Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government’s budget for 2024-25 has maintained levels of funding for the cost of legal aid (£141.3 million for the legal aid fund). The budget is demand led and all of those who meet the eligibility criteria will have access to legal aid, regardless of those who live in rural and remote geographical areas.

In addition to the provision of judicare, the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) supports the Civil Legal Assistance Office (CLAO) from its core funding from the Scottish Government and provides a network of publicly funded solicitors by SLAB, operating from offices across Scotland.

The CLAO offers assistance with civil legal problems, targeted at specific geographical areas and specific types of work, in line with priorities agreed by government. It offers a triage service whereby people contacting the service are assessed and offered one or a combination of services, depending on their eligibility for legal aid, needs and the capacity of the service. These include referral to another organisation and signposting and works closely with other advice providers to triage cases also offering, second tier advice and training. CLAO works with local advice services, advocacy services and support groups such as local women’s aid groups.

In addition, access to free legal services is provided to the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre of around £690,000 from 2023-2026 to tackling all forms of violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse, and ensuring that victims receive the support they need. Anyone over 16 in Scotland can access this service.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29676 on 18 September 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government or Public Health Scotland (PHS).

The decision to prescribe any medicine is for the clinician in charge of an individual’s care, having considered their clinical condition and any relevant clinical guidance.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29676 on 18 September 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29676 on 18 September 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29676 on 18 September 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29676 on 18 September 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Information of the number of teachers registered as supply teachers is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The member may wish to contact local authorities who directly employ our teachers.

The Scottish Government’s Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF) provides funding for the implementation of multidisciplinary teams in primary care, including Community Link Workers. The PCIF was not subject to reductions announced in the Pre-Budget Fiscal Update so there has been no assessment of impacts.

The latest data that the Scottish Government holds on CLW numbers (to 31 March 2024) shows that CLW programmes in the six integration authorities within the Highlands and Islands region were funded (except for one post in Argyle and Bute) from integration authority PCIF allocations. These figures are published – please see the supplementary tables that accompany the summary report: Primary care improvement plans: implementation progress summary - March 2024 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

Funding for flood resilience is distributed to local authorities through the general capital grant. The allocation mechanism is agreed by Ministers and COSLA Leaders on a national basis, rather than bespoke to each local authority, and as such there was no discussion around increasing flood resilience funding for local authorities within the Highlands and Islands region at the meeting on 5 September.

The current distribution agreement is that 80% of available funding is allocated to a list of prioritised flood protection schemes, and 20% allocated to local authorities to fund other actions within Flood Risk Management Plans.