Chamber and committees

Our Switched On Scotland roadmap was informed by consultation with stakeholders from across the global electric vehicle (EV) community. The roadmap also commits us to ‘working with partners to continue to engage with international plug-in vehicle networks and projects to attract funding and support policy debates’ (action 8).

The Norwegian approach to incentivising EV uptake has directly informed our work with local authorities on developing a national framework of local incentives for EVs, as set out in answer to S4W-30736 on 21 March 2016.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Yes. Switched On Scotland: A Roadmap to the Widespread Adoption of Plug-in Vehicles was launched in September 2013. The rapid pace of change in technologies and markets for plug-in vehicles raises the expectation that new challenges and opportunities will emerge. The implementation of the roadmap was therefore always intended to be an iterative process in which adjustments are made to respond to any such changes. Accordingly, a refresh of the roadmap commenced in 2015. This will review progress to date and make recommendations for areas of future activity. The refresh will be published during 2016.

The Scottish Credit Unions: Investing in our Future report was published on 10 February 2016. It outlined the findings of the government’s Credit Union Working Group established in 2014. The working group was set up to consider how best to promote the credit union sector in Scotland, in recognition of their ethical lending practices and contribution to developing financial capability.

The report highlighted the need to improve financial education for young people and recommended partnering with schools to promote schemes run by credit unions. In response, the government has since made available £300,000 to credit unions to fund junior savers schemes in schools across Scotland to encourage children to manage their money from an early age. Information and guidance to credit unions interested in applying for the new funding will be available shortly.

Since 2011, VisitScotland has spent considerable resources on promoting Falkirk, the Forth Valley, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park and Stirling. As the Forth Valley geographical area includes Clackmannanshire alongside Falkirk and Stirling Councils, this information has been provided separately.

Falkirk

Growth Fund

In 2013-14, £51,000 was awarded to an organisation in Falkirk through VisitScotland’s growth fund, which supports collaborative tourism marketing projects.

Marketing support under memorandum of agreement between Falkirk Council and VisitScotland

Since 2011, Falkirk Council has invested a total of £58,140 in VisitScotland activity promoting the Falkirk local authority area as a destination for visitors.

Investment through EventScotland funding programmes

EventScotland has provided the following funding support to events in the Falkirk area:

VisitScotland also promotes Falkirk through its VisitScotland Information Centre at Falkirk Wheel and through an information point at the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway.

Clackmannanshire

Investment through EventScotland funding programmes

EventScotland has provided the following funding support to events in the Clackmannanshire area:

Clackmannanshire is also promoted through VisitScotland's Information Point in Partnership at the Spiers Centre in Alloa.

Stirling

Organisations within Stirling have received £26,000 in 2014-15 and £15,500 in
2015-16 through VisitScotland’s Growth Fund.

Marketing support under memorandum of agreement between Stirling Council and VisitScotland

Since 2011, investment from partner organisations has supported VisitScotland marketing for the Stirling area to the value of £175,800, including £97,500 from Stirling Council which levered an additional £63,000 via VisitScotland applications to the European Regional Development Fund, plus a further £14,800 from Destination Stirling.

Investment through EventScotland funding programmes

EventScotland has provided the following funding support to events in the Stirling area:

Since 2011, Stirling Council has directly invested £59,280 in local on-arrival marketing through VisitScotland Information Centres in the Stirling local authority area at Stirling Old Town Jail, Stirling Pirnhall, Aberfoyle, Callander and Tyndrum (totalling £296,400 over five years), supported by a further £87,840 through in-kind support for rental costs.

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park

Growth Fund

Organisations within the national park area have received £40,200 in 2011-12, £42,500 in 2013-14 and £34,000 in 2015-16 through VisitScotland’s growth fund.

VisitScotland has promoted the national park as part of its marketing campaigns, both in print and online. The National Park Authority have responsibility for its own marketing.

VisitScotland also promotes all these areas through online and other media campaigns.

*Includes events occurring across more than one local authority, with relative value apportioned accordingly.

Through Education Scotland we provide support materials and resources which offer guidance to teachers on Islam and many other religions. These are available on the Education Scotland website. For example, Education Scotland has worked with the Muslim Council of Scotland support professional learning around Islam and to run 'Glow meets' for children, young people and practitioners which have allowed participants to engage with Muslims to learn more about their culture and beliefs directly.

We also take very seriously the need to support schools to tackle Islamophobia. We are currently developing a new framework for Scotland, which will set out the Government’s approach to promoting race equality and tackling racism and inequality. The Scottish Government is leading this work which of course will be highly relevant to schools.

The number (whole time equivalent) of nursing and midwifery staff for NHS Forth Valley, bands 1-4 and bands 5-9 as at 30 September 2007 and 31 December 2015 is published by Information Services Division Scotland (ISD) and is shown as follows:

Source: Scottish Workforce Information Standard System.

The number (whole time equivalent) of nursing and midwifery staff for NHSScotland, Bands 1-4 and Bands 5-9 as at 30 September 2007 and 31 December 2015 is published by ISD Scotland and is shown as follows:-

Source: Scottish Workforce Information Standard System.

Notes

1. Agenda for change was introduced in 2007. In 2007 a number of staff may not have yet assimilated to agenda for change and so would not be shown in the nursing and midwifery job family.

As independent contractors GP practices are responsible for managing the resource required to provide primary medical services to their patients including the number of GPs required to provide services to its registered patients. NHS Forth Valley, in respect of board managed practices, have recruited nine GPs since May 2015 equating to 7.6 whole time equivalent GPs.

Whilst the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, legal responsibility for service delivery rests locally with health boards who configure services taking into account local circumstances and the reasonable needs of their patient populations.

The target required a 60% achievement rate in each of the five quintiles. Most boards concentrated on the most deprived quintiles; in the majority of NHS boards, children living in the most deprived quintiles (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivations 1 and 2) were the most likely to receive FV.

Two NHS boards (NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Shetland) met the 60% target for two or more FV treatments. However, most boards have been reasonably successful in children receiving one application of FV.

The Scottish Government has offered the current In Care Survivors Service Scotland (ICSSS) provider, Open Secret, grant funding of £100,000 for the financial year period of 1 October 2015 to 31 March 2016, which they have yet to accept.

The Scottish Government is working with Open Secret to ensure that survivors that access ICSSS continue to receive the services they need during the transitional period in moving from ICSSS to the new, enhanced, service – the In Care Survivor Support Fund.

I am pleased to announce that the Scottish Government’s first circular economy strategy entitled Making Things Last – A Circular Economy Strategy for Scotland was published today (23 February 2016).

The strategy will build on Scotland’s progress on its zero waste and resource efficiency agendas, with a focus on keeping products and materials in high value use for as long as possible, saving resources and creating a range of business and industry opportunities. The strategy also introduces a food waste prevention target for Scotland, which is the first such target in Europe.

The strategy is available on the Scottish Government website at www.Gov.Scot/makingthingslast.