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The Scottish Government has not carried out any research on the impact ride-sharing apps could have on reducing CO2 emissions, reducing surface deterioration on congested roads or better facilitation of public services.

Statistics on the number of people convicted for crimes with an aggravator recorded is available in table 12 of the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2016-17 publication. The Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings database does not hold information on the faith group, gender, race or country of origin of the victim.

Not all of the information requested is held centrally. The Scottish Government has previously published statistics on Racist Incidents Recorded by the Police in Scotland, with the most recent release covering the reporting year of 2013-14 ( ).

This publication noted the intention to scope out the possibility of replacing this release with a new and broader product on police recorded hate crime. This would include information on other strands of hate crime recorded by the police, in addition to retaining data on hate incidents with a race element. Scottish Government statisticians have been working with Police Scotland as it develops the data it holds on its existing systems. We anticipate an update on the outcome of this work in the near future, and plans for a new publication. This update will be circulated to users through the ScotStat network ( ).

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) also publish annual statistics on crimes aggravated by race, religious, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity prejudice ( ). These figures relate to charges reported to the COPFS and includes information on how those charges were proceeded. Information on the faith group, gender, race or country of origin of the victim is not included. Statistics for 2017-18 will be published on 15 June 2018.

The last published estimate of the cost of obesity in Scotland, by the Scottish Government , was for the Obesity Route Map in 2010. This can be found here . It is Appendix 2 in the document.

Subsequently SPICE published updated estimates in 2015.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.

The Marine Conservation Society's annual Beachwatch programme surveys beach litter. Its 2017 report identified 0.2% of UK beach litter was medical. That included syringes along with other medical items.

This information is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

We fully recognise the importance of a safe, well performing road network for the health of Scotland’s economy, and our research has shown that the trunk road network alone contributes £1.38 billion in approximate Gross Value Added to Scotland’s economy. We will continue to ensure the network is safe and fit for purpose by inspecting trunk roads at regular intervals to identify defects like potholes, which are then repaired by the Operating Companies within the strict timescales set-out in their contracts. The Transport Scotland Road Asset Management Plan (RAMP) sets out how Scotland's trunk road network is maintained strategically and efficiently in order to protect our assets and ensure maximum value for money from our road maintenance activities. This can be found on the Transport Scotland website at .

The Scottish Government legislated in the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 to strengthen the taxi and private hire licensing regime, for example by requiring local authorities to appoint civic licensing standards officers, whose role includes supervising compliance. We expect every company and individual to operate within the existing licensing regime, and for all taxi and private hire car drivers, and vehicles, to be licensed. Anyone acting as an unlicensed driver is committing a criminal offence.

While we recognise the potential benefits to taxi and private hire car companies, and to passengers, in using new technology to access services, safety is always of paramount concern. It is clearly not acceptable for users or drivers to suffer from discrimination or violence. Any driver or passenger who believes they may have been the victim of a criminal offence should report the matter to the police, so that the incident can be investigated.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

SPS has a clear zero tolerance approach towards all violence, including sexual assault and staff are trained to recognise and respond to the precursors of violence and manage any incidents when they do occur.

A Cell Sharing Risk Assessment must be conducted before any person in SPS care is allocated to a residential setting. This assessment is used to consider an individual’s suitability to share a cell with others in order to reduce the risk of harm, including interpersonal violence.

The Cell Sharing Risk Assessment is a dynamic process. Records are continually updated in response to changes in circumstance which may impact upon the level of risk presented by an individual. Where any person is identified as presenting a risk to others, then this is recorded and will inform all subsequent management decisions. Any individual who is subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Orderwill also have a dedicated management plan developed and implemented to take into account the conditions applied by the courts.

Violence Reduction meetings take place on a monthly basis across Scottish Prisons to discuss all notable incidents, trends and preventative actions.

CCTV cameras operate within all Scottish prisons to deter violent incidents and assist in any post-incident investigations. Violent incidents are always reported to Police Scotland.