Chamber and committees

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has not taken any formal action as a result of a college failing to meet Fair Work criteria since the Post-16 Education (Scotland) Act 2013 came into force.

Fair Work requirements are a condition of SFC funding. SFC will monitor compliance through reporting requirements in colleges' annual reports.

This is an operational matter for Caledonian Sleeper, the Member may wish to contact Caledonian Sleeper Ltd directly.

This is an operational matter for Caledonian Sleeper, the Member may wish to contact Caledonian Sleeper Ltd directly.

This is an operational matter for Caledonian Sleeper, the Member may wish to contact Caledonian Sleeper Ltd directly.

The first £5m of the £15m Enterprise Package was announced on 20 May. Exact details and criteria for the interventions are still being developed and are yet to be confirmed. Further details about the allocation of this initial £5m will be provided in due course.

There are three licensed Cannabis Based Products for Medicinal use (CBPMs) available on the NHS in Scotland to treat specific conditions. These are:

• nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, as an add-on treatment for adults with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting;
• Sativex®, a combination of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol for moderate to severe spasticity in adults with multiple sclerosis;
• and Epidyolex®, a cannabidiol for treating seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)

The decision on whether to make a licensed medicine routinely available on the NHS in Scotland is made by healthcare professionals and other experts who make up the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), following an application by the manufacturer. This is independent of Scottish Ministers. If a medicine is recommended for use,- Health Boards’ local Area Drug and Therapeutic Committees will consider and decide whether to include it in their prescribing formulary.

Clinical guidance does not recommend the prescribing of unlicensed CBPMs, other than in clinical trials. The biggest barrier to the prescribing of other CBPMs on the NHS is that most products remain unlicensed with a limited, or non-existent, peer-reviewed clinical evidence base for their use.

The Government plans to commence the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill within three months of the Bill receiving Royal Assent.

The creche service is available 3 days per week.  The opening hours reflect that the core purpose of the creche is to facilitate public engagement with parliamentary business.  We recently successfully negotiated with the Care Inspectorate to increase the number of hours each week, but we currently have no plans to review the facility on non-business days. 

Supply of LPG fuel in the UK is a matter reserved for UK Government. It is the responsibility of individual LPG retailers to ensure that the availability of LPG is actively monitored, and managed to prevent shortages, which can occur during periods of peak demand. The investment costs and installation of LPG fuelling sites is commercially led, and applications for new sites fall within the remit of local authority planning.

The Mental Health in Schools Working Group will consider whether any updates or engagement is required to support the Whole School Approach Framework. The Group is expected to reconvene in Autumn 2024.