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The Scottish Government takes a whole population approach to tackling alcohol-related harms, in line with the World Health Organization’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

We published our first consultation on restricting alcohol advertising and promotion in November 2023. The consultation has now closed and will be independently analysed before any potential proposals are put forward for consultation.

Minimum unit price (MUP) is a policy which aims to tackle the consumption of alcohol at a population level by setting a floor price at which alcohol can be sold, this is currently 50 pence per unit of alcohol. A recent report from Public Health Scotland (PHS) found that MUP had been successful in creating a 3% net reduction in total alcohol sales in the first three years of implementation. PHS will be producing a final report on the evaluation of MUP in summer this year and we should wait until this has been published before drawing any overall conclusions.

Our recent consultation on restricting alcohol advertising and promotion directly references and endorses this threefold rationale as set out below:

The purpose of taking action to restrict alcohol marketing is threefold and summarised by the WHO as:

• to prevent young people from being exposed to alcohol marketing (which is known to influence the decision to start consuming alcohol and to increase alcohol use)
• to reduce the presence of alcohol cues that can induce reactivity and craving in alcohol-dependent persons
• to prevent influence on social norms relating to consumption in general, given the negative public health, economic and social consequences of alcohol use.

Safeguarding the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array is the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence and any decision to amend the seismic noise budget for the array is a decision for the UK Government.

The Scottish Government and Ministry of Defence have been working constructively together and the Scottish Government has conducted a series of technical studies over the course of 2020 to 2022 in order to provide updated wind turbine data that can be used in the noise budget allocation calculation.

The results of these studies are publicly available and are hosted on the Scottish Renewables’ website. The Scottish Government shared these studies with the MoD and we understand the MoD is in the process of reviewing their noise budget management. The Scottish Government continues to engage with the MoD as they develop their approach.

The public consultation analysis of the responses to the draft route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car km in Scotland by 2030 will be published alongside the final version of the route map in the coming months.

The Scottish Government is working with local government partners on the Additional Support for Learning Project Board to deliver the recommendations of the 2020 additional support for learning review by March 2026. As outlined in our updated action plan published in November 2022, we have committed to undertaking an internal awareness raising programme following a policy mapping exercise. This work will contribute to a positive communications plan to ensure visibility and awareness of additional support for learning and children and young people’s successes and achievements across a range of policies. This work is currently on track and will build upon the existing ongoing engagement across policy portfolios.

Progress can be followed through the published minutes of the Project Board . A further progress update is due to be published in May 2024.

The Scottish Government are committed to working with COSLA, ADES and our partners to deliver improvements in additional support for learning implementation and to ensure meaningful change for children and young people through our Additional Support for Learning Action Plan

As part of our work under the Additional Support for Learning Action Plan we have considered the impact of the incorporation of UNCRC on the 2004 Act, as well as additional support for learning policy, practice and guidance. We intend to continue to engage with key stakeholders to consider this work further and ensure that children’s rights are embedded and effectively underpin implementation of additional support for learning policy.

The Scottish Government provide annual funding to Energy Saving Trust to administer the Low Carbon Transport Loan on behalf of Scottish Ministers. Details of the number of individuals and businesses in the Highlands and Islands region (Including Argyll and Bute, Highland, Na h-Eileanan Siar, Orkney and Shetland Islands) paid the loan can be found in the following table.

Zero Waste Scotland published a report on the Indirect Costs of Litter in Scotland and costs are based on that research and attributable to the proportion, by volume, of DRS materials in the litter stream. This modelling is commercially sensitive and is not published and figures have not been reviewed since publication.

Any consumer that returns a scheme article is eligible for the deposit to be refunded.

This means that the deposit forms part of the consideration for a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) article donated to charity.

It is for the donor to consider whether they wish to charge for the deposit or include as part of the donation.

We are engaging with industry and third sector organisations where there are questions on the flow of deposits. Scotland's DRS is based on similar deposit return schemes which operate in 44 other states or territories worldwide.

The Scottish Government is working with local government partners on the Additional Support for Learning Project Board to deliver the recommendations of the 2020 additional support for learning review by March 2026. As outlined in our updated action plan published in November 2022, we have committed to undertaking a policy mapping exercise to inform the development of a shared positive communications plan. The plan aims to ensure visibility and awareness of additional support for learning and children and young people’s successes and achievements. This work is currently on track.

Progress can be followed through the published minutes of the Project Board . A further progress update is due to be published in May 2024.