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The Office for National Statistics confirmed Scottish Canals as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) effective from April 2020. Scottish Canals has a responsibility to ensure that it conducts its core business of maintaining and improving Scotland’s canal network and is resourced by the Scottish Government to do so. Since 2019, the Organisation’s capital Grant in Aid allocation has increased by 87% and this is enabling the Organisation to plan, progress and successfully complete projects of large scale as an NDPB.

Scottish Canals also retains the ability to operate commercially when appropriate and work is currently being undertaken by the Organisation to analyse the success of its investment activities in recent years. This analysis will be shared with the Scottish Government in due course alongside recommendations to Ministers on how the Organisation takes forward its investment activities as an NDPB.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) is a partner in a UK-wide multi-agency RAPID C-19 initiative, which is a collaborative partnership between the SMC and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Building on this work, the SMC is exploring the potential for collaboration with NICE on a single technology assessment (STA) of tixagevimab–cilgavimab (Evusheld ® ) for the prevention of COVID-19.

The following tables 1 to 4 show breast screening uptake from January 2019 to June 2022 for each of the breast screening centres. Uptake is defined as the proportion of eligible patients invited who receive a technically adequate and complete screen. 2019 data is provided as a baseline. Note that table 2 reflects a period when the programme was paused due to COVID-19.

It is important to note that the data provided was collected and used for management purposes for monitoring the recovery of the program and has not been subject to quality checks for official publication. Public Health Scotland publish breast screening programme statistics every year; the last publication was in April 2022 and the next publication is due in April 2023.

Table 1 – Breast screening uptake (% of eligible participants) by screening centre, January to December 2019

The Scottish Government provided an evidence paper to the Education, Children and Young People Committee ahead of its meeting on 25 May 2022. This paper covers many of the issues subsequently raised in the written evidence submitted by the Scottish Private Nursery Association (SPNA) for that session.

The SPNA separately shared their written evidence with Scottish Government officials directly. Officials provided a detailed response to the SPNA on 3 August 2022. I would be happy to share this, and would invite the member to contact my office to request a copy.

Regular engagement with the childcare sector is a vital part of the Scottish Government’s approach to policy development and monitoring delivery of the 1140 expansion, and I am grateful to the SPNA for sharing their members’ concerns.

Please find data below for Home Energy Scotland advice interactions. Prior to 2013, fuel poverty was not a separate focus for advice services. Specific fuel poverty advice services figures are only available from 2013.

The operation of company law is reserved to the UK Government. The Companies Act 2006 is the main legislation which governs the operation of companies within the UK including in Scotland. This includes the law relating to where trading certificates may be required in order for a company to trade.

The Insolvency Service, which is an executive agency of the UK Government and sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, includes information as to their role in dealing with 'phoenix companies' on their website. The role of the Insolvency Service includes investigating potential examples of director misconduct in the context of phoenix companies.

Phoenix companies and the role of the Insolvency Service - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The £400 Energy Bills Discount Scheme will provide important relief for consumers. However, the Scottish Government believes that much more action is required at UK Government level to help mitigate the impact of the energy price crisis, especially for those most vulnerable. The First Minister wrote to the Prime Minister ahead of her statement in the House of Commons on 8 September, making it clear that the UK Government must target additional financial support to those most in need, over and above measures already announced. We will continue to argue this case.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on how much it estimates it would cost to retrofit every street light to include an electric vehicle charging point. Costs will be influenced by a range of factors including the location of and type of lamppost, the electric vehicle charge point technology itself as well as any associated installation and civils works. Retrofitting would also need to factor in the variable on-going cost of operation and maintenance.

In addition to reporting requirements associated with our delivery partner’s (Youth Scotland) Offer of Grant and their own associated progress monitoring and reporting, the National Islands Plan itself has governance structures, including the NIP Delivery Group (which includes representation from the YIN), the Islands Strategic Group and our requirement to produce an Annual Report on the implementation of the National Islands Plan to Parliament.

The questions used in the next Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey will be relevant to all cancer patients including those with blood cancer. The data collected will be broken down by cancer type and published as it has been in previous years.