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The review has now been completed and the report is currently being finalised. Following this, the report will be published later in 2023.

All grant funding allocated from the drugs policy division is subject to Scottish Government’s robust grant management process, outlined in the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM). The Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) provides guidance on the proper handling and reporting of public funds.

The SPFM also provides guidance on appraisal and evaluation techniques and procedures. The Green Book, Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government published by HM Treasury provides more detailed guidance on the principles, techniques and procedures applicable in relation to appraisal and evaluation.

The Scottish Government does not stipulate that private companies have to offset carbon emissions.

As Circularity Scotland is a private company, we therefore did not make any stipulation to them that they must offset any such emissions.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18980 on 21 June 2023. 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18980 on 21 June 2023. 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

Work is underway now and the current timescale for development completion of the SEEMiS Early Years IT platform is Jan-Mar 2024. The actual system “go live” date is yet to be decided, with an options appraisal currently underway and scheduled for Project Review Board consideration over summer 2023.

As 7 June, over 670 producers responsible for more than 2 billion drinks containers, representing 95% of products sold in Scotland had registered with Circularity Scotland.

This represented the full range of drink producers from global brands to small craft breweries and distilleries.

The Scottish Government will be undertaking an economic evaluation as part of our multi-year strategy for evaluating the impact of the expansion of funded early learning and childcare (ELC) to 1,140 hours on outcomes for children, parents and families. The purpose of an economic evaluation is to compare the value of the outcomes of a policy to the overall costs of that policy, in order to determine the value for money of the programme. Details of the economic evaluation approach were published in section 6 of our Evaluation Strategy published in October 2022. Work on the economic evaluation will begin in 2023 and the final phase of this work is due to be completed in late 2025 – to allow the information from the Scottish Study of Early Learning and Childcare (SSELC) to be used in the economic evaluation.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18944 on 21 June 2023. 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

Childminding Development Officers (CDOs) are employees of the Scottish Childminding Association (SCMA) who work with Local Authorities where contracts exist between the relevant Local Authority and the SCMA.

The SCMA currently employ 9 CDOs, two of whom are Senior CDOs, spanning 9 Local Authority areas, including; Aberdeen, Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Lothian.