Seòmar agus comataidhean

Both organisations serve different functions. Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd oversees, on behalf of the Scottish Ministers, the delivery of rail services by ScotRail Trains Ltd.

Consideration of the appropriate arrangements concluded the current structure to be consistent with Scottish Government guidance on best practice for governance of such bodies.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15072 on 16 March 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 .

Actions on loss and damage can either avert, minimise or address loss and damage; meaning we can prevent climate impacts by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the severity of climate impacts through adaptative measures or remedy the harm that has been caused. The Scottish Government funding on loss and damage is focused on the latter, that is, addressing the losses and damages by remedying the harm that communities are suffering.

The Scottish Government funding is focused on addressing loss and damage because partner countries have continually stressed that this is an underfunded and underacknowledged area. But our funding also, in addition, lessens future potential impacts. For example following the devastating impacts of Storm Ana and Cyclone Gombe in Malawi, the Scottish Government’s funding has supported the training of 155 artisans in the construction of safer housing using low to medium cost materials. It is expected that, with the advanced knowledge and skill, the artisans will support community members to construct more resilient homes, better able to withstand future climate shocks.

There are 18.8 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) Ophthalmology Consultants employed in NHS Lanarkshire as at December 2022.

There are 12.3 WTE Ophthalmology Consultants employed in NHS Forth Valley as at December 2022.

There is a job profile created for each individual role and this is used to assess the suitability of the candidates.

Job profiles are designed to attract the best people for the roles - high quality candidates with specialist knowledge and qualifications, where required, in relation to specific roles such as Safety and Audit and Risk. It is also important to us that candidates possess strong governance, diversity and leadership skills and a knowledge of constitutional devolution and how it affects public services in Scotland.

There are 586 co-operatives and 195 employee owned businesses in Scotland. Data on these businesses is not collected on a per local authority basis.

Levels of financial support from Co-operative Development Scotland to co-operatives and employee owned businesses in North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Falkirk since 2021 is displayed in the following table.

In 2019, the £500 million investment in bus included reallocation of roadspace on the Glasgow motorway network. The design development and business case work to support infrastructure to improve bus journey time reliability on the M8 through Glasgow and also on the M77 and M80, is currently moving towards completion.

Until this work is completed it is not possible to confirm the exact level of investment that will be required.

The current non-executive directors of Scottish Rail Holdings (SRH) Board were appointed on an interim basis to 31 March 2023. The SRH Board non-executive appointments are non-regulated and there is no stipulation of specific appointment length detailed within the Framework Agreement, however going forward it is anticipated that terms for non-interim appointments will be for up to three years.

The standard tenure of the executive members of the SRH Board is permanent.

In June 2022, as part of a Programme for Government commitment, the Scottish Government published the second iteration of the Honey Bee Health Strategy 2022-2032. This is a comprehensive bee health programme, focusing on both bee diseases as well as the wider issues affecting the Scottish beekeeping community. It aims to achieve a healthy and sustainable population of honey bees in Scotland. The Strategy is accompanied by an Implementation Plan, which details specific actions that are being taken to achieve the Strategy’s aims.

In addition, Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) provides a bee health diagnostic service for analysis and confirmation of bee diseases from samples submitted by beekeepers and Scottish Government bee inspectors. The Scottish Government also provides funding for an Apiculture specialist at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) who provides a support service for beekeepers focussed on disease prevention, good biosecurity and the treatment for Varroa mites.

Other actions include working in partnership with NatureScot to understand the interactions between honey bees, their environment, and other pollinators as well as supporting NatureScot’s ‘Pollinator Strategy for Scotland 2017-2027’.

The Honey Bee Health Strategy 2022-2032 can be found here: Bee Health Improvement Partnership (BHIP) Member Statements - The Honey Bee Health Strategy 2022 - 2032 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The Implementation Plan which accompanies the Strategy can be found here: Scotland’s Honey Bee Health Strategy: implementation plan - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .