Chamber and committees

We welcome the publication of The Change Programme, which sets out what needs to happen over the next year to ensure Scotland keeps its Promise to improve the lives of children and young people in or on the edges of care.

I wrote an open letter to Fiona Duncan, Chair of The Promise Scotland, setting out the Scottish Government’s response to the publication of The Change Programme. A copy of the letter can be found here .

We recognise that there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure full implementation of The Promise by 2030 and we will continue to work with The Promise Scotland, Local Authorities, partners, families, children and young people to deliver the ambition of making Scotland the best place to grow up where every child feels loved, safe, respected and able to reach their full potential. We will #KeepThePromise.

The reports of a possible decline in the capercaillie population are concerning and underline the need to continue to focus efforts on partnership work to tackle threats to the species. We recognise the central importance of biodiversity and our commitment to addressing the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change is unwavering.

We are taking action to address the decline in capercaillie by providing specific support from the forestry grant scheme with funding of over £300,000 between 2016 and 2025, as well as funding of £780,000 through the previous rural priority scheme’s capercaillie package.

NatureScot is also supporting the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project, which is piloting innovative community-led capercaillie conservation. Empowering local communities to develop solutions to recreation management in capercaillie woods is a new approach that has real potential to help the birds. NatureScot will also review the scientific evidence on the key factors affecting capercaillie and feed this into its work with all project partners going forward.

The Scottish Government welcomes the study, which was carried out to support Scotland’s response to climate change and will help identify the rivers most at risk from water shortages and prioritise the development of resilience.

Scotland is a water rich nation but we need to use water wisely and build resilience to the impacts of climate change including drought and water scarcity. We are working with key business sectors, SEPA, Scottish Water, local authorities, and other stakeholders to make sure water is used efficiently; the first line of defence against droughts and climate change.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has just consulted on a Water Resources Management Plan, which highlights the risk of climate change and the need to work in collaboration to develop a series of practical actions to deliver a more sustainable and resilient use of water. This builds on the approach taken under the National Water Scarcity Plan, which focuses on making early information available to allow water users to manage supplies during prolonged dry periods without harming the environment.

The 2017 Programme for Government initially committed to introducing Low Emission Zones (LEZs) into Scotland’s four biggest cities (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen) between 2018 and 2020. Scotland’s first LEZ (with an initial focus on buses) was launched in Glasgow at the end of 2018.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an evaluation of this timeline and the new indicative timeline is for LEZs to be introduced into Scotland’s four biggest cities between February and May 2022. Once introduced, this is when a LEZ grace period of no less than one year and no more than four years will start.

Local authorities have the final decision on the duration of the grace period which is the most appropriate for their LEZ Proposal. Once the grace period has lapsed, penalty charge notice enforcement will commence.

The Scottish Government is aware that issues are being raised on the minimum age to enter a marriage or civil partnership and that a Private Member’s Bill has been lodged at Westminster to increase the minimum age in England and Wales: Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament

The Scottish Government will obtain more information on this issue and discuss the minimum age with key stakeholders. Before any steps were taken to raise the minimum age for entering a marriage or civil partnership in Scotland, there would need to be a full public consultation. If the member has any points she would like to discuss on the minimum age, I would be happy to meet her.

The Interim Report on the future approach to the procurement of lifeline ferry services was published on 20 December 2017. The report confirmed that a decision on the future approach to procuring these services would be taken ahead of the current contract for the Clyde and Hebrides ending in 2024.

Transport Scotland is undertaking work to review the current position regarding various aspects of procurement legislation and subsidy control in the context of EU exit and other changes since the publication of the interim report in 2017.

The historical deaths reported in the Scottish Sun were shocking in their alleged nature. However, enforcement of the Zoo Licencing Act 1981 is a matter for Local Authorities. In addition, I am aware that Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoo's and Aquaria, and that these incidents are currently the subject of an investigation by BIAZA. It would therefore be inappropriate for me to comment further, or indeed launch a further investigation, at this time.

The Scottish Government engages closely with Historic Environment Scotland (HES) on an ongoing basis on its work to develop and deliver protect historic buildings from the effects of climate change.

HES’s Corporate Plan is agreed with Ministers and includes a commitment to respond to the challenges of climate change by better understanding, managing and mitigating its impacts on the historic environment. A link to the plan is provided below:

• https://www.historicenvironment.scot/archives-and-research/publications/publication/?publicationId=1f65f457-a602-4ddc-af61-aa2500933d61

In delivering Scotland’s strategy for the historic environment, Our Place in Time (OPiT), HES chairs the Climate Change Working Group. The group’s first major output was A Guide to Climate Change Impacts on Scotland’s Historic Environment , which summarises the risks and hazards facing Scotland’s historic environment and offers routes to take action, to implement adaptation measures and enhance resilience to climate change. A link to this guide is provided below:

• https://www.historicenvironment.scot/archives-and-research/publications/publication/?publicationId=843d0c97-d3f4-4510-acd3-aadf0118bf82

HES has published a number of other key strategy documents, recognising the challenges facing Scotland’s historic environment as a result of climate change and setting out routes to take action, implement adaptation measures and enhance resilience to climate change. HES also publishes a range of research and guidance for traditional and historic building owners and managers to support energy efficiency and climate change adaptation.

The Scottish Government and HES have also worked collaboratively in partnership on a range of projects delivered through the Scottish Government’s Adaptation Scotland programme, including projects which provide key resources for those managing climate change impacts on the historic environment.

We are committed to increasing residential rehabilitation placements and getting more women into treatment and recovery. This includes keeping families together when it is appropriate to do so.

£100 million of the additional £250 million funding announced as part of the National Mission will support further investment in - and expansion of - residential rehabilitation and associated aftercare over the next five years.

In May 2021, the Scottish Government launched two funds worth a combined £10 million; a £5 million Recovery Fund to support services to provide additional residential rehabilitation capacity, and a £5 million Improvement Fund to support improvements to services for outreach, treatment, rehabilitation and aftercare, with dedicated support for women.

Through these funds, we are open to considering a range of proposals to increase placements for residential rehabilitation - including dedicated mother and baby residential care units.

Work is also underway working with the Residential Rehabilitation Development Working Group to develop a best practice pathways guide into and from residential rehabilitation treatment, including pathways for women and families.

The Scottish Government has supported the purchase of green buses between 2011 and 2018 through the Scottish Green Bus Fund, and then since 2020 through the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme. Details of the buses purchased through these schemes are published on Transport Scotland Webpages.

Details of buses purchased through the Scottish Green Bus Fund are published at https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/buses/scottish-green-bus-fund/#45456

Details of buses purchased through the Scottish Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme are published at https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/buses/scottish-ultra-low-emission-bus-scheme/scottish-ultra-low-emission-bus-scheme-completed-bids/