Seòmar agus comataidhean

We are committed to ensuring that police and local authorities continue to have the powers and resources needed to further reduce antisocial behaviour in our communities, including investing in prevention and early intervention.

Criminal Law (Consolidation) Scotland Act 1995 Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004, section 96 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, section 18 - 22 of the Public Order Act 1986 and section 38 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 provide both Police Scotland and local authorities with sufficient existing powers to tackle instances of antisocial behaviour. The Scottish Government continues to support Police Scotland and local authorities in using these powers appropriately and proportionately.

The Scottish Government is always open to looking at how we can improve the approach being taken to tackle antisocial behaviour for the benefit of all communities and we are currently engaging with the Scottish Community Safety Network (which has links into all of Scotland’s local authorities and Community Planning Partnerships) to use their expertise and knowledge to help to inform our approach to tackling antisocial behaviour.

Since the publication of the Women’s Health Plan on 20 th August 2021, there has been progress towards the implementation of some of the short term actions within the Plan. For example, a menopause platform on NHS Inform was launched in October 2021. This is the first phase of work to establish a women’s health platform on the NHS Inform website. A network for menopause specialists in Scotland has also been established and meets regularly.

As noted in the Women’s Health Plan, an update will be published annually to detail progress made towards the implementation of the actions included within the Plan. It is also planned to produce an implementation report in 2024 - 25 to describe progress made in the time since August 2021, analyse the impact of the Plan and consider lessons learned.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) are currently engaged with criminal justice partners, including the Police Service of Scotland, Transport Scotland and the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service to develop relevant infrastructure and guidance for the possible introduction of Speed Awareness Courses in Scotland.

The possible introduction of Speed Awareness Courses in Scotland requires enabling legislation. The United Kingdom Government has introduced the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which is currently being considered by the House of Lords. The Bill includes provision for police forces in England and Wales to recover costs from drivers who are the subject of a road traffic diversionary courses.

Whilst the Bill does not include substantive provision to allow Police Scotland to recover costs from drivers, the Bill makes provision for the Secretary of State to make such provision for Scotland, similar to that provided for in England and Wales, by statutory instrument. Any such provision by statutory instrument would require to be made following passage of the Bill.

The Electricians Working Group is expected to meet once the Scottish Government’s response to the consultation is published and will discuss that response.

The Electricians Working Group last met on 29 October 2019 and discussed the proposed consultation on the regulation of electricians and on increasing consumer awareness about the use of electricians. Minutes of all meetings of the Electricians Working Group are available at https://www.gov.scot/groups/electricians-working-group/ .

On the 2 October 2019, my predecessor confirmed that the Scottish Government would introduce legislation in this parliamentary session to entitle all children whose school start is deferred to access funded early learning and childcare in their deferred year.

The legislation required, an affirmative Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, was laid on 7 December 2020.

Last year, to progress the implementation of this policy and allow us to develop an evidence base for our evaluation, five pilot authorities were funded to offer an additional year of funded ELC to all children who choose to defer entry to primary 1. These authorities were: Angus, Argyll and Bute, Falkirk, Scottish Borders and Shetland Islands.

To allow us to expand our evaluation of the impact of the legislation, five additional authorities have been selected to receive funding to implement this policy from August 2022.

These authorities will be: Aberdeen City, Clackmannanshire, Fife, Glasgow City, and Stirling. The Scottish Government has committed £8.9 million to support this early implementation.

The evaluation of the experience in pilot authorities is being undertaken to monitor the impact of the policy, inform assessment of likely uptake of the entitlement and inform wider implementation of this legislation.

The Scottish Government will publish its official response to the Independent Review into the Delivery of Forensic Mental Health Services today, 29 October 2021.

The Scottish Government is already working with partners to address the recommendations of the review. A Short Life Working Group is being established which will bring together key partners, to agree a clear plan for addressing the recommendations of the Independent Review aimed toward increased support for planning, collaboration and improvement of forensic mental health services in Scotland.

The group will not revisit the work of the Independent Review but will consider how best to address the issues that are already set out in the Review reports. It will be strictly time limited, with an expectation of its work concluding early in 2022.

We are committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with Cerebral Palsy are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from services that are safe, effective and put the person at the centre of their care.

Over the next five years the Scottish Government will invest £4.5 million of funding to implement the aims and commitments of the Neurological Care and Support – a National Framework for Action . These aims include improving the provision of co-ordinated health and social care and support for people with neurological conditions to live on their own terms. Through the Framework, we have supported a number of projects that provide support to patients in order to improve access to services, including cerebral palsy.

NHS Boards are expected to ensure that patients, including those who require cerebral palsy services, have access to a range of professionals to provide the appropriate management of their condition. We would further expect clinicians to have good awareness of guidance relevant to their practice area and apply these taking account of individual circumstances and discussions with the patient, including considering regular reviews for people with cerebral palsy, tailored to their needs and preferences.

We will continue to work with NHS, third sector partners and people with Cerebral Palsy to drive up standards of care.

The Scottish Government has committed to delivering a new deal for tenants and to consulting on the options, deliver legislation and implementing an effective national system of rent controls by the end of 2025.

Our aim is to ensure quality, affordability and fairness for everyone who rents their homes and we will set out our proposals for taking this work forward in our forthcoming rented sector strategy which we aim to publish for consultation by the end of this calendar year.

Tenant participation is at the heart of our work to develop the Strategy and we are working in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Tenants Information Service and the Tenant Participation Advisory Service, as well as existing tenant groups, to understand tenants’ lived experiences and hear their views.

Alongside the views of tenants and stakeholders who respond to the consultation on the strategy, we will consider a wide range of information, evidence and expert views on rent controls, including examining international comparisons, to inform the policy development of this important area of work.

Vitamin D status is measured annually as part of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS).

The latest report is available at: NDNS: results from years 9 to 11 (2016 to 2017 and 2018 to 2019) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Scottish Government is not currently undertaking research to assess levels of vitamin D deficiency in the general population, including in relation to deprivation.