Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government has not received any information of this sort from the UK Government. We have made clear in our engagement with the UK Government, including at the Joint Ministerial Committee on European Negotiations which met for the second time on 7 December 2016, that protecting our social and economic interests means staying in the single market. We will present a proposition for discussion with the UK Government shortly, which will be focused on keeping us in the single market even if the rest of the UK decides to leave. The next meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations) will be January 2017.

The Patient Charter clearly sets out patients’ rights and responsibilities and what patients can expect when they use NHS Scotland Services and receive care; that includes the right to be given the information they need in a format or language they can understand.

Although information is not held centrally on the range of different formats offered by NHS Boards in providing accessible information, under the Equality Act 2010, all Boards are required, to provide translation & interpreting services and written material wherever possible and reasonable. All Boards have a published accessibility policy and arrangements in place to support such needs.

A new service from NHS inform, Scotland’s national health information service, further enhances accessibility through the introduction of a new accessibility tool. “Browsealoud” is now available on NHSinform.scot, allowing content to be read aloud, simplified, converted to MP3, magnified, highlighted, or translated into alternative languages.

I visited Malawi from 7-12 October to deepen the close relationship and partnership between Scotland and Malawi, including reaffirming ties with the Government of Malawi as part of the Programme for Government commitment to renew our historic Cooperation Agreement, and to promote Scotland’s role as a good global citizen through our contribution to international development.

I spoke at the closing session of the Malawi Investment Forum 2016 in Lilongwe where I announced £1 million of Scottish Government funding for investment in Malawian businesses, which will be match funded by private investors, providing £2 million in total to invest in Malawi. This funding marks a new chapter in the Scotland-Malawi relationship and is an opportunity to show how responsible investment can make a fair profit, create jobs, grow the economy and reduce aid dependence.

In Lilongwe I met with the Government of Malawi, Minister of Foreign Affairs to discuss continuing to work together to strengthen the relationship between our two governments, to the benefit of both countries, following the consultation on the Scottish Government’s future international development policy. In particular we discussed signing an updated Cooperation Agreement. I also met the Minister for Natural Resources, Energy and Mining to discuss energy in Malawi and reinforce the Scottish Government’s commitment to continuing to support Malawi’s energy access efforts through Scotland’s expertise in renewable energy.

A roundtable event was held for me to meet some of the key representatives working on renewable energy programmes in Malawi, including some involved in Scottish Government funded activity.

At a networking event for Scottish Government funded projects and others hosted by the Malawi Scotland Partnership, the Malawi-led sister organisation of the Scotland Malawi Partnership, which has been funded by the Scottish Government since 2012, I announced further funding for an organisation supporting community-level energy access; Community Energy Malawi to continue, in partnership with University of Strathclyde, their support for Scottish Government funded community energy installations across Malawi.

In Lilongwe, Blantyre and Balaka District I visited a number of projects currently or previously funded by the Scottish Government ranging across health, education, economic development, civic governance and renewable energy themes. This included speaking at a ceremony at the Fistula Care Centre at Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe; officially opening the Chance for Change residential youth facility in Lilongwe, which aims to reduce youth reoffending; in Balaka District hearing first-hand about the impact of the current drought and food insecurity crisis in Malawi in a village Christian Aid delivers a project; visiting Mary’s Meals office in Blantyre for a porridge breakfast to coincide with World Porridge Day 2016 and attending the University of Malawi’s College of Medicine in Blantyre to receive the College of Medicine’s Shield of Honour on behalf of the People of Scotland. Scottish Government funding via the Universities of St Andrews, Edinburgh and Strathclyde has supported building capacity and strengthening teaching and learning at the College, helping to increase the number of medical graduates annually in Malawi from 16 to nearly 100.

Visiting Liwonde National Park, I met with the Country Director for African Parks, an organisation that manage Malawi’s national parks in partnership with the Government of Malawi. They maintain a strong focus on economic development and poverty alleviation of surrounding communities in order to ensure that each park is ecologically, socially, and financially sustainable for the long term. The discussion covered the African Parks' model of social investment in tourism, sustainable livelihoods and conservation and the contribution responsible tourism can make to the wider economy.

Overall the visit strengthened diplomatic relations with Malawi; enhanced collaboration with Malawi on economic growth by supporting increased investment; demonstrated Scotland’s contribution to international development through its unique partnership approach based on civil society links; showcased Scotland’s strengths in renewable energy, education, health and economic development; and promoted Scotland as a good global citizen, continuing to make distinctive contributions in addressing global challenges such as climate change, tackling inequality and sharing our knowledge, skills and technical expertise for global good.

Scotland’s participation in Erasmus+, the EU’s 2014-2020 Education, Training, Youth and Sport Programme, is in line with our aims to promote Scotland as a learning nation and to increase student and staff mobility, and brings strong educational, employability, cultural and economic benefits. Erasmus+ also enables students from Scotland to access commercial loans on favourable terms in order to study postgraduate courses in other member states. Scotland’s preference would be to continue with full participation.

Erasmus+ 2014-2020 is delivered by the British Council with Ecorys under contract to the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) with and on behalf of the four nations of the UK. The Scottish Government has received assurances that the EU Referendum result has no immediate effect on learners, staff or volunteers from Scotland currently abroad under the Erasmus+ scheme or anyone applying for 20160-17. Payments will be made in the usual way. The Scottish Government continues to seek assurances covering the medium and longer term.

The verdict from Scotland’s universities and from the UK’s research bodies could not be clearer – leaving the EU would have potentially devastating effects for Scotland’s higher education sector. The Scottish Government’s starting point is to protect our relationship with, and place in, the European Union. The Scottish Government will publish proposals over the coming weeks that would allow Scotland to stay in the single market and to preserve aspects of our relationship with the EU, even if the rest of the UK is intending to leave.

The power to legislate on the maximum stake permitted on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals is reserved to the UK Government.

On 24 October 2016 the UK Government announced a review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures. The review covers a number of areas including maximum gaming machines stakes and prizes, allocations of gaming machines in licensed premises, and social responsibility measures to minimise the risk of gambling related harm.

The Scottish Government encourages any actions that can help to reduce the harmful impact of problem gambling.

This information is not held centrally.

Officials have had informal discussions with a range of stakeholders to understand any concerns Scottish Governing Bodies have over the UK existing the EU.

This information is not held centrally.