Chamber and committees

This information is not held centrally. Where such services are currently available they are provided at a local level. As set out in the answer to S6W-06718 on 2 March 2022, we are working closely with stakeholders to deliver the Restorative Justice Action Plan, with the aim of making restorative justice services available across Scotland by 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 am delighted to announce the publication today (Wednesday 2 March) of the Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture which sets out the principles and values we will put at the heart of a robust and coherent framework to underpin Scotland’s future agriculture support regime from 2025 onwards.

We are committed to transform how we support farming and food production in Scotland to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

Scotland will have a support framework that delivers climate mitigation and adaptation, nature restoration and high quality food production. Farming, crofting and land management will continue to play an important role in maintaining thriving rural and island communities, not least through the opportunities that change will create. Land management in Scotland will change as we tackle the twin biodiversity and climate crises which will present challenges and opportunities for farmers and crofters, building on their traditional leadership role in land management and stewardship.

In acknowledgement of the reliance that urban Scotland will have on rural communities and businesses to help deliver on our climate change targets and low carbon, net zero ambitions, we will support this change to ensure farmers, crofters and local communities can capitalise on the benefits and that there is a Just Transition.

The Vision is available at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781804351154 where it sets out the principles, values and objectives. The Vision also outlines the approach to the National Test Programme which is being developed with and alongside members of the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB).

The Scottish Parliament unanimously backed the Transvaginal Mesh Removal (Cost Reimbursement) (Scotland) Bill on 25 January 2022. The Bill will now proceed to Royal Assent with the reimbursement scheme opening as soon as practically possible thereafter.

The Bill focussed solely on reimbursement for the removal of mesh that was inserted transvaginally for Stress Urinary Incontinence and Pelvic Organ Prolapse, the two procedures that, in Scotland, have been subject to a halt since September 2018. This is in light of the specific circumstances surrounding transvaginal mesh removal, as set out in the Policy Memorandum that accompanies the Bill. There are therefore no plans to extend the reimbursement scheme to include mesh used in other sites such as hernia repair.

The Scottish Government published the next stage of the Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind for Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas Decarbonisation (INTOG) On 22 February 2022. This document reflects the results of the consultation that was held on the Planning Specification and Context Report last year and now describes the spatial parameters that will be used by Crown Estate Scotland to progress their related leasing round.

Given the proximity to ScotWind, the Initial Plan Framework and timelines were updated to account for the very significant and world leading results of the ScotWind process.

Scottish Government is working with key stakeholders in the process to try and address challenges and ensure as far as possible that connections to the network do not act as a barrier to the delivery of our ambitious offshore wind aspirations.

Our draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) sets out how our approach to planning and development will achieve a net zero, sustainable Scotland by 2045. We are currently consulting on the draft NPF4 and following the consultation will present a final draft to parliament.

Any applications for consent for offshore and onshore energy infrastructure are considered by the relevant consenting authority, which can be the Scottish Ministers or the relevant local planning authority depending on the nature of the proposal, and determined in accordance with the applicable legal and policy considerations relevant to that particular proposal. This will include consideration of any landscape and visual effects arising from the proposal. Parties with an interest in such proposals, including members of the public, have opportunities to provide their views in relation to applications through the relevant applicable consenting process.

Following the publication of the strategic framework in relation to how Scotland moves forward whilst the threat of Covid 19 remains present, I am today publishing the National Strategy for Economic Transformation which sets out the actions, within the Scottish Parliament’s current powers, that the Scottish Government and partners will take to boost economic prosperity.

The next ten years have been branded the “decisive decade” where we face a choice to either lead or to lag behind other successful economies while we recover from COVID-19, deliver a just transition to net zero and tackle structural inequalities in our society.

This presents us with a unique opportunity to set out how we can build on Scotland’s strengths, recognise the challenges that face us, and maximise the opportunities of the next decade as far as possible within current constitutional arrangements to achieve our vision of a low-carbon, wellbeing economy that creates good well-paying jobs.

The strategy is framed around five policy programmes identified by close analysis of the available evidence https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781802016703 . They have been shaped by an expert Advisory Council, as well as through extensive stakeholder engagement and consultation.

The Strategy sets out a comprehensive set of actions for each of these policy programmes and I look forward to engaging with Members in a parliamentary debate as we collectively take forward our ambition to ensure these are realised for the benefit of all the people and places across Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises that the proposals to set minimum energy efficiency and zero emissions targets for domestic properties will affect a range of stakeholders, and will consider relevant impacts during our planned consultation on the regulatory pathway and the setting of standards, as laid out in the Heat in Buildings Strategy. This will include the building insurance industry, mortgage lenders and all those impacted by the proposals.

The Scottish Government is aware of variations in social worker pay across different local authorities, both at recruitment stage and throughout their careers. Social workers primarily practice within, and are employed by local authorities. Each local authority is responsible for setting the terms and conditions and pay rates for the social workers they employ and this results in difference. One of the ambitions of the National Care Service (NCS) is to address this issue.

The Government proposals included within the NCS consultation would create a National Social Work Agency which would have oversight of pay and grading for social workers within a national framework. The consultation has concluded and Government decisions will be announced shortly.

The Heat in Buildings Strategy sets out the Scottish Government’s approach to different zero emissions heat technologies, drawing on a wide range of evidence, including modelling of the suitability of different technologies across the whole Scottish housing stock, and consideration of wider energy system interactions. We are also working to support households to make decisions that are right for them, through advice provided by Home Energy Scotland, reform of Energy Performance Certificates, and development of Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies.

Research on the suitability of different technologies across the housing stock in Scotland: https://www.gov.scot/publications/technical-feasibility-low-carbon-heating-domestic-buildings-report-scottish-governments-directorate-energy-climate-change/

The Heat in Buildings Strategy is the foundation for delivering the heat transition in Scotland. It makes clear the Scottish Government’s intention to use regulation as part of a policy package that will ensure all buildings reach a good standard of energy efficiency by 2033, and use zero emissions heat by 2045. Regulations will also support delivery of the statutory 2030 target and the scale of decarbonisation in the buildings sector set out in the Climate Change Plan update. The breakdown of numbers of dwellings that will require upgrades in different periods and across different tenures depends in part on the detail of how regulations are implemented, meaning at this stage the requested analysis is not possible. We will consult on regulatory proposals prior to introducing legislation, and this process will be accompanied by appropriate impact assessments.