Seòmar agus comataidhean

Good morning. Audit Scotland’s 2019 report “Enabling digital government” noted that the governance and management structures for overseeing the 2017 digital strategy were “confusing” and that the roles and remits should be kept under review and “clearly articulated”. Can you tell us about the governance and management structures for overseeing the delivery of the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities digital strategy that was published in March 2021?

One of the most concerning lines that stuck out in your report is:

“Most drug-related deaths are in people aged 35-54, but this is increasing across all age groups, particularly in people aged 25-34.”

Jillian Matthew referred to that earlier. It is a focus of all parties that increased funding gives vastly improved outcomes. We noted that you recommend a number of actions that the Scottish Government needs to take, as you set out in paragraph 31,

“To increase transparency and demonstrate value for money”

in the

“funding for drug and alcohol services”.

Has the Scottish Government accepted that that work needs to be progressed? If so, has it set any interim targets for undertaking it?

So you are happy that you are taking on board all the comments from the 2019 report.

Good morning. This is another question on governance. I refer to paragraphs 28 and 29 of your report. The Scottish Government’s consultation on a new national care service shows that a majority of respondents agree that ADPs should be integrated into community health and social care boards. What is your assessment of the cost of doing that, and would that improve lines of accountability?

Good morning, everybody. The Auditor General’s report outlines that

“The auditor issued a disclaimer on the audit opinion on Scottish Canals’ financial statements for 2020/21”

because

“insufficient audit evidence was available to conclude on the overall valuation of Scottish Canals’ ... infrastructure and inland waterways”.

That was largely because Scottish Canals did not obtain an appropriate valuation, using depreciated replacement cost, for about £51 million of specialist operational assets that had been capitalised between 2012 and 2021. We have touched on some of those issues. Why did Scottish Canals not identify the need to undertake a DRC valuation of its specialist operational assets as part of preparing its 2020-21 accounts?

The completion date is December 2022 and it looks as though you are on target.

As you said, it sounds complex. Will you tell us a bit about the progress in updating the fixed asset register, so that all assets will be appropriately recorded and categorised?

Good morning. We know that the cyberattack is subject to an on-going police investigation, but are you able to confirm whether investigations are on-going to establish, as the report says,

“the exact route source of where the cyber-attack breached SEPA’s systems”?

Once those investigations are complete, will that information be shared with us or will it remain confidential?

So you are happy that, with the new procedures that you now have in place, you will not have the same issues that you had on the night of the attack.

I apologise for not being there in person.

According to the third bullet point in paragraph 6 of the report, the Scottish Government has committed to supplying personal protective equipment free of charge to the NHS and social care services

“until at least March 2022”,

but it is not clear what the arrangements will be after that. Do you have any update on that?