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The regulation of oil and gas activities is not a devolved matter and falls under the remit of the regulator, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and for decommissioning works - the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning Programme, referred to as OPRED.

The Scottish Government reviews and comments on the relevant programmes for activities in Scottish Waters and in this case provided comments on the Decommissioning programme to ensure potential environmental impacts were considered and addressed, and advised that the Joint Nature Conservation Committee advice on impact and mitigation activities within the MPA was followed.

The mental health and emotional wellbeing of all children in Scotland is a key priority for the Scottish Government. The 2017-2027 Mental Health Strategy committed to ensuring everyone across Scotland was able to access the right support in a way which best met their individual circumstances. This included support to children and young people as a whole as well as a specific focus on specific challenges. As part of this, the Strategy committed to supporting work aimed specifically at the mental health needs of veterans and their families. This is being taken forward through the Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Plan.

Over the course of the pandemic, we put in place a variety of measures to support children and young people. These included supporting children struggling emotionally and providing advice and support to parents through Parent Club and the Solihull Online child development programmes. These resources provide families with easy ways to support their mental health and wellbeing through Covid restrictions and beyond.

We continue to invest in a range of measures to support children and young people in looking after their own mental health and wellbeing. This includes providing enhanced digital resources on mental health and wellbeing available via the ‘Aye Feel’ website and social marketing campaigns, managed by Young Scot. We are also committed to improving access to community mental health and wellbeing support. We have provided local authorities with an additional £15 million per annum to fund over 230 new and enhanced supports and services for children and young people across Scotland.

The regulation of offshore oil and gas activities is not a devolved matter and falls under the remit of the regulator, in this case, the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning Programme, referred to as OPRED, which sits within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The role of the regulator is to review, approve and monitor the implementation of decommissioning programmes. All actions in decommissioning, both onshore and offshore, which relate to waste have to follow a regulatory process, and undergo an environmental impact assessment. These programmes outline the schedule of all planned works and are subject to public consultation. Where there is no set schedule, the timeframe for recovery of any temporarily stored materials is stipulated in the environmental justification documents and it is the role of the regulator to monitor this.

OPRED are advised by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the Statutory Nature Conservation Body who provide information and advice on environmental impacts of offshore industries. Where it is shown there will be little to no impact on the protected features within a Marine Protected Area, these activities are able to be undertaken with appropriate mitigation measures in place. Furthermore, in accordance with OPRED guidelines, a localised ‘as-left’ survey is carried out on recovery.

The concessionary travel vouchers continue to entitle the traveller to a free berth on overnight services. However, COVID-19 restrictions mean cabins may no longer be shared and so additional vouchers can be used offset the cost of cabins for sole use. The effects of shared cabins not being available has been recognised and will be considered as part of the Ferry Fares Policy review in the Islands Connectivity Plan.

The Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board has the highest of ambitions for all children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing and is overseeing a set of reforms designed to ensure they receive the support they need when they need it. Led jointly by the Scottish Government and COSLA, the Board is made up of a number of key stakeholders with a wide range of experience in this area of work.

The voices and experiences of children, young people and their families both at Board level and wider engagement is a key part of our work to improve access to mental health support. Significant engagement with children and young people from a wide range of demographics has been undertaken since the Board commenced in April 2021.

Mental Health also remains a priority of The Armed Forces Personnel & Veterans Health Joint Group. The Scottish Government has established an Implementation Board, led by Dr Charles Winstanley, to take forward the Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Plan. Its aim is to create a new national service providing visible, consistent and timely mental health and wellbeing services of high quality to support veterans in Scotland, combining equity of access with a rapid response to evidenced need. This will ensure that veterans and their families can access appropriate services and support, in the right place, at the right time. The lived experience of veterans and their families will be the starting point for discussions and decisions, and people with lived experience will be engaged, listened to and supported to participate.

The 2021-22 season has seen the UK’s largest outbreak of avian flu to date, which has affected wild bird populations, including some internationally important seabird populations.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carries out year-round avian influenza surveillance of dead wild birds reported to Defra’s GB national helpline. As of 10 August 2022, 588 wild birds from multiple locations across Scotland, consisting of 29 species, have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). These figures capture information on the general location and strains of avian influenza that are present in wild birds and are not an indication of the total estimated mortality. More information, including the findings of HPAI in wild birds are available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/avian-influenza-outbreaks/#wildbirds .

In addition to the GB surveillance programme, NatureScot and other relevant parties have been carrying out monitoring at key seabird colonies across Scotland to collect data on bird numbers and any mortality events. While the full extent of mortality is unknown, some seabird colonies have clearly been affected by the current avian influenza outbreak. Colony surveys will be undertaken during the 2023 breeding season to assess the status of seabird colonies

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The Scottish Court Custody and Prisoner Escort Service Contract (SCCPES) provides the requirements of the service provider to ensure safe and secure transfer of prisoners between court appearances and mainland prisons.

1. The escort provider has clear processes and Standard Operating Procedures that have been agreed with SPS including:-

• the management of all transfers, regardless of location, including the use of public transport where the use of their vehicle fleet is not possible and other transport is required, such as Ferries, Boats and use of Aircraft.
• agreement of the protocols with Scottish airports for the facilitation of the movement of prisoners through the terminal buildings to facilitate the flight to and from all Scottish Islands where a flight is necessary, timeous and has been deemed to be required.

1. The current service provider has established a robust working relationship with all Scottish airports to facilitate the movement of individuals through the airport and terminal buildings.

In the scenario where an airport is unable to facilitate the transfer, the service provider will arrange, where possible, a flight to another Scottish airport and manage the ongoing movement via road transport if necessary, taking into consideration the impact of the person being escorted and the time spent in transit.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Where possible, the use of the Virtual Court process should be facilitated in the first instance, either from Police Custody Units (PCU’s) or mainland prisons, unless the individual is directed to appear in person by the Sheriff.

Where an escort is required to facilitate a court appearance in person, and the flight to that island is not available, or the airport is not available, the service provider is required to ensure that they have planned and organised the transportation of the individual(s) with sufficient time to ensure the person and escorting staff arrive in time for the scheduled court appearance.

This may mean organising ferry transport to the Scottish islands, and potentially liaising with SPS to temporarily locate the individual at an establishment closest to the ferry terminal if they have travelled from a significant distance.

Where required, the service provider may also need to liaise with Police Scotland to locate the individual in local legalised police cells overnight prior to, or after, the court appearance if off island transport is not available.

The Scottish Government package of support for Scottish student nurses is currently at its highest level, and is the highest level of support available to nursing and midwifery students across the UK. Our non-means tested, non-repayable paramedic, nursing and midwifery student bursary is £10,000 per year and will remain at this level for the upcoming 2022-2023 academic year. Scottish domiciled students on degree, honours and masters levels of study leading to registration as a paramedic, nurse or midwife are all eligible.

Nursing students may also be eligible for a range of funding on top of the non-means tested bursary, including a Dependants Allowance, Disabled Students’ Allowance and/or Single Parent’s Allowance.

Students who are in financial difficulty may also be able to access the Nursing & Midwifery Discretionary Fund, which is administered by higher education institutions on behalf of the Scottish Government.