Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Small Business Bonus Scheme offers up to 100% relief to non-domestic properties where the rateable value of the property does not exceed £20,000, the rateable value of all of the ratepayer’s properties does not exceed £35,000 and the property is not used for an excluded purpose.

Second homes used for short-term self-catering lets and liable for non-domestic rates may therefore be eligible for the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) relief where they meet the eligibility criteria.

To be classed as self-catering holiday accommodation liable for non-domestic rates, the accommodation must be actually let for 70 nights or more and available to let for 140 nights or more in each financial year. The thresholds were introduced following a recommendation by the 2017 independent Barclay Review of non-domestic rates which noted the potential for owners of second homes to seek their accommodation to be classed as non-domestic in order to avoid council tax, and no requirement to evidence that the property has been let.

Transport Scotland's National Traffic Data System (NTDS) has live traffic counters at the two junctions measuring the volume of traffic on the slip roads and the main carriageway.

At this stage, as previously stated, there is no reason for Transport Scotland to consider temporarily closing the M74 Junction 1 Kingston Interchange, due to the volume of traffic on the M74 and M8 and the resulting impact on the road traffic network around Glasgow City Centre.

Glasgow City Council, as part of its Strategic Plan 2022-27 , plan to commission research on and explore options to reduce the impact of the M8 on the city centre, and review opportunities to re-engineer other roads infrastructure to become more people friendly, including options for a possible long-term replacement.

The Scottish Government has participated in UK government schemes and donated medical supplies to Ukraine. No recent requests have been made to the Scottish Government.

Should further requests be received the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland are ready to play our part and will consider requests to contribute to any such scheme.

The M8 Woodside Viaducts are a vital element of the motorway and road network serving Glasgow, the wider region and country, carrying approximately 150,000 vehicles per day. The structure requires to be temporarily propped to facilitate the refurbishment of the bridge elements in need of repair. The temporary propping design and implementation is highly complex in nature and requires careful consideration of the underground services and other site constraints in the vicinity of the Viaducts.

The budget allocation for the ongoing works on the Woodside Viaduct project for the 2024-25 financial year is £46.97m.

The NHS Scotland National Access Policy provides that whilst the vast majority of patients are seen within their local area, services may also be delivered through another Health Board or suitable alternative provider.

We have commissioned NHS National Services Scotland to establish a National Strategic Network for long COVID. This brings together representatives from Health Boards across NHS Scotland to provide a forum for the exchange of learning and best practice in delivering support and services for people with long COVID.

Information on the destination of referrals made for patients in relation to long COVID is not held centrally. This is a matter for territorial NHS Boards.

The most recent Scottish Health Service cost book data published by Public Health Scotland for 2022-23 show that NHS Board spend on Mental Health is over £1.3bn and we expect this will continue in future years.The source of this funding is mainly from NHS Health Boards’ baseline budgets which are provided on an annual basis. Boards are responsible for determining how they utilise that funding to meet the needs and priorities of their local population.

The Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027 set out a 10-year vision of where mental health funding would be focused. This included areas such as additional investment for mental health workers and improved provision of services including CAMHS.

In addition, our Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan was introduced in 2021-22 which set out the key commitments in responding to the mental health needs resulting from COVID. This included funding for Children, Young People and Families, Older People, Distress Interventions and other areas listed in the Plan. This was backed by a £120 million Recovery and Renewal Fund which has subsequently been included in the overall budget allocation for mental health services in each financial year since.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Scottish Water is taking steps to secure the building. No decision on the long term future of the cottage has yet been taken; any decisions in relation to this matter would need to be in line with public finance guidelines and principles.

There are no plans for a visit at this point time. The Scottish Government remains grateful to Glasgow Street Aid and other voluntary organisations who provide care and support across Scotland.