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The Scottish Government recognises that the decommissioning of nuclear sites requires the retention of a highly skilled workforce over many years. We also recognise that the skills of the workforce decommissioning Scottish nuclear sites could ultimately be utilised by the renewables sector as part of our transition to net zero.

In December 2020 the Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland published the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan (CESAP) setting out the actions required to ensure Scotland’s labour market is able to effectively support the transition to net zero. For example, as a priority action identified in the CESAP, the Green Jobs Workforce Academy administered by Skills Development Scotland, launched on the 23 August 2021 to help workers identify and access relevant green jobs and training.

Whilst the Scottish Government supports the Accreditation Programme for Psychological Therapies Services, there is no requirement to make an application. The Scottish Government is developing a Psychological Therapies and Services standard for Scotland by June 2022 which is being developed with Stakeholders and those with lived experience. This will link very closely with the Psychological Therapies MATRIX for Scotland which is a stepped guide to planning and delivering evidence-based psychological therapies within NHS Boards in Scotland.

This will describe what good quality evidence based psychological care will look like for all ages, all levels of need, and in all settings (such as health, education, and prisons) and will describe not only what applied psychologists do but also the high standards expected of those delivering psychological therapies

Psychological therapies and psychological services across Scotland will then be expected to deliver care that meets this standard including quality and quantity of care delivered.

The Scottish Government are currently collating this information for an Environmental Information Regulation (EIR) request which will then be published for the public by its deadline of 8 February 2022.

In the 2021-22 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government committed to the introduction of a Human Rights Bill within this Parliamentary session.

The Human Rights Bill will incorporate into Scots law, as far as possible within devolved competence, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This includes a right to adequate food, as an essential part of the overall right to an adequate standard of living.

The Climate Justice Fund does not currently contribute to projects tackling forest fires or reforestation in the Amazon Basin or Indonesia. The focus of the Fund is on actions to achieve climate justice, principally supporting communities most affected by climate change build a more resilient, inclusive and equal future. Projects in Scotland's three international development partner countries of Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia will remain the primary focus of the expanded Fund.

We consulted on a draft of the Heat in Buildings Strategy in February 2021. 178 individuals and organisations responded. This consultation asked for views on the impact of the strategy on island and other remote communities. We have published the analysis of the consultation alongside the Strategy.

Alongside the consultation, we organised a series of 7 consultation workshops, including one on Place, one on Communities and one on Islands. These were open to all interested participants, aiming to communicate the vision and actions planned as part of the Strategy and collect feedback.

The consultation events were attended by 156 individuals in total, and included representatives of organisations, community groups, housing associations and local authorities located in rural and island areas of Scotland.

We have also published an Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) drawing on the engagement and responses generated from the Draft Heat in Buildings Strategy consultation. Officials also met with islands representatives from Highlands and Islands Enterprise during the initial stages of the ICIA. Where possible negative impacts on island communities were identified, relevant mitigating actions were outlined. The ICIA also noted multiple positive impacts heat decarbonisation will bring to islands communities.

The Scottish Government has not sent such a letter. The draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) proposes radically improved and significant new policies aimed at addressing the climate emergency, including a proposed new policy which states: ‘When considering all development proposals significant weight should be given to the Global Climate Emergency.’ Once adopted, NPF4 will form a part of the statutory development plan and will be a material planning consideration, requiring the policies and priorities set out in NPF4 to be influential factors in planning decisions.

The draft NPF4 is currently subject to Scottish Parliamentary scrutiny, alongside a public consultation, prior to a finalised version being presented for Scottish Parliament approval. We are working towards laying a final version of NPF4 in the Parliament for approval this summer, following which it will be adopted by the Scottish Ministers.

I also refer the member to the Scottish Government’s earlier answer on the issue of the climate emergency in planning decision making, given in the answer to question S6W-02155 on 6 September 2021. 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 independent Office of Rail and Road has determined that the five year settlement in Control Period 6 (2019 – 2024) will be £2,245m; this represents a 16% increase compared to £1,925m in Control Period 5 (2014 to 2019). This determination is based on the work Network Rail expects to carry out within the entire funding period.

The overall planned rail infrastructure budget for Control Period 6 (2019 to 2024) remains £2,245m and is continuing to fund Network Rail fully in line with this.

In each year of any 5 year funding period, Network Rail programmes its workbank, which may increase or decrease from year to year, and this defines its in-year funding requirement from the ORR determination. This is why the entry in the Scottish Budget can show year on year increases or decreases.

The Scottish Government has always been consistent in wanting to deliver a green port model which has a strong focus on a just transition to net zero and fair work. We have been in active discussion with UK Ministers on a joint approach that will deliver these, as well as a full package of reserved and devolved incentives to Scottish ports.

It is often the case that investors consider a number of locations before making a final decision on where to invest. Scotland continues to have a great track record in attracting inward investment. The EY Annual Attractiveness Survey for 2021 identified that Scotland has been the top performing region or nation of the UK, outside of London, for 8 out of the last 10 years and for the sixth year running.

Businesses should have regard to guidance and to take reasonable steps to slow and limit the spread of COVID-19. Our guidance includes encouraging and supporting customers to keep a safe distance from each other and highlights the World Health Organisation recommendation that this be at least one metre from others.