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Section 41 of The UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 (“the Continuity Act”) required Scottish Ministers to review and prepare a report on the following matters:

• whether the provisions of this Chapter have ensured that there continues to be effective and appropriate governance relating to the environment following the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU,
• whether the law in Scotland on access to justice on environmental matters is effective and sufficient, and
• whether and, if so, how the establishment of an environmental court could enhance the governance arrangements.

The Report into the Effectiveness of Environmental Governance Arrangements was published on 1 June. The subsequent consultation on the Report was launched on the 2 June and closed on the 13 October.

The Scottish Government is currently considering the responses made to the consultation on the Report, and as required by s41 of the Continuity Act will publish a response to Parliament, including recommendations in response to the views raised in the consultation.

The Scottish Government is committed to providing accessible CAMHS services for children and young people who are deaf.

The CAMHS National Service Specification states that all children and families should receive support and services that are accessible and meet their needs. It is essential that the Scottish Government and CAMHS services engage with the deaf community and representative organisations to ensure we understand how services could better meet their needs.

As part of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board, the Scottish Government engaged with stakeholders including the National Deaf Children’s Society and representatives with lived experience to understand their needs which are being considered in future planning.

We are continuing to provide local authorities with £15 million per annum to fund community-based mental health supports for children and young people, including targeted provision for those in at-risk groups and a systematic focus on those with protected characteristics.

The Cabinet Secretary and myself have had no discussions with the Scottish Ambulance service since their appointment regarding neonatal transport. The Scottish Ambulance Service and ScotSTAR are members of the Perinatal Sub Group that conducted the Options Appraisal report and continue to be closely involved through that forum in discussions about implementation. The Best Start recommended that a review be undertaken to look at the staffing model for the neonatal transport service and funding was provided by the Scottish Government to the Scottish Ambulance Service to take this forward.

The Scottish Government provides £29m support across a range of Gaelic and Scots organisations, whose activities include the provision of Scots and Gaelic language materials but is not all they do. For Scots, grant funding is provided to the following organisations: Association of Scottish Literary Studies, Scottish Book Trust, Scots Hoose, Scots Radio, Scots Language Centre, Dictionaries of the Scots Language, Yaldi Books and the Doric Board. For Gaelic, grant funding is provided to Storlann, Bòrd na Gidhlig, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Local Authorities, E-sgoil, Tobar an Dualchais, Keep Scotland Beautiful, University of Edinburgh, and MG Alba for Speak Gaelic and Film G.

The appearance of nitazenes and other synthetic opioids in the drug supply has been a concern for Scottish Government for some time. Public Health Scotland issued an alert regarding nitazenes in January 2023 and the UK Government have since issued a similar alert. Following the issuing of these alerts, we are working alongside colleagues across the UK to identify areas for collaborative working with the various UK administrations, national police forces and the National Crime Agency.

Nitazenes are extremely potent opioid receptor agonists, however, naloxone is still effective in the treatment of any overdose. This is why we have invested over £3 million in widening access to naloxone, making it easier for people to access and supporting Police Scotland and our other emergency services to carry kits.

Recognising the global challenge around the appearance of new synthetic opioids, the Minister for Drug and Alcohol Policy and members of the Scottish Governments National Mission Oversight Group on Drugs are meeting with international colleagues to hear about their experience of dealing with the appearance of fentanyl and synthetic opioids in the drug supply, and their response, in early November. A further meeting is being organised to discuss operational level issues with international colleagues and Scottish drug service delivery providers.

Having reliable data about substances of concern in the drug supply is key and is why we have supported Public Health Scotland to establish the RADAR (Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response) system. We also continue to progress plans with local partners to establish drug checking facilities as this will also provide up-to-date information about the substances in the drug supply.

Restoring and enhancing our marine environment is vital if we are to meet our ambition to halt and reverse biodiversity decline and become Nature Positive by 2030. Scotland is unique in that most of the restoration projects in our waters are community-led, and our coastal communities, in many cases with support and funding from the Scottish Government, are rightly at the forefront of these new projects. These initiatives, alongside the protection to biodiversity already given by our MPA network, will contribute to our goals as set out in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. The Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund is also supported by Scottish Government, Crown Estate Scotland and NatureScot to leverage public and private investment towards projects that recover, restore or enhance the health of marine and coastal habitats and species across Scotland. Since 2021, SMEEF has distributed £3.3 million to 50 projects around our coasts and seas. Many of these projects are new or in early stages of development, demonstrating that the Fund acts as a key pipeline investor for this emerging sector. Alongside grant funding, SMEEF also provides guidance, and has recently published a new toolkit to help communities and groups wishing to undertake marine restoration projects understand best practice as well as regulatory requirements.

The rise in the prison population is driven by a complex set of factors, including the court backlog caused by reduced court capacity over the pandemic. Progress has been made in reducing this backlog through the justice recovery fund. This has allowed an increase in court business resulting in the fall of the number of outstanding scheduled trials by a third since last January. Other factors include the increase in average sentences imposed for certain offences and growth in the number of serious sexual offence and domestic abuse cases prosecuted in the courts. While both arrivals and departures increased over the first 8 months of the year, arrivals outpaced departures, resulting in a rising population. As the outlook for the population remains highly uncertain the Scottish Government continues to monitor it.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving terms and conditions for the adult social care workforce, both through our current work and the development of a National Care Service.

The Scottish Government is working through the relevant issues on terms and conditions, including SSSC fees, in partnership with stakeholders. This joint consideration will include looking at priorities and affordability on various options and whilst we cannot provide a timetable on concluding the work we will endeavour to update the sector as soon as is practically possible.

A post-mortem examination may require to be instructed by the Procurator Fiscal to determine the cause of death, to ensure the circumstances surrounding the death are fully investigated and to exclude criminality.

When a death is reported to the Procurator Fiscal, it may not be possible to determine from the facts and circumstances known at that time whether the death is suspicious. That may only be possible when the results of further enquiries – such as the findings of a post mortem examination – are known.

A post mortem examination conducted by two pathologists will be instructed where there are grounds for believing that a criminal prosecution is likely and there is a reasonable belief that a charge requiring a corroborated cause of death will follow. Of the 4,460 post mortem examinations instructed by COPFS from 1 January 2023 to 31st August 2023, 130 of those were conducted by two pathologists.

We recognise that hygiene related needs in Gaza are acute. However, it is generally accepted as good practice to defer to the expertise of local humanitarian organisations that are best placed to assess and prioritise needs.

We have consulted with a number of UN agencies and international non-governmental organisations operating in Gaza who have also indicated a preference for sourcing locally.

This is why the Scottish Government has no plans at present to donate period products. Instead, we are providing £500,000 towards the United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s flash appeal in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. These funds will support the immediate food, health, shelter and protection needs of people seeking safety.

With the escalation of violence, the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza is extremely challenging. A ceasefire from all sides is urgently needed to allow the creation of a secure and sustained humanitarian corridor to ensure the protection of innocent civilians, and the delivery of essential supplies including food, fuel, water, and medical provisions.