Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Hill, Upland and Crofting Group last met in March 2021 and the work of the group is completed. I am grateful for the work they undertook in very short order which has informed our work on Agricultural Reform, the National Test Programme and issues being considered by the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board.

This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. NHS orthodontic services are provided by independent contractors/high street orthodontists and any management information on waiting times will be held by each practice. There is no central consolidation of this information, nor definition of waits in orthodontics.

Four bids were submitted for Creative Scotland’s recent tender for a partner organisation to deliver ‘Youth-led Arts Funding For Young People’. The successful organisation will be announced early in the new year.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022 requires licensing authorities to maintain and publish a public register of short-term let licences on their website, or other website established for that purpose. The register is required to include a note of the kind and terms of each licence granted by the licensing authority, as well as other information set out in paragraph 13 of Schedule 2 of the Licensing Order.

Licensing authorities are also required to share content of their public register with the Scottish Government on a quarterly basis for statistical analysis purposes. We expect to receive the first quarterly return for processing and analysis early in the new year. This initial return will include data relating to the number of short-term let licence applications received by 31 December 2022, and the status of those applications.

All individuals have a healthcare consultation with an NHS healthcare professional within 24 hours of arrival.

Whilst in prison individuals can self-refer to see the NHS Healthcare team and where needed, SPS staff can also refer prisoners to the healthcare team.

The SPS Drug & Alcohol Strategy, currently under revision, aims to reduce re-offending and drug-related deaths by adopting the principles of recovery to reduce the supply and demand of illegal substances and the harm caused by problematic substance use. The revised Strategy will reflect the national approach to embed Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards across SPS.

The Scottish Government is continuing to consider options for the delivery of a National Towns of Culture scheme. As this progresses, the Scottish Government will consult with the culture and creative sectors and community groups to help inform its decision making.

The regulation of consumer protection is reserved to the UK Government which includes the work of Trading Standards Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not hold the requested information.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12534 on 12 December 2022. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12583 on 12 December 2022. 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

The Scottish Government is currently giving consideration to recommendation 7 of the Inspectorate’s report as part of its work on the planned Criminal Justice Reform Bill and proposals in relation to Independent Legal Representation in respect of section 275 applications.

The Bill will look to deliver reforms building on the Scottish Government’s recent consultation on Improving Victims’ Experiences of the Justice System and recommendations from Lady Dorrian’s Review on Improving the Management of Sexual Offence Cases.