Chamber and committees

In 2021 the Ministerial Population Taskforce published Scotland's first Population Strategy, a key building block of which is to create conditions for Scotland’s population profile to be spatially distributed in as balanced a way as possible. Delivering on commitments within both the Population Strategy and the National Islands Plan, we are currently developing an Addressing Depopulation Action Plan aimed at providing the policy framework and actions we and partners will look to take, to enable population retention and repopulation across rural and island communities.

Workforce numbers and locations are regularly reviewed to ensure that the organisation is delivering for the people of Scotland as efficiently and effectively as possible. We undertake workforce planning in line with Scottish Government (SG) priorities.

In addition to considering the location of roles, SG is committed to flexible hybrid working for our workforce, enabling staff to work from a range of locations, both within government offices and working from home. Some of these locations are situated within the Highlands and Islands. Managers are asked to establish a flexible hybrid model with their teams that ensure business needs are met, which will vary depending on the nature of the roles and requirements.

The SG website references our ways of working and more information can be found here Ways of working - Work For Scotland (work-for-scotland.org)

A core SG Estate Strategy is under development and the themes informing the key principles will reflect the Depopulation Action Plan and the SG People Strategy including its Hybrid Policy. These policies alongside the expectation to increase sharing opportunities with Public Sector bodies, particularly in regional and rural locations, will help inform our Asset Planning.

SG undertook a trial in three Local Hub locations between 2021 to early 2023 in light of a commitment to provide SG colleagues with the option to use buildings closer to home. Feedback has been utilised to inform planning across the national estate and requests for utilising core estate buildings for SG staff. Enhancing access control, space booking tools and agile working facilities are being planned and implemented across our estate to enhance ease of use and support ability to work in different locations.

A key component of Scotland’s Population Strategy is to create conditions for Scotland’s population profile to be spatially distributed in as balanced a way as possible, to support communities, economies and public services to thrive.

As part of their core activity VisitScotland promotes tourism in Scotland’s island destinations across their marketing, PR, destination development and support for tourism businesses.

April is Islands month as part of VisitScotland’s marketing calendar with a focus on three key messages of: Scotland’s islands are stunning throughout the year; Scotland’s islands have their own unique way of life; and Our islands feel remote but are easily accessible.

They are supporting and leading on campaigns which include: Arran; Cumbrae; Argyll islands; Skye; Outer Hebrides; and Orkney and Shetland. VisitScotland is also a key partner in the Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project.

Island destinations were represented at VisitScotland’s recent flagship Connect trade event in Aberdeen, which connects Scottish product with international buyers. Destination Marketing Organisations included VisitArran and Argyll & Isles Tourism Cooperative and CalMac and Northlink also attended the event.

Trade and Investment Envoys are a voluntarily network of senior business people who offer their time to share their business insights, connections, and expertise to help guide our collective trade and investment effort. They provide a valuable contribution that complements the knowledge and reach of our, and UKG international networks. The principal function of our Envoy network is to provide Scotland with a network of influential and business-experienced advocates in locations of particular interest to our priority sectors and opportunity areas. Each Envoy agrees an annual work programme that is aligned with our trade & investment plans which sets objectives to guide their efforts. We review progress with our Envoys on a quarterly basis. As our Envoys primarily operate at a more strategic, rather than operational level we do not attribute specific KPIs to them.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with the Scottish Snowsports sector and our economic agencies to contribute to the sectors financial sustainability.

Independent research commissioned by the Scottish Government ( Snowsports sector - Economic, Social and Cultural Impact: Research - Technical Report) was published in April 2023 and explored ways in which mountain resorts may improve their financial sustainability. In addition to improvements to the winter offer provided at resorts the research highlighted the need to expand the range of activities/sports which could be provided by venues all year round.

Financial support is available to snowsports venues via Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise. Both economic agencies provide support for capital investments with specific intervention rates applied. The necessary due diligence is carried out and all proposed projects are assessed on an individual business case.

EventScotland is the events directorate of VisitScotland. I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17143 on 2 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 .

The Scottish Government’s position on the Supreme Court judgment was set out to the Scottish Parliament on 23 November 2022. That position has not changed.

The Scottish Government is committed to building the case for a socially just, independent Scotland within the European Union, and giving the people of Scotland the information they need to make an informed choice about whether Scotland should become an independent country. This is in line with the mandate given by the people of Scotland at the 2021 election and the clear majority in the Scottish Parliament in favour of independence and an independence referendum. My appointment as the Minister for Independence reflects that priority.

Scotland is in a global competition to attract talent. By taking us out of the EU and ending free movement, the UK Government has recklessly hindered our ability to attract people to Scotland. We want to build Scotland’s reputation as a career destination, promoting our growth sectors to students and workers across the UK and beyond.

The Scottish Government will launch a Talent Attraction and Migration Service in 2023. The service will support people who are thinking of moving to Scotland or who have just moved here. It will provide good quality information and advice to help people and their dependents settle into their communities. The service will also support employers based in Scotland to use the immigration system to help meet their skills needs. We are conducting research to understand users' needs and the barriers they face. Once we have concluded this discovery work, we will identify suppliers to deliver the service.

Furthermore, our Rural Visa Pilot proposal, published in September 2022, offers settlement support to migrants to promote integration within pilot communities.

NHS Health Boards have a legal requirement through the Organisational Duty of Candour Regulations (2018) to review certain types of adverse events (defined as unintended or unexpected incidents that result in, or could result in, death or harm), record each incident where the organisational duty of candour procedure is followed, meet personally with those affected, offer an apology and consider how the learning can be applied.

Boards are required to record all Significant Adverse Event Reviews commissioned and report them to Healthcare Improvement Scotland. This system has been in place since January 2020.

The devolved responsibilities for Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees are published on gov.scot: Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .