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The Scottish Government continues to adopt a comprehensive approach to address public health issues focusing on early prevention, reducing inequalities and creating the conditions to support people to lead healthier lifestyles.

This includes addressing the underlying drivers of heath inequalities by continuing to allocate around £3 billion a year in 2024-25 to a range of actions to tackle poverty and mitigate the impacts of the ongoing cost-of-living-crisis. This includes funding for free bus travel, the provision of early learning and childcare, as well as providing direct financial support through the likes of the Scottish Child Payment.

The Scottish Government has taken clear action to improve population health including continuing and increasing Minimum Unit Pricing of alcohol – estimated to have saved hundreds of lives - and delivery under our Tobacco and Vaping Framework including ongoing work on the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill to create a smokefree generation.

We are taking action to improve diet and increase physical activity. This includes ongoing work to consider restrictions on promotions of high fat, salt and sugar foods under our Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan, and promoting active lifestyles through our Physical Activity for Health Framework.

Furthermore, to address long term population health challenges work is ongoing to produce a Population Health Framework in partnership with COSLA and in collaboration with our wider partners. This will set out a whole system approach on population health seeking and key actions that seek to improve population health.

We want everyone living with ME/CFS in Scotland to be able to access the best possible care and support. That is why the Budget includes a new investment of £4.5 million to deliver specialist support for ME/CFS, Long Covid and other similar conditions. We have commenced early work to determine how this funding should be allocated.

The Scottish Government welcomes the significant investment being made in the redevelopment of Hunterston marine yard to create a renewables hub, which it is anticipated could support thousands of jobs for the local community.

Peel Ports suggest that the site will be capable of hosting critical infrastructure, manufacturing, and fabrication facilities for the deployment of offshore wind. These will have the potential to boost local, regional, and national economies, creating employment opportunities in the local area and supporting local businesses.

The Scottish Government’s investment of up to £500m over five years to anchor our offshore wind supply chain in Scotland, is expected to leverage additional private investment of £1.5 billion in the infrastructure and manufacturing facilities critical to growing the sector.

Officials will continue to work closely with Peel Ports on the company’s plans for investment to maximise the benefits for the local region.

As we head towards the peak winter period we can expect to see performance fluctuate as pressures start to increase. We know that too many people are still waiting too long – and we are determined to drive improvements across our NHS.

As part of the NHS Scotland Winter Plan, we are supporting Health Boards to move people through the hospital as quickly as possible so that A&E waits can be kept to an absolute minimum. This includes an increased focus on effective discharge planning, which not only helps to free up beds, but is also in the best interest of patients who are ready to leave hospital.

Additionally, a record number of NHS 24 call handlers will be available this winter to direct people to the most appropriate care, helping reduce unnecessary A&E attendances.

Although the Scottish Government does not hold any specific information, there is potential for coal purchased online from solid fuel merchants based in Scotland to be transported to England.

Individual merchants are responsible for making clear to their customers the legal restrictions around the supply and use of coal in England.

The Scottish Government does not collect this information centrally. It is the responsibility of local authorities to identify contaminated land within their respective areas, and thereafter, except in the case of contaminated land designated as a special site, secure remediation for that contaminated land.

Local Authorities are responsible for identifying potentially contaminated land within in their areas, and when any contaminated land is identified, informing SEPA, the land owner, the occupier(s) of the land, and any person who appears to be an appropriate person in respect of the remediation of that land. It would be for the local authority to inform the public of any risk identified except in the case of contaminated land designated as a special site in which case, the responsibility would lie with SEPA.

Scottish Government grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will be issued through third sector intermediary organisations. Spending is not all specifically classified as to whether or not it is allocated to third-sector organisations to deliver services. Consequently the information requested is not available.

The Scottish Government has worked with the Scottish Futures Trust and local authorities to develop robust costings for the expansion of the Free School Meals Programme. This work estimates the cost of rolling out universal free school meals to pupils in Primary 6 and Primary 7 is £256 million.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Since 2022, and up to 9 December, there have been 42 recorded drone incidents that resulted in a successful and confirmed recovery of drugs.