Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government is not aware of plans to relocate Helensburgh Community Fire Station. Decisions on the allocation and location of resources is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Dog owners must take responsibility for their pet and responsible behaviour is central to the concept of exercising access rights. Increasing awareness is a key factor in the prevention of livestock worrying incidents and the associated unnecessary suffering. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code is clear on the rights and responsibilities of land managers and those exercising access rights, and is widely publicised.

Further to this the Scottish Government previously undertook an awareness raising digital campaign, in partnership with the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to promote responsible dog ownership. The campaign was re-run on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in September and December 2021, to further emphasise the importance of training pet dogs correctly. Reportedly NFU Mutual have estimated the cost of dog attacks on Scotland’s livestock fell by almost a third in 2022, indicating greater awareness on this matter.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14939 on 1 March 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

It would not be appropriate to comment at this time until all the necessary steps have been taken to ensure our decision is the right one for the Caledonian Sleeper, its passengers and its staff.

On 2 March 2023 I am scheduled to provide an update to Parliament on the future of the Caledonian Sleeper.

The Scottish Government committed up to £20M in funding to the Social Security Independent Advocacy Service over four years from September 2021.

After extensive engagement with advocacy stakeholders, it was concluded that this service should be delivered under contract by a single national provider or consortium of providers. The Invitation to Tender was open to all third sector bodies that deliver advocacy services – and a Contract Notice was published on 12 May 2021 in the usual way via Public Contracts Scotland. Following the conclusion of the regulated procurement exercise VoiceAbility were appointed the first national provider of the service in September 2021. This initial contract runs until August 2023 with the opportunity to extend by a further two one-year periods.

This information is not held centrally. Local authorities and integrated health & social care partnerships are responsible for commissioning services for people in their area.

It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including any public funding for care homes, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

This information is not held centrally. Local authorities and integrated health & social care partnerships are responsible for commissioning services for people in their area.

The amendment to Section 9 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 provided for offences of 'upskirting' to be prosecuted under subsections (4A) and (4B). The Scottish Government does not hold information on investigations (question (a)). The answer to questions (b) and (c) is provided in the following table.

Please note that the latest available data is for the financial year 2020-21. Data for 2021-22 are expected in Summer 2023 following publication of the 'Criminal Proceedings in Scotland 2021-22' statistical bulletin.

Table 1. People prosecuted and convicted in Scottish courts under Section 9(4A) and (4B) of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009, where main charge, 2011-12 to 2020-21.

The Scottish Greenhouse Gas Statistics quantify emissions from fishing vessels at sea. This is an estimate based on activity data and statistical modelling. In 2020, the latest year available, these were 0.3 mega tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2-e). Marine Scotland Directorate, through ClimateXChange, commissioned research to obtain improved estimates of emissions from fishing vessels at sea. The full report can be accessed at https://www.climatexchange.org.uk/research/projects/assessing-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-scotland-s-fishing-fleet/ .

As detailed in in response to S6W-12151 on 24 November 2022, the UK Climate Change Committee briefing on blue carbon , published in March 2022, recognised the challenges in estimating the climate change impact of fishing through disturbance to sea floor sediments and the current, significant evidence gaps. The briefing concluded that fundamental scientific uncertainties currently prevent accurate quantification of this effect. This has been an area of focus for the Scottish Blue Carbon Forum since its establishment in 2018, and we continue to develop our approaches to better understand the interaction. The latest research suggests that any disturbance of blue carbon by fisheries is not uniform, dependant on a number of factors and the consequences for blue carbon disturbed remain unknown.

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 Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF) requires a collaborative approach. A cross portfolio ministerial group oversees the programme at a high level, whilst Governance is provided by the Programme Board which consists of Directors from across the relevant portfolios as well as key external stakeholders.

WFWF is funded by the Education and Justice portfolio for financial year 2022-23 and will again be funded through this portfolio in the financial year 2023-24 as set out in the Scottish Budget.