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Territorial Boards have been given a general allocation increase of £186 million for 2017-18, an overall average increase over 2016-17 total allocations of 2.1 per cent. This supports additional investment of over £100 million to be directed to Integration Authorities, which will deliver our commitment on the Living Wage and support sustainability in the care sector.

In addition to the figures outlined below, further in-year investment of £128 million will support delivery of service reform.

Special Boards have been given a general allocation increase of 1.1 per cent.

Details of Boards’ revenue resource and capital allocations for 2017-18 are provided in the following tables:

Revenue Resource:

Capital Resource:

In addition to the resource allocations, there will be recurring allocations of
£3.3 million which will be applied to Boards’ baseline budgets in 2017-18.

Further to the capital allocations above, a further £265.7 million held centrally will be used to support infrastructure investment across the sector. This includes the non-profit distributing programme to support the new Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary and the replacement Balfour Hospital in Orkney.

All forms of hate crime and prejudice are completely unacceptable. In schools, we want all children and young people to learn tolerance, respect, equality and good citizenship to address and prevent prejudice. Whilst not specifically about tackling hate crime, promoting positive attitudes amongst children and young people is key to long term prevention.

The Scottish Government takes bullying very seriously, and we are currently refreshing our national approach to anti-bullying (including prejudice based bullying). ’Respect for All’ will help everyone involved in the lives of children and young people to identify and address bullying, including racist, homophobic and abusive behaviour whether it happens online or offline. Teachers, schools, local authorities, youth organisations and sports organisations will be able to draw on this advice when refreshing their anti-bullying policies. The guidance will be published later this year.

In addition, Relationships sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education is an integral part of the health and wellbeing area of the curriculum in Scotland. In 2014 we published guidance on RSHP education in schools that clearly states how important it is that RSHP education addresses diversity and reflects issues relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex young people or children with LGBTI parents, such as same sex marriage and hate crime.

Further to the range of activities set out in my answer to S5W-04629, I announced an independent review of hate crime legislation in Scotland which will consider whether all existing hate crime law, including that which tackles sectarianism, represents the most effective approach for the justice system to deal with criminal conduct motivated by hatred, malice, ill-will or prejudice.

Dr Duncan Morrow's Review of the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Advisory Group on Tackling Sectarianism in Scotland will be published shortly and this will be instrumental in helping to shape funding decisions going forward, which I will announce in due course.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the average lifetime increase in wages for a degree level graduate in Scotland and what the resulting increase in expected tax contribution is.

The percentage of school leavers attaining at least one qualification at SCQF 6 (Higher and equivalents) or better from 1998-99 to 2014-15 is shown in the following table.

Percentage of school leavers with one or more qualification at SCQF level six or better

Police Scotland managed a highly successful surrender campaign for those people who wished to hand in unwanted air weapons prior to the new licensing regime coming into effect on 31 December 2016. Across Scotland, 18,935 air weapons had been handed to Police Scotland between May and the end of December.

These guns were not held illegally prior to 31 December. Since that date, however, anyone who wishes to use, possess, purchase or acquire an air weapon must have an air weapon certificate, unless they are exempt under the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015. The legislation will assist the continuing efforts of the police to prevent and detect gun crime and seek the removal of guns from people who should not possess them.

Prison officers in Scotland are members of the UK-wide Civil Service Pension Scheme. I wrote to the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 8 July 2015 to express my concerns that prison officers are expected to continue working to State Pension Age whilst carrying out frontline operational duties.

Officials from the Scottish Government's Justice Directorate have contacted Ministry of Justice officials to seek an update following the Prison Officers Association’s recent decision in England and Wales to reject the UK Government's offer to lower the retirement age for certain prison officer grades.

Baby boxes will be rolled out nationally from Summer 2017.

In the three years up to 2015-16 the number of amalgam fillings provided under NHS general dental services has decreased year on year from 932,254 in 2013-14 to 887,047 in 2014-15 and 838,296 in 2015-16.

We will continue to support Scottish Canals to work in partnership with the local council and voluntary groups to restore and revitalise the remaining parts of the Monkland canal.

The Scottish Government has provided more than £18m to support infrastructure projects across North Lanarkshire since 2013-14. These projects were aimed at supporting local communities to regenerate the area, create jobs and deliver support for business. This includes two projects in Coatbridge.