Monday 28 October 2019 SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT Economy Andy Wightman (Lothian) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government how the release of non-native gamebirds can be regulated in the event of such activity damaging or potentially damaging designated sites. Holding answer issued: 28 October 2019 (S5W-25569) Mairi Gougeon: A holding answer was provided. Andy Wightman (Lothian) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what records it holds regarding the annual release of non-native gamebirds. Holding answer issued: 28 October 2019 (S5W-25572) Mairi Gougeon: A holding answer was provided. Andy Wightman (Lothian) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has gathered about the impact of the release of non-native game birds on the condition of statutory designated sites. Holding answer issued: 28 October 2019 (S5W-25574) Mairi Gougeon: A holding answer was provided. Education, Communities and Justice Michelle Ballantyne (South Scotland) (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many vacancies in the nursery sector need to be filled in order to fulfil its commitment to provide 1,140 hours of funded childcare. (S5W-25566) Maree Todd: We are committed to helping councils significantly expand their workforce to deliver the transformational expansion of funded early learning and childcare from August 2020. The latest Improvement Service delivery progress report published on the 2 October shows that 4,069 additional FTE staff are now in place, which is almost half of the total estimate required at the end of the expansion. The updated forecasts in the report indicate that at the national level there has been a reduction in the final number of additional local authority staff (FTE) required. 9.3% fewer additional local authority staff (FTE) are expected to be required at the end of the expansion than had been previously forecast. This is a reduction of 862.3 (from 9320.8 to 8458.5) additional FTE being required nationally by April 2021. This is related to the ongoing development of staffing models and increased proportion of provision being taken in private and third sector settings. Health and Social Care Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that 23% of people with epilepsy do not take the medication prescribed to them, what it is doing to ensure that people take the medication that they need, and whether it has considered a public awareness campaign regarding the risks associated with not taking such medication consistently. Holding answer issued: 28 October 2019 (S5W-25555) Joe FitzPatrick: A holding answer was provided. Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government whether drugs testing is carried out at music festivals, and what information it has regarding how many times in each of the last 10 years illegal drugs have been found. Holding answer issued: 28 October 2019 (S5W-25562) Joe FitzPatrick: A holding answer was provided. Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a response to question S5W-24660, which had an expected answer date of 6 September 2019. Holding answer issued: 28 October 2019 (S5W-25581) Jeane Freeman: A holding answer was provided. John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Green Party): To ask the Scottish Government what steps it can take to ensure that shrievel requests for psychiatric reports are met in a timely manner. Holding answer issued: 28 October 2019 (S5W-25582) Jeane Freeman: A holding answer was provided..