Seòmar agus comataidhean

The support shown by the people of Scotland to those fleeing the illegal war in Ukraine has been heart-warming and we appreciate those who have registered their interest in welcoming displaced people under the UK’s Homes for Ukraine scheme.

All 32 of our local authorities are taking part in this programme, and hosts have offered up their homes under the Super Sponsor scheme in each area. We have contacted people who registered their interest, and continue to contact new prospective hosts, to find out if they want to make their offer of accommodation available to people with a Scottish super sponsor visa.

In line with guidance from the Office for Statistics Regulation we are obliged to ensure that data are of sufficient quality for publication and we are currently quality assuring this data before publication.

The valuation of all non-domestic property, including sites of ATMs, is a matter for the Scottish Assessors who are independent of local and Scottish Government.

We are aware that Assessors have been considering the valuation of ATM sites and recently concluded that in most retail premises it is likely that such sites will be deleted from the Valuation Roll. Assessors are now commencing the process of identifying the ATM sites this will apply to.

Where a property is removed from the Valuation Roll, the ratepayer will be entitled to a refund of any overpaid rates back to the effective date of deletion.

This information can be found in the amended Final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment which was published on 15 December 2021. You can access this report here: A Deposit Return Scheme for Scotland: Final Business Regulatory Impact Assessment - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Changes to the response to automatic fire alarm signals are an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

SFRS will work closely with duty holders to prepare for the change of response which will be implemented in April 2023.

Current build plans indicate that R100 contract build in the ML3 7XW postcode area is expected to be completed by 30 June 2022. However, as with all large infrastructure projects, these timescales can be subject to change, due to factors outwith our control.

In cases where timescales have to change, we will update the online checker at www.scotlandsuperfast.com as soon as possible.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service statistics are publicly available on the services website: https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/about-us/who-we-are/statistics/ , where context on the figures is provided.

Since 21 July 2021 representatives of the small brewing sector have met the Scottish Government on a number of occasions to discuss Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS); most recently, representatives of the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) discussed DRS with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy on 24 March 2022.

SIBA is also a member of the DRS System-Wide Assurance Group, which ensures that the views of small brewers continue to be heard as industry implements our DRS.

Mental health and psychosocial support is an integral part of care for people who suffer from cystic fibrosis and the Scottish Government continues to invest in the mental health workforce to increase its capacity and capability. NHS Scotland’s Mental Health Nursing, Psychology and Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) staffing numbers were at a record high on 31 March 2022. The number of psychology staff has doubled (105.9%) and the number of staff within CAMHS has almost doubled (95.6%).

Our overall investment includes £9 million in 2021-22 for psychological services to grow the applied psychology and psychological therapies workforce. Further funding will be provided for 2022-23 to support services to provide psychological care to all clinical areas of care detailed in the psychological services and therapies standard.

The Scottish Government has committed to develop a long term Mental Health Workforce Plan in the first half of this Parliament to ensure that, by 2026, 10% of frontline NHS budget is invested in mental health with 1% directed specifically for children and young people.

More broadly, the Scottish Government is committed to working to improve outcomes for people with rare conditions, including Cystic Fibrosis. We are developing an Scottish Action Plan for Rare Disease based on the four priorities of the UK Rare Disease Framework: faster diagnoses, increased awareness, better care co-ordination, and access to specialist treatments and care.

Recruitment and staffing numbers are an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service statistics are publicly available on the services website: https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/about-us/who-we-are/statistics/ , where context on the figures is provided.