Seòmar agus comataidhean

Under Scottish law all houses must meet a minimum standard to be considered fit for human habitation.

1.Developers of residential properties must adhere to specific fire safety regulations to ensure occupancy. Developers should consult the Building Standards Technical Handbook for comprehensive guidance on compliance. Building standards technical handbook April 2024: domestic - gov.scot.

2.All homes in Scotland are required by law to meet the minimum Tolerable Standard. Local Authority landlords and registered social landlords are required to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) Improving housing standards - Social housing - gov.scot which includes compliance with the Tolerable Standard. Private landlords are required by law to meet the Repairing Standard. The standards that private landlords are required to meet from 1 March 2024 are available online Repairing standard: statutory guidance for landlords - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

3.The Housing (Scotland) 2014 introduced a registration scheme for letting agents. Under the Letting Agent Code of Practice, the duties on letting agents depend on whether they manage repairs and maintenance directly for the landlord. If they provide that service for the landlord, they must have written procedures for the notification of any repairs and maintenance required. Repairs and maintenance must be dealt with promptly in line with the letting agent’s agreement with the landlord and the letting agent’s written procedures.

4.Contactors and site operators (dutyholders) involved in construction and renovation projects must adhere to specific fire safety regulations to ensure the safety of both workers and future occupants. Key legislative framework and guidelines include the Fire Scotland Act 2005 (for the safety of workers). Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) 2015; Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Guidance and Building Standard Technical Handbooks.

The specific requirements depend on the type of structure, but key areas include alarms, escape routes, materials, and heating systems.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold the information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Combined sewer overflows are licensed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and are designed to prevent the sewer network from becoming overwhelmed during times of heavy rainfall and putting homes and businesses at risk of internal flooding.

Scottish Water does not hold information for reported spills during dry weather, or the reasons for spills, however it publishes all reportable pollution events each year to SEPA and this information is available in its annual reports, which can be found at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Help-and-Resources/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Annual-Reports. In addition, Scottish Water has recently launched an online map to provide customers with near real-time information about the operation of their monitored storm overflows and this map, as well as information about storm overflows, is available on its website at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Your-Home/Your-Waste-Water/Overflows/Live-Overflow-Map. To help address the issue of pollution incidents, Scottish Water is already expanding its intelligent sensor network to predict and prevent incidents and help speed up the operational response.

Potential impacts on communities, nature, and cultural heritage, including the cumulative effects of developments, are important considerations in the decision-making process.

When an application is received, a full public consultation is carried out. Scottish Ministers invite representations from members of the public, appropriate community councils and other public bodies, seeking their expertise to assist in examining applications.

The decision whether to grant consent is taken only after careful consideration of environmental information, consultee responses and public representations.

The post of Traffic Commissioner for Scotland is currently vacant but I understand the role has been advertised on the UK Government’s Public Appointment website. The closing date for applications is 28 April 2025.

On 2 April, I received a letter from the Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt. Hon. Heidi Alexander MP advising that Richard Turfitt (Senior Traffic Commissioner) will cover the role on a temporary basis. I welcome Mr Turfitt’s temporary appointment to allow work to progress on improving bus services in Scotland.

There has been a consistent rise in applications due to increased demand from developers seeking consent to build renewable energy developments in Scotland.

The Code of Good Practice for Scottish Finfish Aquaculture is independent of Scottish Government which is not responsible for any review or updates made to the Code.

We fully recognise the significant efforts that have been made by Forestry Land Scotland, Trees for Life, and partners to consult with local communities and stakeholders as part of the process to apply to NatureScot for a licence to translocate beavers to Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin in Glen Affric.

It is clear, however, that there remains considerable concern about the proposal among the local community and its representatives. In light of this and given we are now in the beaver kit dependency period when young beavers are reliant on their parents and trapping and translocation is not appropriate, NatureScot plan to undertake further engagement over the summer with those most likely to be affected before any licensing decision is made.

My officials have had multiple discussions with their counterparts in the Department for Transport on the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill both before and after it was introduced in the House of Lords.

In addition, the Minister for Local Transport, Rt. Hon. Simon Lightwood MP, wrote to me in December when the Bill was introduced, setting out the Bill’s purpose, territorial extent and application, and its interaction with Scotland. We also discussed the UK Government proposals when Mr Lightwood and I met in person on 3 April 2025.

Transport Scotland and our operating company BEAR Scotland have held discussions with various local stakeholders regarding the A84 Teith Bridge and options for active travel improvement between Doune and Deanston. Transport Scotland is working closely with Stirling Council in regard to this matter.

Consideration has been given to widening the existing bridge. The existing structure is Category A listed, therefore options to widen the bridge or construct a new facility immediately adjacent to it cannot be taken forward. In addition, there would be a need to realign and widen the A84 and acquire land. The limited width on the bridge deck and the inability to widen the bridge means that any improvement to the active travel infrastructure must be either a new structure further away from the existing bridge, or restrictions to vehicular space on the existing bridge.

Restrictions to vehicular space will impact the movement of vehicles across the bridge introducing queuing and delay, including to public transport services. To assess the impacts of this, a vehicular traffic modelling exercise was undertaken considering the viability and merits of potentially introducing permanent traffic signals. The detailed traffic modelling simulates the operation of vehicles in one direction at a time across Teith Bridge with traffic signals on both north and southbound approaches. This would allow the vehicular space on the bridge to be reduced to a single lane and give more space for wider footways. A pedestrian phase in the signals would allow active travel users to cross the A84 on the south side of the bridge.

Two options have been modelled. The first used traffic signals to control vehicles on the A84 in one direction at a time across the bridge. A second option incorporated the adjacent B8032 into the traffic signals. This improves access and egress to and from the local road, however increases delay for traffic on the A84. Both options included the pedestrian phase for crossing the bridge. Traffic survey data was gathered in early 2024 to inform the modelling. To simulate peak visitor times and future years, appropriate factors based on existing and historical traffic data were applied to test a range of scenarios.

The exercise was completed in January 2025, ahead of schedule. The modelling showed that the three way operation incorporating the B8032 would result in unacceptable levels of delay and queuing. A simple vehicular shuttle operation on the bridge may operate with acceptable levels of delay and queuing for vehicles including in average traffic conditions in the summer. However, the modelling indicates that in the peak hours in the summer and easter periods there may be longer delays to vehicles which may not be acceptable. As a result, further investigation is required.

Transport Scotland and BEAR have shared the results of the modelling with Stirling Council and met with them to discuss it. Stirling Council has requested that a live exercise be undertaken to directly investigate the impact on delays to vehicular traffic.

Taking account of the requirements of all modes of travel, including public transport services, it is recognised that the best form of improvement may not be amendment to the trunk road and the existing bridge, or that these may only be a temporary measure. It may be more practical and effective to create an entirely new, offline facility. The results of the traffic modelling exercise will help to inform this. Alternative options would lie outwith the trunk road and therefore outwith the responsibility of Transport Scotland. Progression of these would be the responsibility of Stirling Council or the Regional Transport Partnership to take forward, and Transport Scotland has suggested that the Council continue to appraise the best means of active travel connection between the two communities.

Discussions are underway in Transport Scotland to establish the potential for bringing forward the live exercise, however this will be subject to available budgets and the prioritisation of active travel schemes across the country. Should it be possible to undertake the trial, following this, further discussions will be held with stakeholders, including Stirling Council, and a decision on any further steps balancing the needs of the users of all modes of travel will be made.

Under the Ministerial code, it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on the merits or otherwise of any development that is before them, or could come before them, for a decision through the application or appeal process.

On network infrastructure in general, the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan sets out that investment to upgrade Scotland’s transmission network is needed to manage constraints and enable more renewable power to reach where it is needed. The Scottish Government also recognises the need for communities to be meaningfully engaged and consulted, to ensure they can have their say on proposed projects and influence design proposals to minimise potential impacts. Our fourth National Planning Framework ensures that potential impacts on communities and nature are important considerations in the decision-making process.

Legislation and regulations relating to electricity networks are reserved to the UK Government. The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for the strategic approach to transmission investment. Regulation of electricity networks, including approval of investment in infrastructure, is the responsibility of the regulator Ofgem. As such, the Scottish Government has no role in the regulation of electricity networks apart from its statutory planning and consenting processes.