Asylum seekers living in Scotland can access NHS health services and civil legal advice and assistance in the same way as anyone that is ordinarily resident here.

It is for NHS Boards to provide health services that best meet the needs of their local populations from their general funding allocations.

Scotland has a legal aid system that is not cost limited and has a high eligibility rate. Asylum seekers can apply for publicly funded legal assistance under the same eligibility criteria as any applicant facing legal proceedings and their legal status is not a barrier.

The Scottish Refugee Council, which has received funding of £534,000 from the Scottish Government in 2016-17, works with refugees and asylum seekers and can help them to find legal representatives.

The purpose of the new Scotland-wide statutory board will be to drive stronger governance and alignment across a coherent and fully integrated enterprise and skills system which provides the support that businesses and users of the skills system require. Decisions regarding the formation, remit and funding arrangements for this board for will be taken forward during phase two of the review process which began on 1 November. It is therefore not possible to set out at this stage what future budgets may be, as they will be developed in the normal way to meet funding needs and obligations through spending review and annual budget setting processes.

The statistics (available at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/10/2442) indicate that between 2006-07 and 2015-16, the number of recorded domestic abuse incidents in Orkney has increased from 22 per 10,000 population in 2005-06 to 64 per 10,000 population in 2015-16. This increase should be seen within the context of an increase across most local authorities in the same period and the rate per 10,000 population in Orkney in 2015-16 continuing to be well below than the national rate (64 compared to 108).

The Scottish Government is committed to tackling all violence against women and provided an additional £1.85m (2015-18) to Rape Crisis Scotland to enhance specialist support for victims across Scotland and, in partnership with Orkney and Shetland Women’s Aid, open the first-ever rape crisis services in these areas. These two vital support services are working together to raise awareness of domestic abuse in these communities and support victims to have the confidence to come forward and report it.

The Scottish Government is taking action and investing record levels of funding to tackle domestic abuse and violence against women across Scotland. In 2016/17, we have allocated £11.8million towards initiatives to tackle violence against women, including a range of front line services for women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

Last year, the First Minister announced an additional £20million would be invested from the Justice Budget (over 2015-18) to tackle violence against women. We believe that in some cases, people feel more confident about reporting domestic abuse to the Police as they believe action will be taken.

We are committed to strengthening the law in this area through the introduction of a Bill creating a specific offence of domestic abuse in 2016-17. We will continue to take action to prevent and eradicate domestic abuse and all forms of violence against women and girls through the implementation of our strategy, Equally Safe.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital role support services have in raising awareness of domestic abuse in these communities and supporting victims to have the confidence to come forward and report it. That is why we have provided an additional £1.85m (2015-18) to Rape Crisis Scotland to enhance specialist support for victims across Scotland and, in partnership with Orkney and Shetland Women’s Aid, open the first-ever rape crisis services in these areas.

A range of training on mental health, including suicide prevention training, is coordinated by NHS Health Scotland, and is available to a variety of groups including police officers, prison officers, criminal justice social workers and third sector workers regarding their work with women offenders. This includes Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Skills-based Training on Risk Management (STORM) and safeTALK. Further information is available at http://www.smhfa.com/about/index.aspx and http://www.chooselife.net/Training/index.aspx

The National Prisoner Healthcare Network’s workstreams on female offenders, mental health and psychological therapies will provide a range of opportunities for local services to consider the provision of services for women with borderline personality disorders and PTSD. In light of this, the Scottish Government does not intend to implement a separate review of the matter.

The removal of public phone boxes is a reserved issue for which the Scottish Government has no direct role or influence, and which is governed by Ofcom's regulations on BT. The Scottish Government is not consulted on phone box removal and does not hold any relevant data.

The Scottish Government works collaboratively with a range of third sector and community based organisations who provide support and advice to people affected by domestic abuse and or forced marriage. Along with our partners in the Scottish Government facilitated forced marriage network, we have developed and distributed a range of printed and web based information and awareness raising materials which include information and contact details for a range of support organisations. All materials are available in English and in community languages. This ensures that those affected are aware of and understand the protection available and are able to access advice and support as required.

The Scottish Government also funds the Scottish Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage helpline, over £350K for 2016-2017, which is available 24 hours a day to anyone affected by forced marriage or domestic abuse. In October 2016, the Scottish Government announced an extra £665K to expand advice and support services for victims of gender based violence, through the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre.

The removal of public phone boxes is a reserved issue for which the Scottish Government has no direct role or influence, and which is governed by Ofcom's regulations on BT.

BT has indicated to the Scottish Government that it is currently consulting on the removal of 1525 boxes in Scotland but has confirmed that it won’t proceed with the proposed removal if no mobile signal can be detected near the box.