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The Scottish Government is committed to Keeping The Promise we have made to all care experienced children, young people and adults across Scotland. In March of 2022, we published the Scottish Government’s Promise Implementation Plan that sets a broad range of actions and commitments across portfolio that we will take by 2030.

The Implementation Plan works in harmony with the Best Start, Bright Futures: Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022 to 2026 and is aligned with our strategic approach to education, health, justice, transport and communities. The cross portfolio approach to change is supported by a Cabinet Sub-Committee on The Promise that, Chaired by The First Minister, met for the first time in October.

Key actions underway include:

• A continued commitment to work in partnership with key stakeholders to ensure that the ambitions of the recommendations of both the Care Leavers Homelessness Prevention Pathway, and the Continuing Care reports are addressed. The pathway to prevent homelessness for care leavers sets out a number of recommendations designed to protect care leavers, including ensuring consistent implementation of both Continuing Care and Aftercare policy.
• Commitment to investing £500m in Whole Family Wellbeing Funding to improve holistic family support so families get the right support, in the right way and at the right time. This support is helping to reduce the need for crisis intervention and contribute to improving people’s lives across a wide range of different areas, including but not limited to, child and adolescent mental health, child poverty, alcohol and drugs misuse and educational attainment.
• Phoenix Future’s Harper House service was opened by the former First Minister in Saltcoats on 21 November 2022. It is a unique national family service which can support up to 20 families at one time, improving access for residential rehabilitation for drug or alcohol use for people with families.
  

With regard to the reasons behind the rationale for budget reprofiling, the exceptionally challenging financial conditions as outlined in the letter from DFM and Cabinet Secretary for Finance to the Convenor, regarding “Update on 2023 – 2024 In Year Budget Changes” on the 21 November 2023 advise these.

The financial pressures across public services, not just health care, are by far, the most challenging since devolution as a result of rising inflation, and the ongoing impact of Covid and Brexit.

It is therefore necessary to make very challenging decisions, including reprofiling budgets, across Government in order to meet our statutory requirement to deliver a balanced budget.

Our published delivery plan, linked here Care in the Digital Age: Delivery Plan 2023-24 – gov.scot (www.gov.scot), reflects our planned deliverables against the current budget which includes the agreed savings of £11.6m.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23097 on 4 December 2023. 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-22410 on 7 November 2023. We are working with health boards to understand how best to achieve national consistency so that patients undergoing home dialysis are protected from the impact of high electricity prices, wherever they live. I expect to provide a further update on this in the coming weeks. 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 S6W-22410 on 7 November. In addition to the action outlined in the answer, our priority is to do everything we can to help those worst affected by the Cost Crisis which is why, having doubled the Fuel Insecurity Fund last year to £20 million, we have done what we can this year and tripled it to £30 million.

As part of the recently concluded information gathering exercise on the provision of stoma care and stoma specialist nurse coverage across Scotland's 14 territorial health boards, all boards supplied information on the stoma services that they provide, particularly with regard to care for stoma patients once they return home after their surgery. This information will be a key element of the consideration by the Scottish Executive Nurse Directors (SEND) of the results of the exercise.

Ministers responsibilities for recording information are clearly set out in the Ministerial Code Scottish Ministerial Code: 2023 Edition - gov.scot The Scottish Government - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Special advisers are bound by most provisions of the Civil Service Code (apart from those relating to impartiality and objectivity) and are required to exercise care in the use of official information. The First Minister is ultimately responsible for Special Adviser performance and discipline issues but this would be dealt with in the first instance by the Special Adviser Chief of Staff.

Officials: If a civil servant employed by the Scottish Government (an ‘official’) did not comply with the Scottish Government records management policy that would be an issue for their line manager to address through measures such as additional training; through performance management arrangements or through the discipline policy. The circumstances of each case would be considered on an individual basis to determine the appropriate action, with advice and/or support from HR as necessary.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6T-01624 on 7 November 2023.

All answers to parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at Meeting of the Parliament: 07/11/2023 | Scottish Parliament Website

The Scottish Government is fully cooperating with both the UK and Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry and is in regular communication with Inquiry teams as required as both a core participant and a provider of material.

The Scottish Government is unable offer a running commentary on the conduct of the UK public inquiry which should be allowed to carry out its investigations and liaison with parties like the Scottish Government as it sees fit.