In 2022-23 Larkhall and District Volunteer Group have received:

• £108,467 from our Plugged-in Communities fund to support the purchase of a zero emission community transport vehicle, we also provided a grant of £1,999 from our EV infrastructure fund which supported the purchase and installation of electric vehicles infrastructure to support the new vehicle.
• They have successfully applied for £5,704 in continued support from the Open Fund for their Shopping Buses project, delivery of which will extend in to 2023/24.
• They have also claimed £3,259.30 through the Network Support Grant.

The Scottish Government holds some of the information asked for and this has been provided in the following table.

Table - The number of Significant Adverse Event Reviews commissioned for a Category I event – data held by Scottish Government .

The information has been provided with the following caveats:

• This table shows Category I adverse events receiving a Level 1 review, or Significant Adverse Event Review (SAER), as reported to Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) through the national notification system. This does not include ‘never events’ (defined as: “serious, largely preventable patient safety incidents that should not occur if relevant preventive measures have been put in place”).
• It covers the period January 2020 to February 2022. Prior to this date, this information was not collected centrally.
• The Scottish Government does not routinely request the information from HIS. Further information will be held by HIS.

Data on SAERs commissioned before January 2020 will be held by individual NHS Health Boards.

The Scottish Government is developing a new Palliative and End of Life Care Strategy, which aims to ensure that everyone in Scotland receives well co-ordinated, timely, and high quality palliative care based on their needs and preferences including support for families and carers. We have appointed a National Clinical Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care to drive this, supported by a Clinical and Practice Advisory Group and a wide-reaching Strategy Steering Group. The Steering Group is currently reviewing the information and evidence we have and need to develop the strategy, including mapping services and support across Scotland across all care settings including people’s own homes. We will develop a strategy that reflects what matters to people experiencing serious illness, dying and bereavement, and are therefore also reviewing the information and evidence we have about people’s experiences of palliative and end of life care, and bereavement, in order to inform our strategy going forward.

The Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) has advised that the following centres offer the National Progression Award (NPA) in Beekeeping at SCQF Level 5.

a): Schools

• Annan Academy (Dumfries & Galloway)

• Dalkeith HS (Midlothian)

• Garnock Community Campus (North Ayrshire)

• Keith GS (Highland)

• Kelso HS (Borders)

• Mearns Academy (Aberdeenshire)

• Oban HS (Argyll & Bute)

• Peterhead Academy (Aberdeenshire)

• St John Ogilvie HS (South Lanarkshire)

• St Ninian’s HS (East Renfrewshire)

• Stirling HS (Stirling)

• Tain Royal Academy (Highland)

• The Berwickshire HS (Borders)

• Trinity HS (Rutherglen) (South Lanarkshire)

(b): Colleges

• Borders College

• Inverness College UHI

(c): Training providers

• Nil

The Scottish Government thanks all those who submitted proposals in response to the Climate Just Communities invitation to tender. The Scottish Government anticipates announcing the contract winner early into next financial year.

Up to £24 million will be awarded from the Climate Justice Fund (CJF) to the Climate Just Communities programme, making it the largest programme launched under the CJF. This will be split across the three countries of Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia through three separate contracts equalling up to £8 million each over 3 years.

Details of the number of candidates awarded SCQF Level 5 National Progression Award in Beekeeping between 2018 and 2022, broken down by Education Authority are set out in the following table:

The Scottish Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development met with the UK Minister for Development and Africa on 15 March, where they discussed a number of key international development issues including climate justice. In particular, in relation to loss and damage, the Bridgetown Initiative and the Scottish Government’s recently published report , Practical Action for Addressing Loss and Damage were covered. Additionally, Scottish Government officials meet on a semi-regular basis with UK Government officials to discuss international climate change matters, including loss and damage.

The Scottish Government’s funding for addressing loss and damage is supporting work in several countries including, although not exclusively, Malawi, Bangladesh and the Pacific. The majority of the initial £2 million committed to loss and damage has already been spent on the ground supporting communities or delivering important research to help close the knowledge gaps on loss and damage. Our funding is paid in quarterly arrears and some of the remaining funds will be spent on these programmes by the end of this financial year in March 2023, including projects in Malawi supported by the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund and the Climate Justice Resilience Fund. However, some projects will continue until December 2023, including work by International Centre for Climate Change and Development on integrating loss and damage into national framework in Malawi and Zambia. The Scottish Government will aim to publish a report once the programmes supported by the initial £2 million have concluded, which will detail the outcomes and impact of the funding.

The loss of a baby, no matter at what stage of pregnancy, is a significant and traumatic event for women and their families. The Scottish Government is committed to delivering high-quality, sensitive bereavement care and support, and has provided funding to Sands UK to develop the National Bereavement Care Pathways in Scotland. The pathways are currently being piloted in 9 Health Boards in Scotland, and the remaining Boards will join later this year. A link to the National Bereavement Care Pathway can be found here: Home | SANDS (nbcpscotland.org.uk)

Scottish Government grant funding is also provided to a range of other third sector pregnancy and baby loss organisations who provide care, advice and support to women and families. Baby Loss Retreat, who offer 2 days respite for families who have experienced pregnancy or baby loss, has successfully applied for funding over the last 3 years.

The First Minister has announced that a Memorial Book of Pregnancy and Baby Loss Prior to 24 weeks will launch this Summer. Along with an entry in the book, there will also be a commemorative certificate, which is intended to give recognition and comfort to those who want to record their loss. The service is free of charge and will be entirely voluntary.

The Scottish Parliament approved the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations in 2020. The Regulations are wholly within devolved competence. There is an agreed and published process between UK Government and devolved governments for excluding certain areas from the UK Internal Market Act.

We have been following that process for excluding the deposit return scheme regulations from the Internal Market Act and this has been the subject of discussion with the UK Government for many months. I will keep Parliament updated on the exclusion process.

On single-use vapes, we expect Zero Waste Scotland to submit its report on the review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes in May, and we will consider its findings. Should our preferred course of action require an exclusion we will follow the agreed process.