Seòmar agus comataidhean

Infrastructure on the UK rail network, including level crossings on the West Coast Mainline, is a matter for Network Rail, therefore Network Rail would be best placed to provide this information.

Network Rail advises that all level crossings fully meet the operational and safety requirements and regularly undergo the required risk assessment programme.

The Programme for Government 2021-22 and 2022-23 committed to a Student Mental Health Action Plan and Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy respectively.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy was published in Summer 2023 and is supported by a Mental Health Workforce Plan and Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan, published in autumn 2023. The Student Mental Health Plan, which flows from these, will be published in early 2024.

There is, therefore, no ongoing requirement for these Plans to feature in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government.

As part of work being undertaken to develop the new palliative care strategy, we are working with Public Health Scotland to get a better understanding of population-level palliative care needs now and in the future, both nationally and locally.

We are working with local health and social care partnerships to identify how best we can support a local population based approach to palliative care, so that everyone can access specialist and general palliative care as needed by each person, whatever their illness or condition.

The Scottish Government has no single metric for measuring the diversity of land ownership. Our approach is to examine the evidence of patterns of ownership structures in the context of the different concerns that may be raised, in relation to land ownership and control.

Diversity may be measured at national, regional or local scale, and/or may seek to assess the extent, value or type of land owned (or controlled) by public, private or third sector organisations respectively. Within the private sector, the extent/value/type of land owned can be linked to the number and/or types of owners (individuals, trusts, companies/shareholders, overseas investors, unlisted companies, pension funds, etc.) A company, trust or pension fund could be a single entity, but benefit a number of individuals.

The expansion of community ownership is a key priority for us and we monitor the progress made by the community ownership sector in terms of acquiring land and land assets, see Community Ownership in Scotland 2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Our position on the current picture with regard to diversity of land ownership in Scotland is set out in the second and third principles of our Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement:

2. There should be a more diverse pattern of land ownership and tenure, with more opportunities for citizens to own, lease and have access to land.

3. More local communities should have the opportunity to own, lease or use buildings and land which can contribute to their community's wellbeing and future development.

Finally, we set out in our consultation on the forthcoming Land Reform Bill, Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation , our commitment “to making reforms that will contribute to the diversification of ownership of land in Scotland.”

Border security and the movement of goods is a reserved matter for the UK government; however, the Scottish Government provides grant funding to the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS) to support law enforcement activity undertaken by local authorities against the sale of illicit fireworks in Scotland. This work extends to work concerning imported fireworks at ports and fast parcel outlets in cooperation with Border Force, as well as online sales from outwith Scotland.

A robust regulatory process governs UK pesticide authorisation and use. Authorisation is granted only where data demonstrates that the proposed use of the product will not have unacceptable effects on human health or the environment. This regulatory approach is designed to be appropriately protective and precautionary to avoid detrimental impacts, which may be difficult to measure, arising from pesticide use.

This year the UK regulator, the Health and Safety Executive, considered that the use of Asulox did not meet the legislative requirements for authorisation as, based on the current data and in contrast to previous years, the risks of the proposed use were considered to outweigh the benefits. Scottish Ministers supported this position.

The Scottish Government is committed to science-led decision making, and we follow a well-established and evidence-based process for the authorisation of chemicals to ensure high standards for public health and our environment.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19840 on 18 July 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

In addition, I can confirm that the Scottish Government has recently commissioned research into reusable nappies. This will involve a review of the latest evidence and collect data from focus groups with parents of young children to understand the barriers and opportunities around reusable nappies. A report will be available in the first half of 2024.

The Scottish Government does not currently provide formal guidance to local authorities to support climate change risk assessments and adaptation plans for local roads.

The Adaptation Scotland programme is funded by the Scottish Government to support capacity building and action on adaptation by the public sector, businesses and communities in Scotland, including local authorities. This includes developing Scotland's pioneering place-based approach to climate change adaptation.

This approach has seen the emergence of place-based adaptation partnerships including Climate Ready Clyde, Edinburgh Adapts, Aberdeen Adapts and Highland Adapts. Further, in March 2023 Adaptation Scotland launched the Community Climate Adaptation Routemap, a practical guide for communities to adapt to climate change.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23236 on 7 December 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Infrastructure on the UK rail network, including lines speed and capacity, is a matter for Network Rail, therefore Network Rail would be best placed to provide this information.

Network Rail advises it is currently looking to understand the implications of the Prime Minister’s HS2 announcement made in October and how this might affect journey times in the medium to long term.