Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17454 on 12 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 .

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 total cost of the contract with The Lines Between was £40,000 exclusive of VAT. However, the Scottish Government made no direct payments to Taylor McKenzie or the members of the Panel for this work. The Lines Between allocated £1,700 of this to Taylor Mackenzie for recruitment.

Taylor McKenzie promoted the opportunity to contacts within their research database and additionally promoted the opportunity to participate on 4 August 2022 on their Facebook page. Participant recruitment was not solely carried out on Facebook, which was part of an overall endeavour to broaden lived experience voices in Chronic Pain work.

The full-year information regarding how many (a) Electronic Power of Attorney Registration (EPOAR) and (b) postal power of attorney submissions were received by the Office of the Public Guardian in 2022-23 now that the financial year is complete is as follows (the table also indicates numbers received in previous years):

The average response time (in days) for the Office of the Public Guardian to process (a) Electronic Power of Attorney Registration (EPOAR) submissions and (b) postal power of attorney requests in 2022-23 now that the financial year is complete is as follows (the table also indicates average figures for previous years):

Following on from BREXIT, the UK Governments decision not to be involved as an associated third country – i.e. on the same footing as EU Member States – has radically reduced the number of opportunities for Scottish students to benefit from the Erasmus+ cooperation projects and exchange in the areas of education, training, youth, and sport.

All projects selected under the Erasmus+ programme 2014-2020 will continue until their completion on the same basis under which they were selected. All four year projects funded in the 2020 cycle must be complete by the 30 of June 2024.

While a limited number of opportunities from 2021 onwards remain open to Scottish and EU students, simply because they are open to institutions or individuals from all over the world, this is ultimately an example of the UK Government's BREXIT decision limiting the richness and variety of experiences open to our students.

The Minister and I had a constructive meeting last year during which we discussed Ireland’s Basic Income for Artists Scheme and the Euro 2028 football championships.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions. However, Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

Thank you for this question however this information is not held centrally.

The Minister and I had a constructive meeting last year in Paris during which we discussed the scope for further developing Franco-Scottish relations and discussed the challenges of welcoming refugees following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions. However, Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

State Secretary Marko Štucin and I had a constructive meeting last year during which we discussed areas for collaboration including equalities and AI.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions. However, Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.