be published in May 2023.

In 2023 we will also launch a new Talent Attraction and Migration Service for Scotland, and publish an Addressing Depopulation Action Plan. And we will continue to press the UK Government to make the vital immigration reforms required to meet Scotland’s needs.

While the Scottish Government will continue to manage the public finances diligently with the powers we have, it is our view that the current constitutional settlement is insufficient to properly tackle the long-term challenges that Scotland faces. Ultimately, Scotland must be independent with full control over the economy and powers over migration to secure the stability of our public finances.

The Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade met the Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce on 18 April. The First Minister and the I had a call with the main business organisations on 20 April and the Chief Executive took part in that call. The Director General for Economy, Gregor Irwin also met the Chief Executive on 21 April. Details of all Ministerial engagements and expenses are proactively published by the Scottish Government, including the costs of travel and accommodation. The information can be accessed in the followng link: https://www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/.

The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with a range of partners, including Skills Development Scotland, to ensure that all young people have access to a positive destination, including employment opportunities. Additionally, we are working with partners in the Third Sector to develop a whole system approach to supporting all young people, eliminate discrimination and ensure that no one is left behind.

Through our youth employment strategy, Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), we are working with employers to deliver work relevant education to young people in Scotland and provide the skills required for the current and anticipated jobs market. This includes creating new vocational learning options, enabling young people to learn in a range of settings in their senior phase of school, embedding employer engagement in education, offering careers advice at an earlier point in education delivery and introduce new standards for careers guidance and work experience.

The latest estimates of unemployment for 16 to 24 year olds from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) - the National Statistics source for labour market indicators by region and age - show that in January to December 2022, an estimated 34,300 people aged 16-24 were unemployed in Scotland. This is 800 more than the number of unemployed 16 to 24 year olds in 2021. However, there was a decrease in the unemployment rate for this group of 0.5 percentage points to 9.7% in 2022. For the same time period, the number of 16-24 year olds in employment in 2022 was an estimated 318,700, an increase of 23,200 from 2021.

In response to the recommendations from ‘Impact of Scotland’s Developing Young Workforce Strategy on Employer Engagement’ we are working with partners, including the employer led DYW network, to develop a delivery plan. The plan will build on the progress that we are making in supporting a record number of school leavers into an initial positive destination.

I am absolutely delighted that today, Japan based cable manufacturer Sumitomo has announced plans to establish a manufacturing plant in Scotland to supply the country’s growing renewable energy sector. This is a real statement of intent that demonstrates the strength of confidence that investors have in our vision for a net zero economy.

Sumitomo have a proven track record in renewables technology which will be invaluable to supporting Scotland’s rapidly expanding offshore wind sector and the Scottish Government, together with our partners, will continue to work closely with Sumitomo to foster this important partnership and unlock the opportunities the global renewables revolution presents.

The Drug Deaths Taskforce concluded that, due to the prevalence of drug use in prisons and the principle of keeping people closer to their families for support, a specific recovery prison would not be adequate for the whole prison population. Issues were also raised around the punitive approach that may be taken for those who relapse in a recovery wing. It therefore recommended a more nuanced approach, expanding recovery cafes and hubs across the prison estate, and supporting these to develop into recovery communities. As these communities grow, there may be a case for providing dedicated wings, however any provision would be an operational decision for the Scottish Prison Service.

The Scottish Prison Service are already working in partnership with local third sector and national organisations to enhance and develop approaches to deliver consistent recovery pathways to support integration back into our communities. The Scottish Prison Service will also publish its new Drug and Alcohol Strategy this year that will include a focus on developing recovery communities across the prison estate.

As part of our National Mission, the Scottish Government is now providing a record level of funding to the community and grass roots groups which set up and run recovery communities, hubs and cafes in prisons.