Chamber and committees

Under the requirements of The Salmon Carcass Tagging (Scotland) Regulations 2016, any person who takes salmon from inland waters by means of netting is already required to tag each fish retained and, at the end of each fishing season, to submit to Marine Scotland a record of:

• the number of carcasses tagged;

• the fishery in which the fish was taken; and

• details of the unique tag used.

The form in which the annual return is to be made is not set out in the regulations and we have no current plans to set out the format of such returns in legislation. Similarly, we have no plans to impose a requirement on netsman to complete and submit a detailed record of daily fishing effort and of each individual salmon caught, as required in the Environment Agency returns. Such information is not currently required to inform Marine Scotland's assessment of the conservation status of salmon.

The approximate amounts spent on temporary lights at Enterkinfoot in each of the last three financial years are as follows:

£19,000 in 2014-15

£49,725 in 2015-16

£49,725 in 2016-17

Variable message signs and gantry signage are used in the provision of the Traffic Scotland service, helping to ensure a safe and efficient trunk road and motorway network and to improve journey time reliability efficiency through the provision of travel information for road users. The costs of operation and maintenance of electronic signs on the trunk road and motorway network are not recorded as a separate cost but included within the overall cost of the Traffic Scotland service.

Curriculum for Excellence was designed to be a liberating and empowering curriculum for the teaching profession in Scotland to transform the learning experiences of young people. It is doing that in every part of Scotland, it has been endorsed by the OECD and it is the right approach for Scotland.

This Government is committed to delivering constant improvement in education and the reforms I am now taking forward will empower our schools and empower our teachers to deliver a curriculum that continues to develop and improve, to meet the needs of our young people, and to equip them for the ever-changing world around us.

With regards to routine and planned maintenance / improvement works delivered by Scotland TranServ, typically the costs associated with temporary traffic lights are included as part of agreed contract rates to deliver schemes. As such these costs cannot be isolated and reported separately from the wider cost of traffic management.

The detailed information requested is currently being collated and I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib number 59095).

There are no current plans to increase the HGV speed limit on the A75 or any other trunk road as we believe that there is insufficient evidence in this area to justify a change. A 50 mph HGV pilot is ongoing on single-carriageway sections of the A9. However, this incorporates an average speed camera system in order to mitigate the risks. The trial will be evaluated after a three-year period, with any relevant lessons considered.

The Scottish Government's mental health strategy 2017-27 commits to a number of actions to improve prevention and early intervention, recognising this is key to minimising the prevalence and incidence of poor mental health and the life time impact of mental illness, including eating disorder.

I expect prevention and early intervention for eating disorder and other mental illnesses to be a focus of activity and funding for NHS Boards and Integrated Authorities. These agencies are responsible not only for effective early intervention at a public health level through raising awareness and information and identifying risk for example in schools, higher education and primary care, but also for the provision of tailored care and support at the earliest opportunity which responds to the assessed needs of the individual.

In Scotland, a range of eating disorder services and treatment is provided in line with clinical good practice across community, primary care and specialist services for children, adolescents and adults.

The Scottish Government was not aware that this land was part of common good land when funding was agreed. It is for the Local Authority to identify strategic sites for housing and this particular site had been identified within the council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP).

In line with the commitment made in 2014, the Scottish Government is reviewing the water and sewerage charge exemption scheme to ensure that it is operating as intended. As part of that review, we have been liaising closely with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations who have issued a survey to seek the views of the Third Sector. The views collected will be integral to the review process. We expect the review to be complete at the end of September with a report outlining any recommendations for change being provided to Ministers thereafter.