Chamber and committees

Responsibility for the management of local roads, including decision making on street layouts, remains with local authorities as set out in the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984.

The Scottish Government supports local authorities to deliver safe and accessible active travel infrastructure through the provision of the £35 million Cycling Walking Safer Routes grant which goes directly to local authorities on a pro rata basis.

Support is also provided to local authorities to deliver safe walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure that is accessible to all through the Scottish Government funded Places for Everyone programme (PfE). Through the PfE programme, support is available at the design stage, and with completion of Equality Impact Assessments (EQIA), to ensure access for all and equality of opportunity in public space.

The Scottish Government is funding Living Streets to research the user experience and consistency in design for walking and cycling infrastructure such as continuous footways and bus stop bypasses.

Where new infrastructure is found to cause accessibility issues for visually impaired people, we would encourage people to engage with their local council.

The legislation underpinning Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) requires that NatureScot identifies any activities that are likely to damage the natural features for which the site is designated. These activities are listed for each site as ‘Operations Requiring Consent’ (ORC).

Before a private owner or occupier of a SSSI carries out any activity listed on the ORC list, permission must be sought from NatureScot and a consent issued. A SSSI Consent may be required by the landowner/occupier to undertake wildfowling on a specific SSSI if ORC 10 ‘The killing or removal of any wild mammal, bird, fish or invertebrate’ is in place for the SSSI in question, as this indicates that such activity has the potential to adversely affect nationally important bird populations. Further information on ORC can be found on the NatureScot website .

Most, if not all National Nature Reserves (NNRs) are also SSSIs, and so the provisions above for ORC would also apply. There is also provision in the underpinning legislation for NNRs for the creation of bye-laws to prevent damaging activity.

Where wildfowling takes place on Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) local authorities have powers to make bylaws to protect the interests of LNRs.

Firearms holders must be licensed by Police Scotland and may only shoot over land where they have permission, and where it is safe to do so without risk to public safety or the peace. Most firearms licensing law is reserved and Police Scotland are responsible for its enforcement. Any concerns about reckless or unsafe shooting should be reported to Police Scotland in the first instance.

There is no specific legislation that prohibits the shooting of wildfowl within 10 yards of locations where birds fly in to roost.

The rules applying to the hunting of wildfowl are set out in the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. These rules do not prohibit the shooting of wildfowl within 10 yards of locations where birds fly in to roost. The Scottish Government is not aware of any reason to introduce such a prohibition.

Any shooting from above the high water mark of ordinary spring tides, without the landowner's permission, is an offence under the Firearms Act 1968 and the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. As with all wildlife crime, enforcement is a matter for Police Scotland.

NatureScot are currently undertaking a review on Schedule 2 (the quarry list) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which determines the species that can currently be taken by wildfowlers. NatureScot will provide a report to the Scottish Government once the review has been completed for Ministers to consider whether any changes to the Schedule are required.

The Scottish Government are conducting a review of evidence for the refreshed Tobacco Action Plan due to be published in Autumn 2023. Currently this review includes two studies which look at the long-term use of e-cigarettes on health outcomes in England and Australia.

Scottish Government will continue to review relevant evidence.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care has not met with the Chair or Lead Clinician of the Scottish Respiratory Advisory Committee (SRAC).

I have not met with the Chair or Lead Clinician of the Scottish Respiratory Advisory Committee.

The Scottish Government continues to make progress on drafting the refreshed Tobacco Action Plan and this is due to published in Autumn 2023.

The following table details the number of meetings of the Tobacco Action Plan - Short Life Working Groups since their inception in 2022.

Since publication of the Respiratory Care Action Plan in 2021, we have established the Scottish Respiratory Advisory Committee (SRAC) to provide governance and oversight of its implementation.Three priority areas for Year 1 were identified by the SRAC and progress to date includes: