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SFRS has a capital budget of £32.5 million in 2022-23. Decisions on the allocation of its capital budget, including whether to prioritise fleet, equipment or buildings is a matter for SFRS.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with SFRS to ensure it has the resources it needs to keep communities safe. SFRS is currently undertaking an assessment of the risks faced by communities and the assets which are needed to deal with those risks and this will inform future discussions on both capital and resource budgets.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the price of energy generated by Hunterston B and Torness nuclear power stations. This information is of a commercial nature and shared only between the contract holders and the customer.

This is a reserved policy area. Responsibility for security of supply sits with National Grid ESO (the GB electricity system operator).

Renewable capacity in Scotland includes onshore and offshore wind, hydro, solar, marine technologies, bioenergy and waste. Other sources of power generation and interconnection to the rest of GB electricity system are also critical in terms of maintaining secure electricity supply, particularly at times when renewables output is low.

The UK government has now included renewables in the Capacity Market to recognise their “measurable contribution” to security of supply. Renewables sites in Scotland have been successful in securing contracts in the latest T-4 and T-1 Capacity Market Auctions.

The equivalent of 98.6% of gross electricity consumption in Scotland (around 30 GigaWatt hours, GWh) comes from renewable sources.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS currently has no plans to invite Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to assess HMP Barlinnie for listed building status.

The Scottish Government is aware of the roof issues in the 14 fire stations, which are as a result of the materials used when the buildings were constructed by Local Authorities. SFRS has confirmed that remedial action has been taken in all 14 fire stations to ensure that the buildings are safe and that there are no immediate safety concerns.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with SFRS in relation to its resource and capital funding requirements but decisions on the use of those funds is a matter for SFRS.

The Scottish Government expects to lay commencement regulations in early May 2022 that will bring into force the Defamation and Malicious Publication (Scotland) Act 2021 this summer.

As set out in the Scottish Government's A Fairer, Greener Scotland: Programme for Government 2021-22, published on 7 September 2021, we made a commitment to create a National Public Energy Company. We will work to have a virtual agency established this year, and a dedicated physical agency by September 2025. The virtual agency will be in place throughout the transition period until the standalone Agency is in place.

This is an ongoing area of work, and as a first step we launched a consultation in December 2021 which closed on 8 February to help inform development of the design of the new body. Consultation responses are currently being analysed and further details will be released as the work evolves.

I note the UKAEA’s STEP competition is ongoing and no decision has been taken on a preferred site.

As we move forward, our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, to be published in 2022, will provide a road map for the future of Scotland’s energy system and amplify the voices of those most impacted. That is why we will co-design this Plan with workers, businesses and communities, offering the opportunity for those within or associated with the nuclear energy industry to contribute to this dialogue.

To the best of my knowledge neither Government nor Government enterprise agencies have engaged with Rolls Royce on this particular matter.

I would be delighted to meet with representatives from Rolls Royce to discuss this in more detail should they wish to do so.

To be clear, however, the Scottish Government’s position on traditional nuclear fission energy (which comprises small modular reactors) has not changed. We don’t support the building of any new nuclear power stations in Scotland and therefore it will not feature as part of our wider energy strategy review.

recognise how difficult self-isolation for 14 days has been for those who live in care homes and their loved ones. While self-isolation has been necessary for minimising the risk of Covid-19 transmission, I understand that restrictions on visiting during isolation periods can be distressing for and negatively affect the wellbeing of care home residents and their loved ones. This is why it is important that restrictions are not in place for any longer than necessary and Scottish Government Officials have worked with clinical experts to keep restrictions under close review throughout the pandemic.

Self-isolation periods for care home residents was, in January, reviewed by clinical experts. The result of this review was a recommendation that there could be a reduction of the self-isolation period for individuals identified as cases or contacts of a Covid-19 case, who live in adult care homes, from 14 days to 10 days. On 19 th January 2022 the Scottish Government communicated this updated guidance to care homes and confirmed that care homes should adopt this change in guidance with immediate effect.

I appreciate the isolation period still differs from the general public, which may be disappointing for individuals living in care homes. This change is in line with guidance issued by Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI) Scotland and the UK IPC cell and reflects the ongoing risks facing vulnerable people living in a communal setting. To minimise the impact isolation periods can have on residents, they can choose a friend or family member to be a named visitor, to visit them during their self-isolation periods. Scottish Government Officials have worked with Public Health Scotland to normalise visiting by named visitors and emphasise that this is the default approach and care homes and health protection teams should support these visits, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

In addition to this, following a review by Public Health Scotland, people transferring from hospitals to care homes will no longer need to isolate, if they have had a negative PCR test in the previous 48 hours, so long as they have no symptoms of a respiratory virus and have had no prior exposure to COVID-19, over the previous 14 days.

Scottish Government Officials continue to work with Public Health Scotland and ARHAI to review all remaining restrictions including self-isolation periods for residents.