Chamber and committees

The coverage of any Freedom of Information request concerning officially issued mobile phones will depend on the scope of the information requested and whether any exemptions or exceptions apply.

The Scottish Government continues to take a cautious, evidence-led approach to considering unconventional oil and gas in Scotland.

On‎ 19 June 2018, the Court of Session rejected a petition by INEOS Upstream Ltd and Reach Coal Seam Gas Ltd that sought to challenge the Scottish Government’s actions in relation to unconventional oil and gas.

As Lord Pentland states in his judgment at paragraph 49, Ministers were referring back to the combined effect of the moratorium and the preferred policy position when stating that the Government’s actions were sufficient to effectively ban the development of unconventional oil and gas in Scotland. The practical effect of the current moratorium and the policymaking process which is underway to finalise our position is that no fracking can take place in Scotland at this time.

Lord Pentland also states at paragraph 53 that “the Scottish Government is entitled to articulate planning policy in broad, unqualified and indeed robust terms; it need not expressly state in the formulation of policy that it may be subject to exceptions”. The Scottish Government has consistently stated our preferred policy position that we do not support the development of unconventional oil and gas in Scotland.

Lord Pentland’s Opinion can be found on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service website at: https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/docs/default-source/cos-general-docs/pdf-docs-for-opinions/2018csoh66.pdf?sfvrsn=0

The Scottish Government continues to take a cautious, evidence-led approach to considering unconventional oil and gas in Scotland.

On‎ 19 June 2018, the Court of Session rejected a petition by INEOS Upstream Ltd and Reach Coal Seam Gas Ltd that sought to challenge the Scottish Government’s actions in relation to unconventional oil and gas. As recognised by Lord Pentland at paragraph 49 of his judgment, Ministers were referring back to the combined effect of the moratorium and the preferred policy position when stating that the Government’s actions were sufficient to effectively ban the development of unconventional oil and gas in Scotland.

Following a far-reaching review of evidence and an extensive public consultation, the Scottish Government outlined that their preferred policy position is not to support the development of unconventional oil and gas in Scotland. This preferred policy is subject to the conclusion of the relevant statutory assessments including a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA). Both assessments are underway in line with commitments given in October 2017.

In the meantime, as also explained in October 2018, a moratorium is in place which means no local authority can grant planning permission and Ministers would defer any decision on any planning application that did come forward until the policymaking process is completed. The practical effect of the current moratorium, and the policymaking process which is underway to finalise our position, is that no fracking can take place in Scotland at this time. We hope to be in a position to have concluded the statutory assessment by the end of the calendar year.

Lord Pentland’s Opinion can be found on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service website at: https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/docs/default-source/cos-general-docs/pdf-docs-for-opinions/2018csoh66.pdf?sfvrsn=0

The authorisation of surveillance by the police is an operational matter for the relevant police service. The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Minister for Transport and the Islands has attended one meeting with Stagecoach in 2018, to date.

On 22 March, the Minister chaired a meeting of the Bus Stakeholder Group, on which the Managing Director, Stagecoach Scotland sits as the current Chair of CPT (Confederation of Passenger Transport). In addition to that meeting, on 8 January, the Minister launched a new fleet of Euro VI emission standard buses at the Stagecoach Kilmarnock Depot.

If people are concerned about the impact of changes to bus services they can raise these with the operators concerned or with local authorities, who have powers to subsidise socially necessary services which cannot be provided commercially.

If they are not satisfied with the response of the operator, they can make a complaint. Information regarding complaint procedures in relation to bus services is published on the Transport Scotland website at the following address https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/buses/bus-complaints/ .

Bus services in Scotland are deregulated and largely run on a commercial basis, although local authorities have a duty to identify where there is a social need for particular bus services and powers to subsidise these.

Bus operators use their commercial judgement to decide on routes, fares and frequencies, taking into account patronage levels and running costs.

If users have concerns about services or changes to them, they have the option to complain to the operator concerned or - in the case of a supported service - to the local authority. Information regarding complaint procedures in relation to bus services is published on the Transport Scotland website at the following address https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/buses/bus-complaints/ .

The Community Empowerment Act and the current local governance review create opportunities for communities in West Lothian to engage in local decision making; and, develop and deliver solutions to meet local need and wider aspirations. This is underpinned by the Empowering Communities Fund, which community groups in West Lothian have accessed and continue to access to develop strong local development trusts, support asset transfers, and deliver a wide range of innovative projects and services.

There are a range of examples where these funds have benefitted the West Lothian community including enabling community asset transfers such as the Eastfield Development Centre and the Craigsfarm Community Hub; and, a number of projects including community led design in Fauldhouse and Whitburn.

I will be closely monitoring the performance of London North East Railway (LNER) who have been established by the UK Government to run the East Coast Franchise under the operator of last resort arrangements. We will utilise information gathered relating to opportunities, benefits and challenges to inform ‎on-going work. The Scottish Government is currently considering the suitability of a range of existing public sector bodies to bid for the future ScotRail franchise contract, as well as the steps required to create a new public sector body should that prove necessary.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken research specifically looking at the question of how ‘grooming’ takes place. However, a range of research exists looking at the question of how, in particular, grooming of children for sexual exploitation takes place.

For example, In 2012, the European Commission Safer Internet Plus Programme funded a project which comprised of experts from across Europe and was tasked with meeting the following research objectives:

• describe the behaviour of both offenders who groom and young people who are ‘groomed’,
• describe how information, communication technology (ICT) may facilitate online grooming,
• identify how young people are selected and prepared by online groomers for abuse online,
• contribute to the development of prevention initiatives aimed at parents and young people.

Barnardo's has undertaken research that identifies the demographic characteristics of children who were ‘groomed’ for sexual exploitation and the relationship between the abuser and child, and the NSPCC have undertaken research on the impact that ‘grooming’ for sexual abuse has on children.

The Online Grooming Communication (OGC) Project at Swansea University is carrying out an examination of the language used by groomers to lure children, to help understand the process better and develop effective interventions to detect and prevent online grooming.