Chamber and committees

Overall, more trainee doctor posts have filled in 2023 than any other year on record. 13 posts were advertised in General Psychiatry at ST4 level and 8 (or 61.54%) filled successfully. These figures are accurate as of 25 July and pertain only to the initial recruitment rounds of 2023; end-year data for all UK nations and specialties will be published by NHS England in the coming weeks. We continue to work closely with our partners in NHS Education for Scotland and Health Boards, to consider ways of improving fill rates across all specialities. Examples in Psychiatry include:

• We continue to fund uplifts in Core Psychiatry, therefore bolstering the supply of trainees who can go on to apply for higher specialty training posts at ST4 level. 10 posts were added in 2022, 15 in 2023 and another 12 will be added in 2024.
• A new working group was established in May 2024 to consider how we can better support the recruitment and retention of both trainee and consultant grade psychiatrists. The group is working to produce a set of actions/recommendations on how we can make psychiatry a more attractive place to work. There have been three meetings of the group so far and discussions to date have been constructive. This work involves SG, NHS Education for Scotland, various Health Board representatives (including trainee doctor representatives) and the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Information on Ministerial engagements is routinely published on the Scottish Government website and can be found at: www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/ .

Visits are not recorded by parliamentary or constituency region.

The Scottish Government acknowledges the profound impacts and hardships inflicted by the October storms on local communities. The Government has been working closely with affected local authorities on a package of support to help people whose homes and businesses were flooded. This package includes extending the Bellwin scheme’s application window to help all Councils, including Argyll and Bute, cover eligible expenditure for urgent repairs.

The Scottish Welfare Fund also provides emergency support to those on low incomes in Scotland, including in Argyll and Bute. Support may be provided through the provision of Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants, including to those who have experienced a disaster situation, such as a flood. Residents can apply to the Scottish Welfare Fund through their Council.

There is no minimum required number of medically-trained NHS 24 call handlers.

NHS 24 call handlers operate under clinical supervision at all times with a minimum level of one clinical supervisor for every five call handlers on shift. Each call has clinical supervision input at an appropriate level, depending on acuity and outcome of patients.

The Scottish Government’s leadership in support for rail freight is outlined in our rail freight strategy and put into practice with significant investment and our first of a kind innovative regulatory growth targets. Benefits for rail freight are included in our rail pipeline projects and our mode shift capital and revenue support grants. We have also flexed passenger services on the Highland Mainline to accommodate a longer freight service and the Scottish Government will continue to maximise benefits for freight in its future investment in the rail network. The details Mr Cameron has requested from 2016 are as follows.

Dedicated rail freight projects:-

2012 – 2019 Investment of £13 million to deliver electrification to the Grangemouth freight terminals.

2018 – 2019 Investment of £11.3 million to provide a new rail freight connection at Blackford and improvements to Inverness Needlefield Yard. This also included investment on the Waterloo branch to improve the link with Aberdeen Terminals and the capability of the line to accept more traffic.

2019 – 2020 Investment of £4.2 million for a new crossover at Craiginches (between Aberdeen and Stonehaven), continued work at Inverness Needlefield Yard and trials on the Highland Mainline (between Perth and Inverness) to support longer trains.

2020 – 2021 Investment of £2.5 million including further work on Craiginches crossover and Needlefield yard and a trial to support moving timber by rail.

2022 – 2023 Investment of £3.2 million to provide a new freight connection at Dalcross and a linespeed improvement at Garriongill (near Wishaw), benefiting freight capacity.

2016 to date Investment of £6m inFreight Facilities Grants to support new and updated rail freight facilities.

2016 to date Investment of £4 million in Mode Shift Revenue Support.

Rail pipeline projects with benefits for freight:-

2012 – 2019 Investment of £160 million to deliver electrification and gauge clearance on the Shotts line along with signalling improvements benefiting freight capacity and improving access to Mossend Freight Terminal.

2019 - 2020 Investment of £13.5 million to provide increased capacity between Newtonhill (between Aberdeen and Stonehaven) and Craiginches.

2022 - 2023 Investment of £160 million to renew and modernise Carstairs Junction including the longest freight loop in Scotland, capable of accommodating 775-metre-long freight trains. An additional £6.8 million was invested to remodel Barnhill Junction to increase the speed of trains and provide capacity improvements over the constrained Tay Viaduct, enabling additional freight services. A further investment of £63 million was provided to electrify the route to Barrhead which is the first step in electrifying the Glasgow & South Western route from Glasgow to Carlisle.

We are committed to the sustainable development of our seas and are working with stakeholders on our updated National Marine Plan (NMP2), a key delivery mechanism for Scotland’s Blue Economy Vision. NMP2 will provide the guiding planning framework to support our future licencing and consenting decisions.

We will work with stakeholders from across the marine sectors on the development of NMP2 planning policies to support management of our marine space, and reflecting our latest policy developments, including our recently published Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture which sets out our long-term ambitions for the sustainable development of the finfish, shellfish and seaweed sectors.

The Scottish Government supports various cultural and educational initiatives across the Highlands and Islands which safeguard the living heritage of Gaelic communities. Our support of cultural venues such as Cnoc Soilleir in South Uist and the Islay Gaelic Centre provide innovative modern facilities for the celebration of local Gaelic heritage. As an example of this, Cnoc Soilleir recently hosted the first Gaelic Climate Convention exploring the intersection of local Gaelic culture and actions against climate change.

The Scottish Government funds Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s Dìleab project which showcases the cultural history of the Outer Hebrides and creates opportunities for intergenerational learning. The online archive Tobar an Dualchais is a vital resource for accessing Gaelic songs and traditions collected by the School of Scottish Studies since the mid-20th century. Its benefits can be seen, among other places, in the inspiration it provides contemporary Scottish musicians to adapt traditional Gaelic music for a modern audience.

Through initiatives such as these, and our funding of the work done by bodies like Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, MG Alba and Stòrlann, the Scottish Government is working to ensure that the living Gaelic heritage of the Highlands and Islands is protected. Our ongoing work on the Scottish Languages Bill and the Scottish Government response to the Report on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic will build on this important work.

The general Intangible Cultural Heritage principles of transparent collaboration, open communication, mutual respect and inclusivity are echoed across the Scottish Government, as well as across the work delivered by our public and national bodies.

The Scottish Government delivers support for cultural and heritage organisations through the sponsorship of our public bodies. In turn, Historic Environment Scotland and Creative Scotland deliver grant programmes to support many varied heritage, traditional skills and cultural practices.

Museums Galleries Scotland, the national development body for Scotland’s museum sector, also distributes grant funding for the Scottish Government to support accredited museums in Scotland which can also showcase Intangible Cultural Heritage and living heritage.

The Scottish Government delivers support for culture and heritage organisations through the sponsorship of our public bodies. In turn, Historic Environment Scotland and Creative Scotland deliver grant programmes to support many varied heritage, traditional skills and cultural practices.

Museums Galleries Scotland, the national development body for Scotland’s museum sector, also distributes grant funding for the Scottish Government to support accredited museums in Scotland which can also showcase living heritage.

This has been the most challenging budget for Scotland since devolution. The UK Government’s Autumn Statement was very disappointing and cut the Scottish Government’s capital allocation by over 10%. This means the Scottish Government faces tough choices on where to allocate the budget available. Previously, budget allocations for Agricultural Transformation Fund (ATF) were allocated to the Sustainable Agriculture Capital Grant Scheme (SACGS) 2022, to support the purchase of low emission slurry spreading equipment and slurry store covers and to the Agri-environment Climate Scheme (AECS) in 2023 to support the extension nationally of the slurry storage option. In the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24, the demand for support through the Sustainable Agriculture Grant Scheme (SACGS) was around £3m and £2m respectively, which was lower than anticipated and, subsequently, the budget for both years was under-committed. Given this position, it is anticipated that the proposed budget of £3m for financial year 2024-25 should be sufficient to cover demand for slurry storage options, accordingly, there should be no impact on farmers and crofters who wish to apply for installing or upgrading slurry storage facilities.