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We have no current plans to introduce legislation on minimum distances between onshore wind turbines.

The number of unpaid carers who receive short breaks or respite is reported in the accompanying tables of the Scottish Government Carers Census . This collection only covers unpaid carers who have a support plan and/or receive support from local services, rather than the total caring population. Table 1 below does not include data from 2018-19, as it is not comparable to subsequent years.

Table 1: Number and percentage of people who received short breaks or respite in 2019-20 to 2021-22 (all areas submitted) (Source: Carers Census, Scottish Government)

The National Statistics on recorded crime do not include a specific code for crimes of ‘sextortion’ (i.e. extortion involving the threat of sharing sexual information about the victim). There are however two types of crime that include activity that could be considered to constitute ‘sextortion’.

Table 1 shows the estimated volume of threats and extortion committed online, from 2019-20 to 2022-23. This is based on an annual review of crime records (commenced in 2019-20) which aims to estimate how many cyber-crimes are recorded in Scotland. It should be noted the figures below are based on a sample of police records (rather than all police records), so should be seen as providing a broad estimate of the volume of this type of crime, rather than an exact count.

Whilst not all online threats and extortion will necessarily have a ‘sextortion’ based element, it is very likely a high proportion (and certainly the majority) of the cases shown below do. Where ‘sextortion’ related crimes are recorded under this heading, it will be where the perpetrator has made demands for money or other valuables.

Table 1 - Estimated volume of threats and extortion committed online: 2019-20 to 2022-23

No-one Dies Alone is one way to provide emotional support and companionship to people at the end of life, especially those who may be more isolated. The Scottish Government recognises the importance of this support and an overarching aim of the new Palliative and End of Life Care Strategy that we are developing is that Scotland is a place where people and communities can come together to support each other, take action, and talk openly about planning ahead, serious illness, dying, death, and bereavement.

The Scottish Government does not have plans to roll out the No-one Dies Alone initiative but does support the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care to develop and promote public health initiatives such as No-on Dies Alone, to support communities and volunteers to care for those who are near the end of life.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.

Following the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 (the Act), a Memorandum of Understanding was developed between Scotland’s Integration Joint Boards and Independent Hospices. Individual memorandums of understanding between hospices and NHS Boards are a matter for those Integration Joint Boards, their health boards and independent Scottish Hospices. Prior to commencement of the Act, any individual memorandums of understanding would have been matters for NHS Health Boards and independent hospices.

Ministers are required by the Community Empowerment Act (2015) to review the National Outcomes within five years of their previous publication, and the next review is currently underway. The Scottish Government intends to lay the statutory document in Parliament in early 2024. This will outline the work undertaken during the Review, including any proposed changes to the National Outcomes.

There are currently 2522 publicly available charge points registered on the ChargePlace Scotland network.

The draft Long-term Plan for Vessels and Ports was developed in consultation with various stakeholders including local authorities and is a delivery plan for the Clyde and Hebrides and Northern Isles Ferry Services networks. The draft Plan was shared with key stakeholders on 30 December 2022 and made available at Draft for consultation - Long-Term plan for vessels and ports on the Clyde & Hebrides and Northern Isles networks (2023 – 2045) - Islands Connectivity Plan | Transport Scotland . We expect to launch a formal consultation on the plan over the summer period and we will welcome further comments from stakeholders during this time.

However, the draft Long-Term Plan recognises that local authority ferry fleets face similar challenges to those facing the Clyde and Hebrides and Northern Isles Ferry Services networks.

Ferry services provided by Orkney Islands Council, including developing equivalent investment plans and spending on vessels and ports, are wholly a matter for Orkney Islands Council. The Scottish Government continues to engage regarding these matters, including through the Orkney Islands Councils' Ferry Replacement Task Forces.

Alongside our aim to accelerate the development of industrial scale renewable hydrogen projects, the Scottish Government continues to foster demonstration, innovation and manufacturing and workforce skills development in the hydrogen sector.

To support research and innovation in hydrogen production, storage, and distribution, we launched the Hydrogen Innovation Scheme in 2022 and offered over £7m in grants to 32 projects last May.

Additionally, our £26 million Low Carbon Manufacturing Challenge Fund provides support to Scottish manufacturing businesses looking to grow through the development of low carbon products.

Many of the levers required to support the emergence of a flourishing hydrogen economy in the devolved nations are reserved to the UK Government, and so we will continue to work closely with the UKG to ensure that our collective vision for the development of the hydrogen economy is aligned and the benefits are realised across all nations of the UK.

Orkney Islands Council is wholly responsible for their inter-island ferries, including setting the service levels. However, the strategic document of the Islands Connectivity Plan will aim to set a vision and outline good practice for delivery of ferry services in Scotland which will support local authority delivery plans.