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The Scottish Government was informed by Perth and Kinross Integrated Joint Board of the conclusion of the options appraisal on the redesign of general adult psychiatry and learning disability services and the intention to move to consultation on 27 January 2017.

NHS Tayside continues to fill all vacant Consultant posts in Mental Health with appropriately trained qualified locum Consultant staff. NHS Tayside also has an active and on-going recruitment process in place aimed at targeted opportunities to recruit Consultant Psychiatrists to Tayside both in the UK and from abroad.

A formal consultation on the future shape and provision of mental health services within the Tayside region will be launched on 3 July 2017. Whilst this is taking place, Integration Joint Boards along with NHS Tayside will continually review the temporary arrangements which are in place at the Mulberry Unit at each change over in medical staffing. The staffing levels are not currently sufficient to allow a return to Strathcaro Hospital and this will be reviewed again when the next medical staffing change over takes place later in 2017.

Assistance with travel expenses relates principally to patients on benefits. Following implementation of the contingency arrangements for the Mulberry Unit currently situated in Carseview Centre, Dundee; a caveat has been put in place where families are entitled to apply for assistance on an individual basis through the existing scheme for patient reimbursement. Information on this scheme and how to apply is available on the NHS Tayside website.

Local arrangements have also been put in place with Voluntary Action Angus which is providing patients and carers of the Mulberry Unit, access to 5 vehicles. This will see volunteers support people who face challenges in using public transport and do not have access to alternative transportation; which will allow them to attend important meetings and appointments.

There were 12 patients who transferred to Mulberry Unit in February 2017. All patients admitted to inpatient psychiatric units require the degree of input to understand, assess and treat their condition that is only available as an inpatient. In-patient admissions are generally short with patients being discharged and treated in the community as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so.

The recording and management of sickness absence for police officers is a matter for Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.

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The recording and management of sickness absence for police officers is a matter for Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.

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Our Fairer Scotland Action Plan sets out 50 concrete actions that we will take to tackle poverty and inequality. These include the Child Poverty Bill, currently at Stage 2, with ambitious targets to reduce and eradicate child poverty and establishing a Poverty and Inequality Commission to provide expert advice on tackling poverty.

These and many other positive measures are happening against a backdrop of challenging welfare cuts and austerity measures from the UK government. We have already invested over £350 million since 2013-14 to mitigate these unnecessary and punitive cuts and to support low income families.

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing the participation of underrepresented groups in the labour market and the haulage industry. We recently announced the Workplace Equality Fund to reduce employment inequalities and barriers to employment, particularly in relation to recruitment and progression practices. The fund will support delivery of the Scottish Government's Race Equality Framework. Businesses can apply to the Fund when it opens for applications in late Summer.

In addition, SDS, working with Road Haulage Association (RHA) and key partners, commissioned a review of the labour market issues relating to the shortage of drivers within the Scottish Transport Network. The resulting report (Development of Action Plan to Address Shortage of Drivers in Scotland’s Transport Network) provided a number of recommendations, along with an action plan to tackle the identified skills supply and demand issues. SDS are currently scoping a pilot approach with training provider partners to encourage people from ethnic minority backgrounds and young women to consider applying for opportunities in the HGV sector.

The Development of Action Plan to Address Shortage of Drivers in Scotland’s Transport Network Report identified that industry must take an active role in addressing the identified issues. In response a stakeholder group has been established to consider the report’s recommendations and met for the first time on 22 June. Industry trade associations are already taking action to address the skills shortage in the sector through campaigns such as the ‘National Lorry Week’ and ‘She’s RHA’

Along with other north east road safety stakeholders, we regularly meet with Aberdeenshire Council and others to discuss and refresh the North East Road Casualty Reduction Strategy. At this forum, all stakeholders are focussed on casualty reduction and we come together to support and add value to the business plans, priorities and strategic outcomes of all the partner organisations in relation to road safety.

The route between Mintlaw and Fraserburgh comprises the A952 between Mintlaw and Cortes Junction and 8.2km of the A90 trunk road from Cortes junction to Fraserburgh. The A952 is a local road with Aberdeenshire Council being responsible for the maintenance and safety of this road.

It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments.

Our records show that for the A90 between Cortes junction and Fraserburgh there have been two fatal and three serious casualties resulting from trunk road accidents in the three year period from 2014 to 2016. The road and road layout were not identified as a contributory factor in either of these fatal accidents.

The overall increase in spending power to support local authority services now amounts to over £383 million. Aberdeenshire Council’s share of this overall increase in spending power amounts to over £21 million. Had the Council chosen to maximise its spending power by raising Council Tax by the full 3%, they would have had additional revenue amounting to £650,000, which they could have used to invest in local services.