Chamber and committees

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) classifies the overall condition of Scotland’s surface water environment (rivers, lochs, transitional waters, and coastal areas) at 64% in good or better condition. This is compared to England where its Environment Agency classifies only 16% of its surface water environment in good condition. For river and lochs, only, SEPA classifies that 84% are in good or better condition for water quality, 89% for flows and levels (hydrology), 89% for physical condition (morphology) and 88% for access for fish migration.

As I announced in my statement to the Scottish Parliament in December 2021, the publication of Scotland’s third River Basin Management Plan sets out our ambitious objectives aiming to improve the overall condition of Scotland’s water environment from 66% currently classified at good condition to 81% by 2027. Our position has not changed and the Scottish Government remains committed to meeting this target. In comparison, England’s water environment is currently classified at 16% in good ecological status only.

The School Libraries Improvement Fund (SLIF) is distributed via the Scottish Library and Information Council (as is the Public Libraries Improvement Fund). £200,000 has been allocated in 2022/23 to SLIF which has supported a total of 18 initiatives across Scotland. In this year’s funding round, priority was given to applications which focused on supporting anti-racism and racial equality, supporting the aims of the Scottish Government’s Anti-Racism in Education Programme.

In 2022-23 the Scottish Government has also provided funding of £450,000 to the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) for the Public Library Improvement Fund (PLIF), which enables libraries to undertake a wide range of pioneering projects within communities. Eight initiatives were selected to receive grants from the 2022-23 PLIF, supporting sustainable development and innovation within Scotland’s public libraries.

Applications for the 2022-23 School Libraries Improvement Fund were accepted from 29 August 2022 to 29 September 2022.

We are engaging with the Scottish Library and Information Council and will set out future plans in due course.

The Scottish Government's Used Electric Vehicle Loan provides interest free loans to help individuals and businesses make the transition to electric vehicles. Energy Saving Trust deliver this scheme on behalf of Scottish Minister, and publish loan statistics on their website, details of which can be found here: Grants and loans to help you travel greener - Energy Saving Trust .

As of 12 January, Energy Savings Trust have issued 624 loans to a value of £15,763,144 and have also offered an additional 398 loans worth £10,623,147. This represents a total commitment of £26,376,291 from a £30m budget for the 2022-23 financial year.

In line with our commitment to widening access to electric vehicles, the loan supports the purchase of used electric vehicles. Sectors such as Taxis and Private Hire may access the loan to purchase new vehicles, but no specific loan funding is set aside for new vehicles.

In its 2022-2023 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government committed to publishing a consultation on a Heat in Buildings Bill during 2023. This consultation will seek views on proposals for a regulatory framework for reducing emissions across Scotland’s existing non-domestic building stock.

The care provided by Scotland’s independent secure providers is highly-regarded. We need to consider how the secure care system operates overall in the coming years, taking in to consideration the asks from the Independent Care Review’s Promise and the incorporation of UNCRC, before embarking on any redesign work.

In the short term, the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill will give effect to the necessary legislative changes to displace all under 18s from custody. Contractual and other non-statutory interventions to guarantee secure capacity and to minimise providers’ reliance on placements from elsewhere in the UK are already in train.

Over the coming years, preparing to keep the Promise by 2030 will likely entail a transformational change to the current secure provision for children in Scotland. A secure estate configured to meet Scotland’s future demands means we will need to undertake significant redesign activity with providers and purchasers. Resource shifts, system and practice change will also be required.

Alongside that, a national service specification for secure transport is being developed by the joint Scottish Government and COSLA led Secure Care Group. This specification aims to bring consistency to the expectations and requirements, wherever secure transport requires to be commissioned.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The Scottish Government is working in partnership with SPS to ensure that the revised Strategy aligns with the planned Scottish Government Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and any other relevant strategies.

The report from Glasgow University covers a range of distinct topics which can be considered individually.

The safe treatment, health, and wellbeing of all those in custody is a priority for this Government and it is vital that people who live in our prisons are supported. It is imperative that when problems do occur, individuals receive the necessary treatment, care and respect, in a timely manner.

Preventing suicide and supporting people who self-harm are key areas for the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), including in developing its Health and Wellbeing Strategy. We continue to work closely with NHS Boards, SPS and the National Prison Care Network to implement the healthcare recommendations from the Independent Review of Deaths in Custody. We are also engaging closely with SPS as we implement the new Suicide Prevention Strategy Creating Hope Together and the first 3-year action plan, which includes a focus on key settings where suicide risk is higher, such as prisons.

‘Talk to Me’ (TTM), the SPS Suicide Prevention in Prison Strategy, was developed in partnership with experts in suicide prevention and aims to care for those ‘at risk’ of suicide by providing support based on individual needs and promoting an environment where people in custody can ask for help. The strategy is currently subject to a planned review and the Scottish Government and SPS are committed to making improvements to care and help prevent suicide in custody and the community.

Fatal Accident Inquiries (FAIs) are an independent, judicial process. The Crown Office has significantly reformed its processes to reduce the time taken to investigate deaths and to bring FAIs to court more quickly.

As outlined in the Scottish Budget 2023-24, the Scottish Government remains committed to introducing Air Departure Tax when a solution to the Highlands and Islands exemption issue has been found. The Scottish Government is carefully considering the implications for this of the UK subsidy control regime that was introduced in January 2023.

Until Air Departure Tax is introduced, the UK Government will maintain the application of Air Passenger Duty in Scotland.