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Low Emission Zones regulations provide an exemption for Blue Badge holders, which includes both individual and organisational badges. Throughout the development of Scotland’s Low Emission Zones Transport Scotland have engaged with both the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland, and Disability Equality Scotland organisations to shape how the schemes will work.

Transport Scotland have completed an Equalities Impact Assessment, and held a public and organisational consultation with stakeholders in December 2021. This provided valuable feedback on the development of the National Blue Badge Exemption system, and Transport Scotland continues to work closely with the four local authorities (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow) and Disability Equality Scotland as this system develops.

Transport Scotland will continue to consult with relevant stakeholders, including local authority partners who will be operating the schemes going forward.

Posts are banded locally according to the procedure agreed in partnership. Banding is based on the information in the agreed Job Description, not on job title. A fully qualified and experienced District Nurse would normally be matched to a Band 6 profile, unless they also undertook significant leadership/management or delivered advanced clinical practise. However, information on specific banding outcomes is not held centrally.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07914 on 28 April 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 Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI 210 (15) Staffing) sets out a requirement for care service providers to ensure that at all times suitably qualified and competent persons are working in the care service in such numbers as are appropriate for the health, welfare and safety of service users:

‘A provider must, having regard to the size and nature of the care services, the statement of aims and objectives and the number and needs of service users…ensure that at all times suitably qualified and competent persons are working in the care service in such numbers as are appropriate for the health, welfare and safety of service users.’

Where these requirements are not met, action can be taken by the Care Inspectorate as the regulator of care services in Scotland, including formal enforcement action if necessary.

The Care Inspectorate inspects services to ensure that people experience high-quality care, and that care services are making a positive impact on people’s lives, based on their needs, rights and choices. The Care Inspectorate’s quality framework for care homes for adults and older people includes a Quality Indicator 3.3: Staffing arrangements are right, and staff work well together . This includes the extent to which the skill mix, numbers and deployment of staff meet the needs of people and the service has an effective process for assessing how many staff hours are needed.

The Care Inspectorate retains the discretion to impose conditions about staffing, or any other matter, on any individual care service where that is necessary to ensure people experience high quality care.

Student nurses entering Scottish Government funded degree programmes will increase by 9% in 2022-23, to a total recommended intake of 4536 students. This will be the 10 th successive increase in recommended student numbers, with the intake doubling over the last decade.

Every year, the Scottish Government undertakes a robust nursing student intake planning process to determine the target number of pre-registration students to which Scottish universities should recruit to in the following academic year to meet estimated future nursing workforce demands.

Anti-social behaviour is unacceptable on Scotland's Railway and in wider society. The Scottish Government intends to have discussions with stakeholders about potential routes for banning people who commit anti-social behaviour on railways, including the use of measures available under current antisocial behaviour legislation, and the extent to which any additional powers or offences might be desirable.

I recently met with the Chief Constable of British Transport Police and discussed anti-social behaviour on trains, including the importance of collaboration with Police Scotland, facilitating and encouraging passengers to report incidents of anti-social behaviour as they happen, and aspects of anti-social behaviour on trains linked to football matches.

Abusing or threatening railway workers could lead to prosecution under current legislation, such as section 38 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, or the common law, for example for a breach of the peace. It is considered that primary legislation may be required to create a new offence that involves the threatening or abuse of railway workers specifically and that is something we will wish to explore within our deliberations. Conversations with Justice colleagues are at a preliminary stage and will continue, in tandem with Trade Union consultation, to explore all possible legal options which may be available.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit continues to be delivered by the UK Government who decide which conditions should be prescribed for the purposes of the benefit. Once the Scottish Government commences delivery of Employment Injury Assistance, it will be able to consider which diseases and occupations should be prescribed for the purposes of entitlement.

The Scottish Government will undertake a public consultation on Employment Injury Assistance well in advance of delivery which will consider a range of issues relating to its delivery and administration.

Individuals who are impacted by long COVID may be entitled to Adult Disability Payment, the Scottish Government replacement for Personal Independence Payment, depending on their individual circumstances.

ScotRail’s three-week public consultation provided passengers with the opportunity to have their say on the proposals for ticket office opening hours. The aim of this review, the first of its kind in over 30 years, is to make changes that will ensure the modernisation of Scotland’s stations and offer passengers a more efficient and effective service for the future. ScotRail has already provided assurances there will be no job losses.

Transport Focus – the independent passenger watchdog – was responsible for coordinating the associated consultation, collating responses, and providing its own view on the proposed changes. The Transport Focus findings, and ScotRail's response, were published by Transport Focus on 24 February.

I discussed the proposals when I met with the unions last month and will also discuss them with Transport Focus when we meet after Easter. Following that, I will consider the proposals, alongside the consultation findings and ScotRail’s response to the findings, before making any final decision.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to promoting Fair Work practices throughout Scotland and will continue to press the UK Government for the full set of powers around employment law in order to allow us to fully deliver our Fair Work ambitions, including replacing the National Minimum Wage (NMW) with the real Living Wage as set out in the Fair Work Action Plan. The Scottish Government also supports the abolition of the apprentice rate and a move towards the real Living Wage for all apprentices.

The Scottish Government, as an employer, has an on-going commitment to supporting payment of the real Living Wage in our public sector pay policy in a manner consistent with the terms of the living wage foundation accreditation scheme.

The pay policy applies directly to staff within over 50 public bodies, however the Scottish Government would encourage all public sector workforces to take a similar approach.