Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has been a vocal supporter in recognising the intrinsic value of our Intangible Cultural Heritage and is pleased that Scotland already has an online inventory at https://ichscotland.org/ with ongoing collaborative work continuing between Museums Galleries Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland and Creative Scotland.

With the UK Government’s notified intention to ratify the UNESCO convention for safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, the Scottish Government will work with the other UK nations alongside key Scottish stakeholders to develop methods to incorporate Scottish entries into a Scottish list and a UK wide list.

The Scottish Government has no plans at present to develop such a framework for living heritage/ Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Living heritage is protected through the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Protection and Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The convention has virtually global coverage, with over 180 nations signed up. However, despite Scottish Government encouragement the UK remained one of a very few countries that had not ratified until the UK Government announced their intention to ratify on 23 December 2023.

The Scottish Government has been a vocal supporter in recognising the intrinsic value of our Intangible Cultural Heritage and is pleased that Scotland already has an online Intangible Cultural Heritage inventory at https://ichscotland.org/ with ongoing collaborative work continuing between Museums Galleries Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland, Creative Scotland and local communities throughout Scotland.

Going forwards, the Scottish Government will work with the other UK nations alongside key Scottish stakeholders to develop methods to incorporate Scottish living heritage entries into a Scottish list and a UK wide list.

UNESCO membership is reserved to the UK Government, which is the State Party to the convention, responsible for the UK’s general compliance with the World Heritage Convention and for nominating sites.

The UK Government, as the State Party to the World Heritage Convention, submitted a nomination proposal for The Flow Country in 2023.

‎As the member will know, the Flow Country is the most intact and extensive blanket bog system in the world and straddles Caithness and Sutherland. It comprises a complex set of interlinked pool systems and micro features that not only host an eye-catching flora and fauna but also play a vital role in our defence against the effects of climate change.

It is expected that a decision on whether to add the site to the World Heritage List will be taken at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting on 21-31 July 2024.

Overall more trainee doctor posts have filled in 2023 than any other year on record, (data correct as at 25 July 2023). Within that overall context there will always be a number of posts which do not fill. Diagnostic Neuropathology ST3 is a small specialty with only 1 post advertised in 2023, therefore, as this post has not filled, the fill rate appears as 0%. 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.

Both Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf hosted 3 events each at Bute House in 2023. All Ministerial engagements are published here: Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The following table shows the total costs for each event:

Below is a breakdown of posts that were advertised in Round 1 and Round 2 by region, speciality and level. These set of results were published in July 2023 by NHS England. The total number of posts advertised in Round 3 cannot be disclosed as end-year results have yet to be published. These results are expected to be made available by NHS England in the coming weeks. In addition to this, please note that Scottish Government does not have access to data broken down by NHS board.

Below are four tables which confirm the attrition rate for each NHS medical speciality, also broken down by NHS board, since 2021 .

Overall, more trainee doctor posts have filled in 2023 than any other year on record. 5 posts were advertised in Medical Oncology at ST3 level and 1 (or 20%) 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. It should be noted that recent uplifts in Medical Oncology (3 posts in 2022 and 2023) led to a greater number of posts being advertised. 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 Medical Oncology include:

• We are funding uplifts in Internal Medicine Training (IMT) with 22 posts set to be created in 2024. IMT is a pre-requisite for Medical Oncology (among several other specialties) and increasing front-end supply should therefore improve the sustainability of services in the longer term.
• NHS Education for Scotland (NES) colleagues have been promoting Medical Oncology at undergraduate level and at various careers events across the country. The West of Scotland Oncology Team, for example, is hosting a careers event at the Beatson Cancer Centre in January 2024 for IMT trainees.
• A national oncology teaching programme has also been signposted to IMT trainees which is accessible via monthly MS Teams sessions.

The Scottish Government is committed to the development of a Scottish Seabird Conservation Strategy in partnership with stakeholders, to drive forward and prioritise action aimed at improving the conservation prospects of our internationally important seabird populations.

With Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) continuing to have a devastating impact on wild birds, including some of our seabird populations, the Scottish Government, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies and partners have focused their resources on monitoring and responding to the outbreak, taking action where appropriate to minimise impacts. This included the development of a Scottish HPAI in wild birds response plan which was launched by the Minister for Energy and the Environment in August 2023.

The resource required to respond to HPAI has meant that the strategy has yet to be published. However, actions continue to be taken. This action is important now more than ever with the impacts of HPAI and the results of the recent Seabird Census published in December 2023.

Through the Future Catching Policy, Ministers will be delivering on their obligations to minimise and, where possible, eliminate bycatch of sensitive species as part of a wider effort to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries. As our priority, we will take firm measures to increase selectivity by introducing additional technical measures to reduce unwanted catch and bycatch of sensitive marine species, working with stakeholders to explore and deliver solutions.

The Scottish Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network, including our Seabird Special Protection Areas (SPAs), protects and enhances our marine environment, supporting ecosystem health, improved livelihoods, economic prosperity, social inclusion and wellbeing.

Work on the strategy is moving at pace and targeted stakeholder consultations are expected to take place in spring 2024.

Overall more trainee doctor posts have filled in 2023 than any other year on record, (data correct as at 25 July 2023). Within that overall context there will always be a number of posts which do not fill. Rehabilitation Medicine ST3 is a small specialty with only 1 post advertised in 2023, therefore, as this post has not filled, the fill rate appears as 0%. 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.