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The key economic and fiscal levers that influence investment and activity in the sector remain with the UK Government; however, the Scottish Government is using our devolved powers to support the industry. We set up the Energy Jobs Taskforce, which continues to coordinate action across the sector and, in February 2016, we introduced a £12 million Transition Training Fund (TTF) to support individuals transition to other employment. We have seen a substantial increase in applications to the TTF in recent weeks following the launch of a dedicated website and we continue to look to review criteria on an on-going basis to ensure its impact is maximised.

The Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) is the Scottish Government’s initiative dedicated to helping individuals and employers with the advice and support they need when faced with redundancy. Delivery is led by Skills Development Scotland with partners including Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). In addition to the National PACE Team, there are 18 local PACE Teams across Scotland. The Highland PACE Partnership covers Caithness and Sutherland, Moray and Lochaber, ensuring a speedy and effective responses to redundancy situations.

HIE are also continuing to support the oil and gas sector. In 2015-16 HIE invested £458,000 in two companies servicing the international oil and gas sector based in Moray. These investments, all other things being equal, are anticipated to lead to turn over growth of £9.6 million for those companies of which £8.1 million will be from international sales. HIE’s leadership team approved £200,000 towards start-up costs of an electronics firm with high growth potential which specialises in technology for the offshore oil and gas and aerospace industries. In addition HIE will invest £376,000 in upgrading facilities to enable manufacturing to be undertaken within the Moray area.

VisitScotland monitor activities relating to ‘Visiting a Scenic or Heritage Railway’ in Scotland through the 'Great Britain Tourism Survey', a national consumer survey jointly sponsored by VisitScotland, VisitEngland and Visit Wales.

The Scottish Government does not have any jurisdiction or influence over the activities of private heritage railway operators. However, Transport Scotland does offer advice to heritage railways in Scotland with respect industry processes and main line regulations and met with Keith and Dufftown Railway association in October 2015.

The Scottish Government is engaging with retailers and caterers through our supporting healthy choices framework, challenging them to rebalance their promotions and support children and families to make healthier choices.

Our beyond the school gate guidance sets out options and invites local authorities, schools, caterers and retailers, and other partners to consider what they can do to positively influence the food environment for school pupils. This includes options to encourage children and young people to stay on site and purchase school food as well as increase the availability of healthier options outside of school. Reviewing how the guidance is operating will form part of our bringing forward a new diet and obesity framework.

The operation of the properties in care of Scottish Ministers is delegated to Historic Environment Scotland under the Historic Environment Scotland Act 2014. I have asked David Mitchell, the Acting Chief Executive, to provide an update on the options being considered at Dallas Dhu including the possibility of reintroducing distilling as part of wider tourist and heritage promotion.

Suitable provision for all users, including cyclists, is an important part of dualling roads such as the A9 and A96.

Non-motorised User (NMU) strategies have been developed for the A9 and the A96 dualling. The strategies have been developed in line with the Scottish Government’s vision to promote active travel in A Long-Term Vision for Active Travel In Scotland 2030, Cycling Action Plan for Scotland 2013 and the Trunk Road Cycling Initiative. NMU facilities, including cycle facilities, will be developed as the dualling programmes move forward to more detailed stages of design development, in consultation with local communities and interest groups.

The strategy for the A9 dualling can be found on the Transport Scotland website at:

http://www.transport.gov.scot/system/files/documents/projects/A9/A9%20Non%20Motorised%20Users%20Access%20Strategy%200516_0.pdf

The strategy for the A96 dualling can be found on the Transport Scotland website at:

http://www.transport.gov.scot/system/files/documents/reports/A96%20PES%20NMU%20Strategy%20May%202016.pdf

NHS boards and local authorities have a statutory duty to provide health and social care services which meet the needs of their populations, including for former service personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

A range of care and treatment for PTSD is available across health and social care services and across a range of settings provided on the basis of individually assessed needs, and in line with published clinical guidance.

For example, the Scottish Government funds at £1.2 million per year a nationally commissioned service through NHS Ayrshire and Arran for the provision of specialist mental health services provided by the charity combat stress. This includes an intensive treatment PTSD programme for those ex-service personnel suffering problems as a result of their military service. The provider will accept eligible referrals from any source, including self-referral.

The management of local nature reserves, including activities such as wildfowling, is primarily the responsibility of local authorities under the provisions of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.

The Scottish Government recognises the contribution that deposit return can make in supporting a more circular economy and will give further consideration to the role it could play in Scotland. We and zero waste Scotland are working with stakeholders to explore a range of issues which emerged from a call for evidence in 2015.

The National Lottery is reserved to the UK Government and information on how lottery funds are distributed in Scotland is not held by the Scottish Government. However the Big Lottery Fund in Scotland has provided a breakdown of the lottery funding it awarded to each parliamentary constituency in 2015-2016, this is set out in the following table.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has lead responsibility for the National Lottery and publishes information on the distribution of lottery funding on its website. This information can be searched for by local authority area, by UK parliamentary constituency and by funding distributor, including all ‘good cause’ funding distributors in Scotland: http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk/Search.aspx

Lottery funding distributed by the Big Lottery Fund in Scotland between 1 April 2015 and 1 April 2016

Scottish Parliament Constituency Name	Number of projects	Amount invested
Aberdeen Central	13	£506,712
Aberdeen Donside	6	£42,143
Aberdeen South and North Kincardine	8	£61,091
Aberdeenshire East	15	£122,537
Aberdeenshire West	20	£157,775
Airdrie and Shotts	18	£123,594
Almond Valley	17	£484,667
Angus North and Mearns	15	£1,013,586
Angus South	14	£1,176,968
Argyll and Bute	45	£1,390,132
Ayr	13	£1,120,763
Banffshire and Buchan Coast	14	£128,783
Caithness, Sutherland and Ross	32	£2,024,499
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley	21	£1,011,379
Clackmannanshire and Dunblane	27	£776,107
Clydebank and Milngavie	19	£761,971
Clydesdale	27	£630,157
Coatbridge and Chryston	23	£795,841
Cowdenbeath	11	£743,186
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	19	£138,864
Cunninghame North	21	£298,682
Cunninghame South	19	£1,427,560
Dumbarton	28	£199,772
Dumfriesshire	22	£148,216
Dundee City East	17	£140,658
Dundee City West	17	£153,616
Dunfermline	13	£90,178
East Kilbride	15	£182,366
East Lothian	24	£169,064
Eastwood	5	£523,464
Edinburgh Central	47	£3,989,085
Edinburgh Eastern	17	£154,166
Edinburgh Northern and Leith	24	£1,616,878
Edinburgh Pentlands	21	£535,671
Edinburgh Southern	13	£1,089,362
Edinburgh Western	12	£109,798
Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire	28	£1,050,753
Falkirk East	15	£351,385
Falkirk West	31	£811,350
Galloway and West Dumfries	31	£960,412
Glasgow Anniesland	19	£151,726
Glasgow Cathcart	13	£670,998
Glasgow Kelvin	48	£3,594,926
Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn	41	£4,002,299
Glasgow Pollok	16	£213,542
Glasgow Provan	26	£1,557,525
Glasgow Shettleston	26	£1,259,417
Glasgow Southside	47	£2,295,048
Greenock and Inverclyde	35	£3,515,325
Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse	18	£154,941
Inverness and Nairn	21	£217,212
Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley	32	£517,802
Kirkcaldy	17	£495,590
Linlithgow	14	£1,026,310
Mid Fife and Glenrothes	11	£570,490
Midlothian North and Musselburgh	18	£125,893
Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale	33	£981,872
Moray	13	£223,103
Motherwell and Wishaw	35	£1,915,317
Na h-Eileanan an Iar	14	£101,314
North East Fife	19	£136,628
Orkney Islands	11	£723,431
Paisley	32	£1,905,867
Perthshire North	29	£750,966
Perthshire South and Kinross-shire	14	£96,880
Renfrewshire North and West	14	£102,101
Renfrewshire South	31	£260,621
Rutherglen	19	£225,764
Shetland Islands	17	£103,702
Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch	35	£1,338,394
Stirling	38	£531,609
Strathkelvin and Bearsden	15	£112,469
Uddingston and Bellshill	21	£755,090
Total	1589	£57,847,359

Source: Big Lottery Fund Scotland

Note: Due to the nature of Big Lottery Fund Scotland’s reporting system, distribution of funds is based on the main location of project delivery. Certain areas therefore have larger amounts invested partly because many organisations are based in these constituencies although their projects may be delivered nationally.