Seòmar agus comataidhean

The annual local government settlement will continue to be distributed in full using the needs based formula, which is discussed and agreed each year with COSLA on behalf of all their local authority members. The Scottish Government is always open to any suggestions on how to make the formula fairer, however any such requests must, in the first instance, come from COSLA.

The Scottish Government are funding partners of the UK Bycatch Monitoring Programme, which deploys dedicated observers onboard UK fishing vessels, with the purpose of recording protected species bycatch across UK fisheries. Numbers of bycaught cetaceans are reported in the programme’s annual reports. Reports from 2012-2017 can be accessed on the MB5203 project webpage: Science Search (defra.gov.uk) and reports from 2017 onwards can be accessed on the ME6004 project webpage: Science Search (defra.gov.uk) .

The Marine Directorate and Scottish Fishermen’s Federation also operate a Joint Observer Monitoring Programme, which records numbers of protected species bycaught in specific fisheries across Scottish waters. Between 2015 and 2022, this programme observed one incident of harbour porpoise bycatch.

In addition to at sea monitoring programmes, information collected through the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme (SMASS) can be valuable in investigating the cause of death of marine animals stranded around the Scottish coast. While the scheme has recorded bycatch and entanglement as a cause of death in some strandings, it can be difficult to distinguish between active and lost or discarded fishing gear. Annual reports can be found on the SMASS website: Published Reports - SMASS (strandings.org) .

Yes, on 8 November 2021 the Scottish Government published A Review of the Existing Literature and Evidence on Young People Experiencing Harms from Alcohol and Drugs in Scotland.

The review can be found here: A Review of the Existing Literature and Evidence on Young People Experiencing Harms from Alcohol and Drugs in Scotland (www.gov.scot)

I will update Parliament in November and the Investor Panel recommendations will be published on the Scottish Government website by the end of 2023.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21029 on 13 September 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 .

Future budgets are set through the annual parliamentary Budget Bill process and the appropriate profile for returning this funding will be considered as part of the 2024-25 process.

Scottish Ministers have repeatedly assured that deferred rural budget will be spent on rural priorities on an appropriate profile.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21441 on 27 September 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21029 on 13 September 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21029 on 13 September 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 .

The Scottish National Investment Bank sets out its approach to assessing its impact in its annual Impact Report.

The member may wish to note the Bank reports on the amount of capital it has committed against each of its missions and the impacts delivered across its portfolio.

The Bank’s Impact Report 2023 is available at: https://www.thebank.scot/impact-report .

If the member has further questions about the operational detail of the Bank’s approach to impact, he may wish to contact the Bank directly.