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We are aware that there are ongoing challenges around staff recruitment and retention in the social work sector as a whole and more acutely in areas such as the Highlands and Islands.

We have introduced measures to address these challenges under the Improvement Plan that we have developed in collaboration with CoSLA and other key stakeholders.

The Improvement Plan addresses immediate and longer-term recruitment and retention challenges. It includes initiatives such as maintaining a Reserve List of social workers, reviewing pay disparities aligned with a framework that renumerates qualifications and experience, International recruitment and improving access to SW education.

Although, the Scottish Government provides funding to local authorities for social work through the general local government financial settlement. It is up to local authorities to decide how much resource is given to supporting the delivery of social work and social care services, as well as plan their workforce and ensure appropriate levels of staff are in place to provide social services for their residents.

Current proposals for the NCS will include the establishment of a National Social Work Agency (NSWA), which will enable a proactive approach to workforce planning at a national level. A national approach to workforce planning will facilitate to accurately model future demand for services, as well as the resources needed to meet that demand, for example by ensuring an adequate number of social work student placements are maintained.

The creation of the NSWA shows the Scottish Government is determined to address the significant pressures the social work sector faces from increasing workloads, staff shortages and the more complex needs of those they support.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18442 on 13 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

The Police Negotiating Board (PNB) ‘Staff Side' have submitted a pay claim for 2023/24 which contains a request for future pay to be linked to an average pay index. As the PNB process is currently ongoing in relation to the police officer pay claim and in line with PNB protocols, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this time.

The Scottish Government are part of the PNB ‘Official Side’ alongside the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland.

Transport Scotland engages with all the train rolling stock companies on a regular basis to discuss the full range of fleet related topics including hydrogen powered trains.

ScotRail fleet reliability and cleanliness are operational matters for which ScotRail Trains Ltd is responsible. Details of how ScotRail is monitored for its Public Performance Measure (punctuality and reliability) and also how its stations and trains are monitored via Transport Scotland’s Service Quality Incentive Regime (SQUIRE) can be found by accessing the following link:-

Performance & Reliability | Public Performance Monitoring | ScotRail

The Scottish Government is aware of the shortage of drivers for buses, which is exacerbated by BREXIT preventing people from the EU coming here to work freely. We are working with bus operators and key industry stakeholders through the Bus Taskforce – while recognising that many of the levers are reserved to the UK Government.

High Speed Trains are known to be popular with passengers. The Scottish Government has commissioned the Carmont Steering Group to make recommendations concerning the future of the High Speed Trains in Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to train 500 Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) by 2021 was met by August 2021.

A total of 734 nurses have completed their Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Nursing Practice (PG Dip ANP).

This is a matter for individual health boards who are responsible for providing prisoner healthcare. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

To ensure that changes to prison mental health services are evidence-based and person-centred, the Scottish Government commissioned a Mental Health Needs Assessment of Scotland’s prison population which was published in September 2022. It includes estimates of the likely prevalence of several mental health problems in Scotland’s prison population using academic research and modelling from the non-prison population. It estimated that the prevalence of these problems is generally higher for women relative to men, except for alcohol use disorder and depression.

Prior to 2017, reports of alleged illegal fishing held by the Scottish Government were routinely disposed of in line with data protection legislation where – following investigation - no offence was found to have been committed, such reports were otherwise found to be unsubstantiated, or where there were no other legitimate operational grounds for retention.

No information on reports of alleged illegal fishing are therefore held for the period from 1 January 2009 to 25 February 2017 inclusive.

Recognising increased public and parliamentary interest in such information, however, and in compliance with Part 3 of the Data Protection Act 2018 the Scottish Government began the retention of some information relating to reports of alleged illegal fishing on a strictly limited basis.

In line with that, the following table shows the number of reports of alleged illegal fishing made to the Scottish Government between 26 February 2017 and 6 June 2023.