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Since the Scottish Government's £50m Ukraine Longer Term Resettlement Fund was launched on 22 September 2022, there has been two successful applications:

Aberdeen City Council has been awarded up to £6.150m for up to 500 void properties on 28 October 2022.

North Ayrshire Council has been awarded up to £0.486m for up to 30 void properties on 6 October 2022

This follows on from a pilot project, where we awarded £5m to North Lanarkshire Council for the refurbishment of up to 200 homes on 6 July 2022.

My officials are continuing to work closely with Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords as they come forward with other proposed projects.

Apprenticeships are a key way for employers to invest in their workforce, providing the skills the economy needs now and in the future. As part of our recovery, we are committed to building back up to 30,000 apprenticeship starts.

There is no freeze on Modern Apprenticeships this year. SDS will continue to deliver at least 25,000 new Modern Apprenticeship starts this financial year to ensure we maintain momentum and build on the progress in 2021-22 as we work back towards our target of 30,000 apprenticeship starts annually.

It is standard practice for SDS to review changing demand for Modern Apprenticeship starts in-year, and they adjust the number of starts allocated to respond as appropriate within their budget. SDS will continue to follow this process and keep under review whether any additional starts can be allocated to providers within this financial year.

Ultimately these are operational decisions for SDS and it remains for them to continue to manage programmes within their budget and in line with Ministers’ expectations.

The Curriculum for Excellence enables teachers to tailor the content of lessons to best suit learners in their particular circumstances. Within the broad general education there is the opportunity to teach the Holocaust, not only within social studies, but across the wider curriculum. There is also an opportunity to teach the Holocaust within the History qualifications in the senior phase.

Scottish Government does not hold information on the percentage of secondary school pupils who have received education on the Holocaust during the 2021-22 school year, however a wide range of resources are available for schools to promote learning and teaching about, and remembrance of, the Holocaust. These resources focus on the Holocaust but also promote awareness of Jewish people, culture and their contribution to society and address the issue of antisemitism in the world today. Professional learning to support teachers to embed Holocaust education across secondary schools in Scotland is also available, including a subsidised standalone Masters module on Citizenship and Holocaust Education.

The Family Liaison Charter for bereaved families sets out our commitments on access to information and liaison with the Procurator Fiscal and applies to any death reported to COPFS since 1 September 2016.

Bereaved families are provided with the assistance of a Victim Information and Advice (VIA) officer who will offer a personal meeting initially followed by contact every 6 weeks to update or will otherwise communicate according to the needs and wishes of the family. This continues for the duration of the investigation. If at any stage there is a significant development, contact will be made immediately with the family to advise them unless this would be likely to prejudice any potential prosecution.

Bereaved families are entitled to expect COPFS staff who are involved in the process of investigation, preparation and prosecution of criminal proceedings to respond appropriately to their needs, to answer questions which they may have and to keep them informed of progress. Throughout the court process COPFS staff will do their best to ensure family members understand what is happening in court and in every homicide case we aim to invite families to meet with the allocated Advocate Depute and VIA officer prior to the case calling in court for a Preliminary Hearing. At that meeting we strive to share as much information as possible with the families whilst preserving the sanctity of the prosecution especially where family members are or may be witnesses. Our staff at court do their utmost to ensure families are contacted immediately with updates of relevant information before this becomes publicly available in the media.

In December 2021 at the Criminal Justice Committee of the Scottish Parliament I announced that COPFS would carry out a review of its VIA service to ensure COPFS can continue to deliver the high levels of support and advice to all victims and witnesses and their families and can advise that the VIA Modernisation programme which is led by a Deputy Crown Agent is ongoing and is seeking to identify and deliver improvements to our service.

Falkirk Council took the difficult decision to close Falkirk Town Hall theatre following recommendations that funding the modernisation of the building did not represent best value in the current challenging financial environment.

While disappointing for many people, this decision is entirely a matter for the Falkirk Council as they have responsibility for managing local resources.

The Scottish Government is increasing funding for Falkirk Council by an additional £28.9 million in 2022-23 compared to 2021-22.

The Scottish Government has also agreed to contribute £40 million to the Falkirk Growth Deal to support local projects. This figure includes £3 million towards the planned new Falkirk Arts Centre, which intends to feature a 550-seat auditorium, workshop, studios and other facilities. A further £3 million has also been committed towards developing an Outdoor Art Park along the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal. Timescales for both projects are being developed by the local partners.

A further £6.6 million of Project Gigabit funding is being invested in the R100 South contract to reach an additional 1,149 properties. This includes 433 properties in the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area. The online checker at www.scotlandsuperfast.com has been updated to reflect the remodelled build plan.

Analysis for the survey is ongoing and we intend to publish a report alongside the publishing of the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.

The Scottish Government has used the powers at its disposal to build a fairer and more progressive Income Tax system in Scotland that raises vital additional revenue for the Scottish Budget. This has helped us commit to investing £2 billion for climate action in the 2022-23 Budget, alongside a clear commitment in the Resource Spending Review to prioritise public spend to deliver climate action over the course of this parliament.

We are committed to working across society to deliver lasting action that secures a just transition to a climate resilient, net zero Scotland - one that delivers on our social, economic and climate goals to build a better and more equal Scotland. Our Framework for Tax, published in December 2021, sets out our goals for a fairer, greener and more prosperous Scotland for everyone. Amongst other strategic aims, the Scottish Government has committed to use the tax levers at our disposal to deliver a sustainable and inclusive economic recovery and support new, good green jobs, businesses and industries for the future.

Decisions on tax policy for 2023-24 will be set out in the Scottish Budget, which will take place on 15 December. We will reflect on the recommendations in this report, alongside engagement with a broad range of stakeholders, in setting our tax policy for the year ahead.

After competitive tender, a contract was awarded to Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP to obtain expert independent advice on the implications of VAT on the NCS and associated Care Boards. This work is ongoing. No decisions have been made at this point and a full understanding of the impact of all options will be considered.

Transport Scotland are conducting a transparent evidence – based review of the A96 corridor which will report by the end of this year.