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The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested, as responsibility for managing Police Scotland’s call handling system, including for non-emergency 101 calls, rests with the Chief Constable.

Police Scotland publish performance data, including for the non-emergency 101 service, on their website at Call Handling Reports 2023 - Police Scotland . The average wait time for non-emergency 101 calls in the last 6 months is below.

Police Scotland has advised that when there is a surge in 999 calls they will re-prioritise Advisors from non-emergency (101) calls and emails as they aim to answer 999 calls under 10 seconds. Therefore there is a direct link between increase in 999 volumes and the average speed of answer for 101 non-emergency calls performance. As shown below, the months where there has been a notable increase in Police Scotland’s average answer times for 101 is as a direct consequence of aiming to achieve an average speed of answer of under 10 seconds for 999 calls. The average speed of answer for 999 calls for the same period is also below.

There has been a significant change in the contact volume profile (999, 101, Other Emergency Service calls and Contactus E-Mails) being experienced by the Police Scotland Service Centre following the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes sustained annual growth in 999 call volumes which have risen by 34% since 2018. This year there has been an increase of 18% in January to June when compared to 2022; with May and June increases of 25% and 37% respectively in 999 calls compared with the same month the previous year.

101 average speed of answer – Jan to July 2023

In the last 3 years surface dressing has been used in 5 locations on the Trunk Road Network. These locations are:

• A76 Bargower (South of Kilmarnock)
• A701 Boreland (North of Dumfries)
• A75 Hetland Hall (Between Annan and Dumfries)
• A75 Kinmount (Between Annan and Dumfries)
• A75 Bladnoch (West of Newton Stewart)

Scottish Government is aware of community concerns and Scottish Forestry attended a public consultation drop in event held in Langholm on 4 th May this year, which was arranged by the land owners and their forestry agents with encouragement to do so by officials.

As a result of the drop in session, the proposal which is being developed by Gresham House Forestry on behalf of James Jones and Sons, a private sector sawmilling company, will incorporate ideas and suggestions provided by the local community. It is expected that Sitka spruce, in the final design, will amount to only 25-35% of the total area, with the rest of the tree planting being designed to incorporate other diverse conifer species, native broadleaves and open unplanted ground. In addition, more than 40 % of the area will be retained for agricultural purposes, with the protection and incorporation of existing and new footpaths and public access routes.

The Scottish Government has recently published refreshed guidance on community engagement and consultation in relation to forestry plans and proposals. The purpose of the guidance is to provide greater clarity around the existing engagement and consultation processes during the development and approval of woodland creation schemes, including commercial forestry projects. The document outlines why community engagement and consultation is important, the processes involved in the development and approval of forestry plans and proposals, roles and responsibilities, and the opportunities for communities to be involved in the development of those plans.

Furthermore, the UK Forestry Standard sets out the technical requirements that applicants developing woodland creation schemes, funded under the Forestry Grant Scheme, should meet in terms of opportunities for the new woodland to enhance landscape and biodiversity opportunities and how to mitigate impacts. These requirement also include the need for detailed wildlife, habitat and landscape surveys and assessments where appropriate.

Hospitals are expected to provide parents with access to accommodation on site if needed. In addition the Young Patients Family Fund provides reimbursement for costs of travel, subsistence and accommodation for the eligible parents, carers and/or siblings (aged under 18) of child inpatients. In the previous two financial years more than £3.7M was paid to families visiting children in hospital via the fund. More information about the fund, including how to apply can be found on the Scottish Government website Young Patients Family Fund - mygov.scot

Transport Scotland consider all enquiries regarding harbour orders, and provide feedback for applicants to consider how the requirements of becoming a Statutory Harbour Authority could be met. Transport Scotland officials have corresponded with and provided advice to the Annan Harbour Action Group at various junctures over the last 3 years and continue to correspond with the Group on its proposals.

Dwelling types including flats are covered by the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme. Domestic Energy Assessors will carry out a survey of the home and recommend suitable improvements which can include insulation measures such as loft insulation, wall insulation and draft-proofing. The improvements offered to the homeowner will depend on the survey results of the home and what room it is in the property. Where there is a roof above the ceiling it will be loft insulation that is offered, subject to access and suitability. Where a flat roof is present, internal wall insulation (IWI) can be applied if appropriate and recommended by the Domestic Energy Assessor. This measure is only offered in habitable rooms (e.g. bedrooms or living rooms).

The National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group (NSPLG) has made very strong progress in delivering the suicide prevention action plan, Every Life Matters . NSPLG’s final annual report published in October 2022 and can be found here . Delivery has been maintained since October, including focussed work on improving responses for people in suicidal crisis, using the principles of Time, Space and Compassion.

The delivery of Every Life Matters has created an excellent platform to drive forward Creating Hope Together - our ambitious new strategy and action plan , which the Scottish Government published with COSLA in September 2022. The evidence and support for Every Life Matters actions means we are continuing to deliver on those actions as part of our ongoing work.

The Scottish Government and COSLA published our suicide prevention delivery priorities for 2023-24 on 28 June 2023. These were shaped through stakeholder discussions and a range of evidence, including views from people with lived experience of suicide.

a) Into Headship

The Scottish Government provided grant funding to Higher Education Institutions to deliver the Into Headship programme, as set out in the following table. This funding was not allocated to local authorities, therefore we do not hold a breakdown by local authority.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is part of the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS). SCTS is an independent body corporate and does not answer directly to the Scottish Government (SG). Instead, it is directly answerable to its board, chaired by the Lord President.

OPG advise that they continue to fund a dedicated taskforce to reduce the time taken to process PoA applications. They have commenced a programme to develop a new case management system, which will provide greater online capability and greater effectiveness in PoA registrations.