The remaining capital budget for coastal change will be distributed in 2025-26. As in all previous years, it will be allocated via a distribution method agreed by Ministers and COSLA Leaders via the local authority general capital grant. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them.

We are committed to ensuring that people living in Scotland with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and person-centred.

This information is available in the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (“SCTS”) quarterly fines data publication, found on the Official Statistics section of the SCTS website. Official Statistics | Scottish Courts (scotcourts.gov.uk)

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold the information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Scottish Water is able to provide figures for 2022-23 onward, as a new system was introduced then which means that any figures before this would not be comparable, with some data representing reporting anomalies rather than leak repair times. Scottish Water has also advised that these figures do not necessarily relate to customers but are reports into their contact centre of visible leaks. Work to identify and repair some leaks can in some cases be complex in nature or require preparations such as traffic management, notice of roadworks, etc., and there can be cases where the timescales relate to administration of the record as opposed to the leak repair.

For 2022-23, repairs of 4 bursts took over 100 days. For 2023-24, repairs of 8 bursts took over 100 days.

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing the availability of medicines that patients in Scotland need.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the Victim Surcharge Fund broken down in this way.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the Victim Surcharge Fund broken down in this way.

The imposition, collection and enforcement of a victim surcharge mirrors the arrangements for fines subject to some differences set out in the The Enforcement of Fines (Relevant Penalty) (Scotland) Order 2019 (legislation.gov.uk)

The court is required to grant time to pay a victim surcharge – the time allowed is a matter for the sentencer taking account of the circumstances of each individual, but subject to a minimum of seven days. The court cannot impose an immediate term of imprisonment, which it could do for a fine if it could not be paid immediately.

When any relevant penalty has been imposed the court shall make an enforcement order. The order sets out the penalty/payment terms and explains the effect of the enforcement order. The victim surcharge would then be collected and enforced in the same way as any other relevant penalty (including a fine) subject to the provisions of section 253J Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (legislation.gov.uk)of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (“the 1995 Act”).

Section 253H Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (legislation.gov.uk)of the 1995 Act provides that where a court makes a victim surcharge and imposes a fine and/or makes a compensation order, the monies would be applied in the following order:

1.Compensation

2.Victim Surcharge

3.Fine

Following the announcement of funding from the Scottish Government, on 20 September 2023, to build cyber resilience in communities and enable more people across the country to keep themselves safe and secure online;

(a) 961 people participated in Scottish Union Learning workshops, and

(b) over 950 people participated in workshops organised by Community Enterprise.

The Scottish Book Trust (SBT) has a dedicated page on their website providing information on the total number of accredited Reading Schools. The website can be accessed at: https://www.readingschools.scot/map and includes a filter option which enables the total to be broken down by local authority.

That web page confirms that, as of 6 September 2024, there are 505 accredited Reading Schools, with 663 working towards accreditation. All 32 Local Authorities have schools working towards an accreditation and the total number of schools involved in the programme is 1,168.

The most recent Scottish Government statistics on the number of schools in Scotland confirms there are 2,456 schools. This means that approximately 21% of schools are currently accredited and 48% are involved in the programme.