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Every death in custody is tragic and a matter for concern. We will carefully consider the findings of this report. The health and wellbeing of all those in custody is a priority for this Government and we continue to work with partners to ensure their safety.

Regarding drug use in custody, the Scottish Government funds a variety of programmes aimed at encouraging recovery. This includes the Prison Recovery Project, which supports access to recovery options and choice in prison, as well as creating links to the community and the Prison to Rehab pathway, which enables individuals to access residential rehabilitation on release from prison.

More broadly, the Scottish Government is supporting a range of actions in relation to deaths in custody: the Scottish Prison Service recently completed a thorough review of their Death in Prison Learning Audit and Review process, designed to improve their support for vulnerable people in their care; His Majesty’s Inspectorate of the Constabulary Scotland has undertaken joint healthcare inspections of police custody facilities, working with Healthcare Improvement Scotland to ensure that health issues are fully considered; and the Mental Welfare Commission recently concluded pilot work to develop a new investigatory system for those who died while subject to an order under mental health legislation.

The Lord Advocate is constitutionally responsible for the investigation of sudden, unexpected and suspicious deaths in Scotland. Any conclusions reached or recommendations made at the end of a Fatal Accident Inquiry are a matter for the Sheriff who has heard all the evidence.

Access to superfast broadband means that there is the availability of superfast broadband infrastructure at a property, delivered either through the R100 programme or commercial deployment, and a superfast broadband service can be ordered.

Any new service – either through fixed, mobile or Low Earth Orbit satellite technology – may require additional infrastructure or equipment such as a fibre optic cable from the nearest connection point, a router, a dish or an aerial to be installed.

Transport Scotland is currently undertaking a 12 week consultation with stakeholders – including communities and ferry operators – on this and other elements noted in the Islands Connectivity Plan. Timescales for implementation will be considered in due course following that engagement.

We have committed to a £1.8 billion investment over the course of this parliamentary term to make our homes warmer, greener and more efficient. This includes an allocation of £350m to heat, energy efficiency and fuel poverty measures in 2023-24, including £119m targeted at fuel poor households. This is delivered through two long-standing energy efficiency programmes – the Area Based Schemes and Warmer Homes Scotland - that have already supported over 150,000 households in or at risk of fuel poverty.

In addition, since the winter of 2020 the Scottish Government has allocated funding for the Fuel Insecurity Fund which has been providing support to households who were at risk of self-disconnection or self-rationing their energy use. Further funding has been allocated for wider fuel poverty action. Among other things, this budget line has supported the costs of the previous non-statutory Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel and our current statutory, Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel.

The following table sets out the allocations towards tackling fuel poverty across the consecutive years from 2020-21 to the draft Budget for 2024-25:

The Scottish Government through its delivery partner Energy Saving Trust (EST) offer a wide range of consumer incentives designed to support individuals and businesses across Scotland transition to net zero models of transport.

We are the only nation in the UK to offer a Used electric vehicle loan which provides interest free loans of up to £30,000 to support the purchase of a used EV. Our charge point infrastructure grants support people and businesses in rural, remote and island locations as well as residents in flatted/factored developments install charge points. Our Plugged-in Communities grant fund provides grant funding to community transport organisations allowing them to procure zero emission vehicles and associated infrastructure to support a wide range of essential community led activities.

The funding to support consumer incentives for 2023-2024 is fully allocated. Currently Transport Scotland officials are considering future levels of funding together with the terms and conditions that support these schemes, with the intention to re-open subject to final considerations. Individuals and businesses can register their interest on the EST website to receive further information - Grants and loans for energy and transport - Energy Saving Trust .

The Low Carbon Transport Loan (LCTL) is administered by Energy Saving Trust (EST) on behalf of Scottish Ministers. The scheme’s terms and conditions require the loan to be repaid over a term of up to 6 years (depending on the loan applied for). EST can recycle loan repayments to fund further loans in order to maximise the value and impact of the loan funding in supporting Scottish drivers make the transition to EVs.

The funding to support the loan for 2023-2024 is fully allocated. Currently Transport Scotland officials are considering future levels of funding together with the terms and conditions that support these schemes, with the intention to re-open subject to final considerations. Individuals and businesses can register their interest on the EST website to receive further information - Used Electric Vehicle Loan - Energy Saving Trust .

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The complex characteristics of our prison population requires SPS to adopt an individualised approach to establishment regimes. Due to these variances, SPS does not record this information.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Any death of an individual whilst in the care of the SPS is a tragedy, irrespective of the cause. Unfortunately, there have been 34 deaths in custody between month 2019 and month 2023 confirmed as drug related, either by postmortem or by a Medical Certificate Cause of Death. This is approximately 16% of deaths in custody. SPS do not record drug category or categories implicated in deaths.

All deaths in custody are subject to a Fatal Accident Enquiry, the findings of which are published on the Scottish Courts website.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS have completed the first stage of a review of Talk To Me, our suicide prevention strategy which was gathering the evidence base. This has included a literature review, User Voice interviews, staff focus groups, an NHS survey and a workshop for families. The next step is to analyse this evidence and formulate recommendations.

Once this is complete, recommendations will be presented to the SPS lead National Suicide Prevention Management Group for consideration and ratification. This group includes a number of experts in the field such as third sector, NHS and Public Health Scotland.

The policy will be aligned with the Scottish Government Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan.

The Scottish Government and NatureScot do not use the term rewilding, since it encompasses such a wide range of activities and can be interpreted in many different ways. The type of information requested is not, in any case, held centrally since individual land-holding public bodies are responsible for the management of their holdings.

Public bodies that own or manage land are encouraged to do so positively for biodiversity, and the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 places a statutory duty on all public bodies to further the conservation of biodiversity when exercising their functions.