Chamber and committees

There are a range of programmes that offer advice on physical activity and nutrition to tackle obesity, type 2 diabetes and other medical conditions. However details are not held centrally.

The Scottish Government and partners are developing an Active and Independent Living Improvement Programme (AILIP) to provide an ongoing focus to the contribution of allied health professionals (AHPs) to supporting the health and wellbeing of the population.

AILIP will focus on wellbeing, prevention and targeted early interventions for children, young people and adults of all ages and abilities, supporting them to live well; be physically active; self-manage their health conditions; remain in or return to employment; and live independently at home or in a homely setting.

We are also working closely with the Care Inspectorate to examine the possibility of expanding their successful Care About Physical Activity Programme for older people in care homes.

Further to this, the Scottish Government delivers a number of services through NHSScotland to support the health, safety and wellbeing of workers in Scotland.

The Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives is funded to provide access to information and advice on a wide range of workplace-related health and wellbeing issues through its website, free and confidential adviceline and network of advisors. This advice includes how employers can support older workers, workers with disabilities and those with long term health conditions.

Working Health Services Scotland and Fit for Work Scotland are services aimed at supporting employees to return to work from sickness absence, tailored to the individual’s needs and circumstances. These services take account of the employee’s age which will be reflected in advice on return to work.

As is usual for this type of contract, the project contractor does not receive payment for sections of the project until they are available and open to traffic.

In assessing such applications, the Scottish Government relies on advice from its statutory stakeholders namely, Local Planning Authorities, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish National Heritage and Historic Environment Scotland. In addition, subject to the details of the application, a wide range of other stakeholders may also be consulted where their specific expertise is required. Details of the individuals and resources utilised by these organisations is an operational matter for each of the bodies concerned and is not held centrally.

The Energy Consents Unit also utilises solicitors within Scottish Government Legal Directorate and on a project specific basis may also consult with Senior Counsel and the Lord Advocate.

There are no plans to phase out prescriptions for gluten-free food staples. Prescribing of these products are subject to ongoing monitoring and review as are all areas of prescribing activity. NHS prescriptions are not provided as a means of financial help, but are based on clinical need.

Rulings by the European Court of Human Rights against the UK Government (which is the state party) in relation to Scottish criminal cases are extremely rare, and that Court has not, at any point, made a finding in any such case that an individual has been wrongly accused or convicted.

The very few rulings against the UK Government on Scottish devolved matters have concerned individual procedural issues, dependent on the facts of each case.

The fact that there are very few such rulings reflects the robust safeguards which protect human rights and guard against miscarriages of justice, and are central to Scotland’s criminal justice system; notably comprehensive appeal provisions and the availability of review by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission - one of very few such bodies in the world.

The Scottish Government also strongly supports the right of individual application to the European Court of Human Rights. That right predates the Human Rights Act 1998 and has been available to everyone in Scotland since 1966.

Further to the answer to question S5W-05886, Dr Janet Brown, Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) wrote to Mr Burnett, at the Scottish Parliament, on 2 February 2017.

Scottish Government officials have asked SQA to reissue Dr Brown's reply.

The Scottish Assessors Association operates wholly independent of The Scottish Government and Scottish Ministers have no powers to direct them or locus to comment on their methodology used to determine rateable values, which may be subject to legal challenge. Draft practice notes used by the Assessors are available at: https://www.saa.gov.uk/practice_notes_2017/

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W- 06882 on 20 February 2017. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx”

From 1 April 2017, the Small Business Bonus Scheme threshold will increase by 50% to remove rates for eligible premises with rateable values up to £15,000, meaning that many properties which do improve their premises will retain the benefits of the Bonus Scheme after those improvements have been made.