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The current Establishment for General Practice is 1184. During 2019 recruitment, 325 General Practice Specialty Training (GPST) posts filled out of a possible 340, achieving the most successful fill rate in five years of 96% .

GPST entails high quality education and training which enables trainees to fulfil and pass all requirements specified within the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) curriculum, which is approved and overseen by the GMC. The curriculum refers to management of the menopause through a range of evidence-based treatments and support for those who require it.

Following completion of GPST, GPs have a professional obligation to undertake continuous professional development to ensure they remain up-to-date and meet GMC requirements in order to retain their license to practice. NHS Education for Scotland (NES) offer a Practice Based Small Group Learning (PBSGL) module on postmenopausal symptoms which covers Hormone Replacement Therapy.

The cumulative impact of a proposed development is one of a number of factors taken into account when determining appeals and also in the examination of proposals over 50 megawatts which are dealt with under the Electricity Act. In relation to planning appeals the Town and Country Planning Scotland Act 1997 sets out that the reporter must make their decision in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The reporter will consider the status of the plan, any emerging policies that may be relevant, any environmental report submitted with the application and views expressed by consultees and other third parties with an interest in the proposal.

Each case is considered on its individual merits.

Any proposal to construct or operate a power generation scheme with a capacity under the threshold of 50 megawatts are made to the relevant local planning authority and require planning permission under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. Proposed developments over 50 megawatts are dealt with under the Electricity Act and the final decision is made by Scottish Ministers. An examination by a reporter from DPEA will normally take place only when the local planning authority object to the proposed development.

Where an application for a proposal under 50 megawatts has been made to the council but the person who made the application doesn't agree with the decision, or the council hasn't made a decision, an appeal can be made to Scottish Ministers in certain instances.

In keeping with the vast majority of appeals a Scottish Government Reporter is appointed to make a determination on Ministers behalf. The Town and Country Planning Scotland Act 1997 sets out that the appointed reporter must make their decision in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The reporter will consider the status of the plan, any emerging policies that may be relevant, and all the evidence submitted by parties involved in an appeal, and make their decision on the planning merits of the case. The reporter will decide what information they require to decide the appeal and whether this can be obtained by way of written submissions or whether a hearing or inquiry session is necessary. In all cases of this type the reporter will carry out an inspection of the site.

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission ( SLCC) is a non-departmental public body responsible for providing the single point of contact with unresolved complaints against lawyers operating in Scotland. It was established under the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007 and came into operation on 1 October 2008, replacing the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman.

The complaints handling process is set out in the SLCC website and can be accessed at the following link https://www.scottishlegalcomplaints.org.uk/ .

Decisions made by the SLCC about service complaints are subject to appeal to the Court of Session on certain grounds. These include:

• Where a complainant believes that the SLCC decision was based on an error of law
• Where a complainant believes that SLCC did something wrong in the way they conducted the complaints procedure
• Where a complainant believes that SLCC exercised their discretion irrationally
• Where a complainant believes that SLCC’s decision was not supported by the facts.

There is a time limit in which appeals are to be made. Appeals must be made within 28 days of a decision by the SLCC unless the Court considers otherwise.

Complaints about the quality of the service provided by SLCC as an organisation are handled separately. These are detailed on the SLCC website at the following link https://www.scottishlegalcomplaints.org.uk/contact-us/complain-about-our-service/ .

These may include:

• Where the complainer believes that the SLCC has treated the complainer unfairly or rudely.
• Where the complainer believes that the SLCC failed to explain things clearly or listened to their concerns properly.
• Where the complainer believes that the SLCC caused unreasonable delays.

Through the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 (Tolerable Standard) (Extension of Criterion) Order 2019, the Tolerable Standard has been amended to include new elements covering fire and carbon monoxide detection. The new standard for fire and carbon monoxide detection will come into force from 1 February 2021, and extends the standard which currently applies in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) to housing of all tenures.

One element of the new standard is that all smoke and heat alarms are to be interlinked. Further information on the standard, including detailed information on its requirements, is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/fire-and-smoke-alarms-in-scottish-homes/ .

In the PRS, private landlords should already be complying with the standard. In the social housing sector, the Fire and Carbon Monoxide Detection Loan Scheme helps registered social landlords cover the cost of meeting the new standard. Loan funding is interest-free, and, to date, over £7 million has been provided.

For owner occupiers, as a general principle, home owners are responsible for the costs of on-going work needed to protect and preserve their own property. As with other housing standards, it will be the responsibility of the homeowner, to meet the new standard. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has been provided with £870,000 to enable the installation of alarms which meet the new standard during their home fire safety visits with vulnerable homeowners.

Local authorities also have broad discretionary powers to provide advice and assistance to home owners with work needed to look after their homes.

The Report of the Independent Review of Legal Services Regulation in Scotland considered what changes may be required to the statutory framework for the regulation of legal services to protect consumer interests and promote a flourishing legal sector.

The Scottish Government response to the Review recognised the differing views with regard to some of the review’s main recommendations. We are now working collaboratively with those in the current regulatory framework, and consumer organisations, to construct a consultation paper which will provide the opportunity to develop a new statutory framework for a modern, forward-looking legal service regulatory and complaint system for Scotland. That consultation will be published in the coming months.

The Scottish Government is also working with the Law Society of Scotland, the Faculty of Advocates and the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission to identify and consider improvements that may be made to the legal complaints system using existing legislative powers. These may require Regulations and we would expect to consult on any proposals to make changes to the legal complaints system with key stakeholders and other interested parties.

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) sets out that planning authorities, in considering proposals for energy infrastructure developments should take account of a range of development management considerations including likely cumulative impacts. SPP recognises that in some areas the cumulative impact of existing and consented energy development may limit the capacity for further development.

As I outlined in my statement, the voucher scheme will launch later this year, providing grants to support businesses and homeowners to access superfast broadband. Anyone who cannot access superfast broadband by the end of 2021 will be eligible for a voucher, regardless of whether or not build through the R100 contracts will ultimately reach them.

Vouchers will offer support to access a range of technologies, and the grant available to individuals will be determined by the technological solutions that are deliverable to the relevant household or business. We will launch an online checker later this year that will provide information at individual premises level, allowing people and businesses to see these details as they pertain to their property.

As the UK Government operates already existing voucher schemes, we are working with UK Ministers and officials to join up our respective funding pots and processes to deliver the most streamlined and effective solution to benefit people, businesses and communities. Our approach will aim to make use of a proven application and payments platform, which is used for the existing UK-wide Rural Gigabit Connectivity programme. Through a synchronised delivery, we can provide a single platform where individuals can access all the information and funding they need to secure connectivity, minimising the potential for confusion and duplication.

The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) has now extended fibre broadband access to over 943,000 premises – around 103,000 more than originally anticipated. Thanks to our success in encouraging take-up of services on DSSB-funded infrastructure resulting in the release of Gainshare funding totalling £38.7M, DSSB will continue deployment well into 2020.

We are also creating an investment climate in Scotland that supports and accelerates commercial deployment of digital infrastructure. We are providing 10 years of rates relief on newly laid and lit fibre – five years more than the UK Government. Emerging plans from the likes of BT, Virgin Media, Vodafone and CityFibre confirm that our approach is working.