Seòmar agus comataidhean

Today the Scottish Government published the third Delivery Plan for the National Transport Strategy , which outlines the actions it has taken to deliver the vision and priorities in 2023 and what actions will be undertaken in the coming year.

The first Report to Parliament was also published today, setting out the steps the Scottish Government has taken in delivering the Strategy since its launch in February 2020. The publication of the Report fulfils our commitment in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

Transport and travel data has been routinely collected through our annual official statistical publications, however it has not been possible to accurately report on the performance of the Strategy on an annual basis. This is primarily due to our data collection methods being affected by the pandemic and comparisons between the baseline position and travel in 2020 and 2021 not being robust due to the profound impact that the pandemic had on travel behaviour over this period.

The first monitoring and evaluation report setting out what progress has been made will be produced in 2024. The update will primarily provide analysis on the performance of the Strategy against headline indicators, utilising data gathered in 2020, 2021 and 2022, qualitative case studies from our stakeholder groups and transport partners and data from additional sources.

The Scottish Government recognised that damage from flooding during the autumn of 2023 extended into parts of the Highlands and for this reason the eligible area of the Agricultural Floodbank scheme has been extended to include Highland Speyside.

The Scottish Government has identified, working with our Peatland ACTION delivery partners, multiple barriers that are preventing it from achieving its peatland restoration targets. These include a lack of skilled project designers, technical advisers and agents to support landowners and managers through restoration projects; operating restrictions during bird breeding seasons and inclement weather; the absence until 2020 of a multi-year funding package which undermined contractor confidence to invest; and a lack of private sector investment at sufficient scale in peatland restoration projects. Significant efforts are underway to address these issues, including substantial work to develop and expand the number of skilled and experienced contractors; developing provisions whereby operations can be carried out safely during bird breeding seasons etc.

Furthermore, the continued growth of Peatland Action since 2020 has increased confidence in multi year funding. This has allowed the wider industry to focus on developing the supporting infrastructure for peatland restoration, particularly with regards to training and developing applicable skills.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body announced on 23 November that it will undertake an investigation in line with its duties under the MSP code of conduct.

As stated then, in the interests of fairness to all, and to avoid prejudicing our investigation, the Corporate Body will not comment on any matters that could have a bearing on the process. It is important to stress, however, that the Corporate Body remains wholly committed to openness and transparency and will release all material that it can, when it can, in line with its legal obligations.

There are blocks of recycling bins along each of the floors in the Members block, this includes a can bin at each of the tea points.  There are fewer of these bins than other types of recycling bins because we generate fewer cans than other types of recycling.  We are reviewing the recycling points in the MSP block and we plan to add another set of can bins to each floor.  We have also recently had to order a replacement can bin for the second-floor tea point, so this bin has been temporarily unavailable but will be back by Friday 8th December.

The Scottish Government is defined by three distinct and interdependent missions centred on the principles of equality, opportunity and community: to tackle poverty; to build a fair, green and indeed a growing economy; and to improve our public services. In that context, the Minister for Housing’s specific responsibilities are:

• Affordable Housing Supply Programme
• Housing to 2040 strategy
• homelessness and rough sleeping
• cladding remediation
• welfare and debt advice
• regulation of existing housing systems

The Scottish Government opposes the inappropriate use of fire and rehire practices and we are clear that the practice does not represent Fair Work. In cases where contractual changes are necessary, there should always be appropriate and meaningful consultation

While employment law remains reserved, we encourage employers in Scotland to follow good practice in decisions regarding their workforce.

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

Any concerns from residents in relation to general noise disturbances, fall under the remit of the local authority, in this instance Stirling Council.

The responsibility for determining applications for planning permission, and planning enforcement of such decisions, rests primarily with the planning authority for the area, in this case Stirling Council. Such applications are required to be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area unless material considerations indicate otherwise – More information can be found on the Scottish Government Website, specifically Planning circular 3/2022: development management procedures - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

SPS remains committed to engaging with local residents.

The Scottish Government is determined to ensure that Scotland operates to the highest environmental standards, and that we protect the strengths of Scottish agriculture and food production.

Regulation of genetic modification (GM) is a devolved area of responsibility. The Scottish Government is opposed to the cultivation of GM plants in Scotland, and any change to our current definition of what a GM plant is would need to be carefully considered.

The views of stakeholders in Scotland – scientists, farmers, food producers and manufacturers, but especially, consumers and the public as a whole – will inform what we do in relation to new genetic technologies such as gene editing.

We are aware the European Commission’s legislative proposal is currently undergoing scrutiny, and we continue to monitor its progress to inform this consideration.

The rates and bands of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) apply equally to UK resident and non-UK resident buyers.